Some Southern Californians consider him public enemy No. 1.
He's aggressive. He's manipulative. He takes cheap shots, whines and complains and has no class, according to both serious and casual observers here."I think he has a really bad attitude problem," said Koko Judge, a hotel clerk in Commerce. "He's a bad boy; that's how I see him."
"I think he's a crybaby," said Stan Jackson, a UPS driver from Pasadena.
One woman compared him to Dennis Rodman. He reminds another man of former Detroit Pistons bully Bill Laimbeer.
Certainly, this despicable character can't be anyone you know, can he?
Maybe you've heard of the Mail-man.
None other than Karl Malone, the pride of Salt Lake City and a respected sports figure in most other cities whose teams are not currently playing the Utah Jazz in the NBA playoffs, has been the object of vilification here this week.
Some Los Angeles Lakers fans, particularly callers to area sports-talk radio stations, have taken out their frustration over Laker losses in games one and two of the Western Conference semifinals by attacking Malone.
Many are convinced Malone gets special treatment from the officials, who are either too intimidated or starstruck to call obvious fouls on Malone. Case in point: the last-second, non-call many here believe robbed the Lakers of a victory in Salt Lake City Tuesday night.
A Los Angeles Times reporter wrote that when Nick Van Exel attempted a desperation 28-footer, "Malone got a hand on the ball - and possibly on Van Exel's arm."
But a local radio talk show host called it a blatant foul. "Any harder and he would have shattered (Van Exel's) forearm," he said.
Callers referred to Malone as a "thug" and a "cheater."
Patrons at an Orange County sports bar were less impassioned about Malone and the Jazz.
"The impression is, he does a lot of cheap shots and then turns around and says, `What, me?' " Joel Griffin of Irvine said as he munched a sandwich at the National Sports Grill in Santa Ana.
"A lot of people just don't like the Jazz. A lot of them see Utah and Mormonism as being outside of society, and that factors into it, I think."
Andy Shoemaker, an educator from La Habra Heights, said many Lakers fans don't know much about Jazz players and simply dislike them because they are the opponent du jour.
"The newspapers here have so very little about the other team. The fans don't really have any details," said Shoemaker, who said he likes Malone. "I think the Jazz are an excellent team, to tell you the truth, and I think they're gonna whip the Lakers' butt."
James Pelkey, another national Sport Grill patron and Lakers fan, said attacks on the Jazz are unfounded.
"They're a class act," he said, "Malone is a pretty decent guy."
Moments later, a radio caller and host shared laughs about Malone's selection to the NBA all-defensive team. "Yeah, he really went out and worked on it over the summer," the host joked. The night before, a TV report poked fun at Salt Lake City's Malone for MVP campaign.
But Malone is not the only target here.
Radio personalities and their callers have referred to Greg Ostertag as a "goon" who could have been called for 20 fouls Tuesday, and Jeff Hornacek as both boring and physically deformed.
"A ventriloquist mouth moves more than Hornacek's does," one host said.
One caller even took a stab at former Jazzman Mark Eaton's physique, saying he has "an abnormally large dome."
Another Lakers fan said the only reason Jazz fans arrive early and support their team throughout an entire game is because there isn't anything else to do in Utah.
Many fans who attended Tuesday night's Los Angeles Dodgers game wore Lakers garb, and some brought radios and small TVs to keep up with the playoff game. But Lakers attire was hard to find at Wednesday's Dodgers game. Those who did admit allegiance to the Lakers expressed little respect for the Jazz.
"John Stockton is the dirtiest player in the league," said Irfain Databhoy of La Palma. "He takes a lot of cheap shots when he's setting picks."
"They get away with a lot at home that they won't get away with here," said Jason Cole of Manhattan Beach.
Less than half of the Los Angelinos interviewed Wednesday felt the Lakers could come back and win the series, which continues here Thursday and Saturday.
But the Lakers are a young team with a bright future, several pointed out, and Jazz fans should enjoy this while they can.