This was supposed to get put up here yesterday afternoon, but Xanga has been having server issues, so it got postponed. Sorry.
Since I often poke fun at my mother for doing or saying stupid things, I think that it’s about time to look in the mirror. That’s where I’m going to start before actually getting into this column. If you’ve seen me on AIM recently, you may have seen this already. Just bear with me for a few seconds.
Last Friday, I had a very busy day. I had a job interview in the morning, followed by a trip to a local college for information on graduate school and/or certification classes. Then I went to get an oil change. After that I went to my cousin’s house to say hi, and later, I had another job interview. I got home just in time to eat dinner, only to go right back out for the night with a friend. I didn’t have any time to just sit down and take a breath.
At the bar, after imbibing a few frosty beverages, I had to use the facilities. Nice way of saying I’d had a few beers and needed to use the can. I went to the bathroom and something just wasn’t right. This was, of course, the first time all day I had had time to stop and go to the bathroom.
I looked down, and realized my underwear was on backwards. Yes, I’m a tool.
I was laughing so hard I had to leave and go home so I could fix my drawers. I couldn’t even fix them in the bathroom; it was just way too funny.
So turnabout is fair play. Not that any of you respected me before, but hopefully if you did this won’t lower that level too much.
Onto today’s topic. I know that the calendar might say 2004, but to me, and my friend Andy who suggested this, this is The Year Of The Trade. Is it just me, or does team loyalty not mean anything anymore? Since January 1st,
there have been marquis names moved in all four major sports at a rate that has goon from unusual to downright ridiculous. If we go back for just a twelve month period… wow.
How’s this list of big-name star athletes sound? Alex Rodriguez, Curt Schilling, Kevin Brown, Javier Vasquez, Billy Wagner, Alfonso Soriano, Derrek Lee, Terrell Owens, Clinton Portis, Champ Bailey, Mark Brunell, Rasheed Wallace, Keith Van Horn, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Jaromir Jagr, Brent Johnson, Jan Hrdina, Sergei Gonchar, Michael Nylander, Petr Nedved, Brian Leetch, Alexei Kovalev, Viktor Kozlov, Peter Bondra, Robert Lang etc. And there are still at least three marquee names that have been mentioned as possible trade bait in baseball and football: Drew Henson, Ken Griffey Jr. and Randy Moss.
There are so many awards, records, and so much potential in that list that it is absolutely staggering. Most of those players have changed teams via the trade within the last 2 months, although many of the baseball moves did occur in November or December. There’s no doubt that the NFL will have its share of big names changing teams soon, since the first day to actually make trades was just this past week. The NBA is done for now with its trading deadline passed, and the NHL is quickly approaching its deadline.
So what does all this mean? Are teams just tired of shelling out ever increasing salaries to the same players? Perhaps the American attention span is so short that fans grow bored with a player after just a year or two. Or in Brian Leetch’s case, seventeen. How else can we explain the trades of the best player in baseball, one of the top 5 starting pitchers in baseball, one of the top 5 relievers in baseball, one, and maybe two of the top 3 receivers in football, probably the best your RB in football, one of the best, if not most sane power forwards in basketball, and one of the most prolific goal scorers of the 90’s? Hell, if we want to go way back, David Beckham, the most recognizable soccer player in the world, and perhaps the most recognizable athlete in the world, was traded from Manchester United to Real Madrid in a Babe Ruth like move, meaning he was essentially sold.
It’s pretty simple. Each of these moves was made for nothing more than financial reasons. Most of the teams involved were simply trying to shed salary, while the buyers considered money to be of no consequence. Except the NY Rangers. They apparently took a page from the 2001 Montreal Expos playbook of player management by deciding they had a shot at the playoffs and adding every high priced free agent they could, and upon seeing they wouldn’t make it, dumping anyone that could be moved. I mean, EVERYONE makes the playoffs in hockey, 16 out of 28 teams! How do you miss the playoffs in hockey?!
Sorry, random tangent for a minute. I’m OK now.
Back to the moves. Football is going to be the next sport to experience a complete overhaul on just about every roster. Most people can’t identify their teams’ linemen, either offense or defense, or the defensive secondary. The biggest stars in the game are the quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, and linebackers. I can’t remember a season where so many of these players either became free agents, were waived, or were on the trading block. Had TO and Clinton Portis been the only names to move teams all season it would have been a busy offseason. But just in this week alone Jevon Kearse, Ted Washington, Robairre Smith and a host of others have changed uniforms via free agency. And it’s only been a week!
Maybe it’s me. Maybe it’s money. But I like the feeling of being able to watch a player for years, follow his career from the time he comes to my team to the day he RETIRES, not the day he ships out with his free agent class. Or the day he gets moved for salary restraints.
I realize that this flies in the face of my last two columns crying for a salary cap and salary base for all teams in all leagues, and I’ll take the criticism that comes with flip-flopping on an issue more than a political candidate. But there is a way to keep the core of a team intact so that the fans can truly enjoy their teams.
Before my time, fans got used to dynasties. The Celtics. The Canadiens. The Big Red Machine. The Steel Curtain. What dynasty do we really have today? The Free-Spenders. The Haves. The Salary-Cappers.
It becomes increasingly hard for average fans (and by "average" I mean people who, unlink me, DON’T have 12 hours a day to spend researching pro sports) to follow their favorite players when their favorite players keep changing teams. This is almost like playing a video game as a GM and overriding the trades that other teams don’t want to make.
Hmmm, Terrell Owens for a 2nd round pick. Well, it seems a bit lopsided, but what the hell, I’ll take it! I just hope the 49ers can find a way to get a QB, RB and WR out of that pick, since they’ll need one of each.
Someday, I’ll be a GM (pffff) and I’ll have to make these same decisions. I hope that I will be able to deal with these problems, and not ship out my best players each year in order to save cash. But if you’re a fan of a "have-not", no matter what league, the season is over before it starts.
But on the plus side, buy the jersey of your team’s best player. In a few years, it’ll be a collector’s item as a "retro throwback". Cha-Ching!
posted by Big D @ 12:00 AM
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