I've always been a Wakefield fan, and still give a him a ton of credit for 2004 when he came out of the bullpen a few times for huge appearances. But I'd rather share a tiny little story about what kind of person he was.
Wakefield lived in my home town, and my mother was high up in town government at the time. He used to come in every year to work through his town bills (I'll try to be vague). My mother didn't know it was him the first year. No do you know who I am, not trying to be a big shot, just wanted to make sure everything was settled as he 'worked out of state a lot'. It wasn't until the second year my mother figured out who he was, asking him if he pitched for the Red Sox, and got a pennant signed for me.
She dealt with the public a lot and how he treated them all stuck out to her before she even realized who he was. I'd say that rep as a great guy sounds just about right.