A consumer’s guide to the best and worst of sports media and merchandise. Ground rules: If it can be read, played, heard, observed, worn, viewed, dialed or downloaded, it’s in play here.

What: “Villains--The Bad Boys and Girls of Sport”

Authors: Ken Rappoport and Barry Wilner

Price: $19.95

Publisher: Stark Books, an imprint of Andrews McMeel Publishing

You won’t find anyone who has been nice in this book. It’s filled with naughty sports figures who have made headlines for their shameful behavior.

One of the lists authors Ken Rappoport and Barry Wilner compiled in the 158-page book rated the top villains. The top 10:

1. Ty Cobb--He picked fights with umpires, fans and teammates and left a legacy of baseball accomplishments after he retired in 1928, but he’s mostly remembered for his mean streak.

2. Mike Tyson--He bit an opponent’s ear during a fight and served time in jail for rape. Tyson said he has experienced everything but death. “But, I think I’ve been to hell.”

3. Bob Knight--A hands-on coach at Indiana University, the kind that chokes players. Few are spared from Knight’s tantrums, including police and Indiana administrators who finally fired him.

4. Don King--His past includes being sentenced to life in prison for murder, for which he was later pardoned. His most vocal accusers are the same boxers he made wealthy, including Tyson and Julio Cesar Chavez, who claimed King cheated them out of prize money.

5. Ben Johnson--He was stripped of his gold medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics in the 100 meters after testing positive for steroids.

6. Pete Rose--In 1989, while manager of the Cincinnati Reds, he was given a lifetime suspension from baseball after an investigation turned up evidence he bet on the sport, although he disputes it.

7. John McEnroe--Infamous for his volatile on-court behavior, including yelling at umpires and fans.

8. Tonya Harding--She planned the hit on Nancy Kerrigan’s knee to ensure Kerrigan would not be able to compete in the Olympics.

9. Marge Schott--After 14 years as the owner of the Cincinnati Reds, Schott was forced to sell her stake in 1998 but not before spewing racist statements that led to her suspension from baseball.

10. Jack Tatum--While playing for the Oakland Raiders, he lived up to his nickname “The Assassin” after he made a vicious tackle on Darryl Stingley that left the New England Patriot receiver a quadriplegic.