If I may answer your questions :

"When has Barry EVER been nice to the media? Why is it I've read stories in SI and other
media from his teammates suggesting that he isn't a team player? Why is it when the team
reports to camp and runs through drills Barry doesn't feel that he must do the same? Why
did Jeff Kent feel the need to pound him during the season? Why was it that a few years
ago people thought he should have been traded from SF to "remove the cancer." "

Because the media doesn't like him. All this crap you've quoted gets filtered through the same people. Do you think that all superstars/veterans do all the drills each spring ? They don't, but BB gets lambasted for it. The removing the cancer idiocy was from a pair of sportswriters who would like BB to become a quote machine and make their jobs even easier. The Kent thing is perfect, you take Kent's side from what you read but what really happened was that Bell made a throwing error and Kent got into his face about it and BB stood up for Bell. Who's the bad guy here ? How do you know who his teammates backed or like better ?

"Imagine if he had answered the questions:

"Do you think you've just lost your best chance at winning a ring"
"To date, yes, that was my best chance. I thought we had it, but the Angels just wanted it
more. But now that I've had a good taste of the post season I will be back. We will be back
next year." "

So you feel that all fans would be better off if BB gave trite answers when asked questions ? My life as a fan wouldn't be improved at all. Your answer imparts zero information, it's just a canned, sero-thought response. Many athletes do it. I don't need one more.

"To me, he is self-centered."

Of course he's self-centered, he's a freaking athlete! Greg Maddux is portrayed as a great guy, real spokesman for the game but all he thinks about is being the best pitcher he can be. In other words himself. Is he self-centered ?

I think it comes down to what you want out of athletes. Many people want them to be really nice, role model types who always give the mindless 5 minute interview about truth, justice and the American way. I don't. Play the game and go home.
Athletes run the gamut as people, as do cops, bank tellers and pizza delivery guys. Because his skills are marketable in a way that makes a lot of money you expect more and rejoice when he loses ? The politics of envy.

Get a dog if you want a friend but I think it's more revealing of your life than his when a certain player losing "makes everything feel right in the world.