Quite a Sports Day

 

There was significant news in the sports wor...

WAIT! Don't leave!

Yes, occasionally, I will post actual sports news here, besides the inane commentary of a play-by-play announcer. 

I'm hoping you'll stay and hear me out.

So, anywho, back to that significant news in the sports world today.

It's so exciting to know there's a new chapter for one of the all-time great in sports.

Marcus Stroman is a New York Yankee!

Oh, wait. That wasn't what you were expecting?

Bill Belichick? Nick Saban? Who are they?

I kid.

Yes, Marcus Stroman (not an all-time great) was signed by the Yankees tonight. In an offseason that has brought Juan Soto to New York and a strong pursuit of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Brian Cashman has decided to satiate the fan base by bringing in a pitcher who won 14 games over two years with the Mets, pitching to a 3.21 ERA.

Oh, and he basically ticked off the entire fanbase during that time. His social media presence was often grating as he acted like a victim. I can still remember two...ahem...reporters (not really) who allowed Stroman to pay them off with sneakers and tickets for favorable coverage (really).

So, yeah, I have concerns with him coming here.

But, I'm also willing to mostly wipe the slate clean in that I will observe the philosophy I've long held:

If he helps the teams win, that's the bottom line. Pitch well and the fanbase will embrace Stroman.

As it is, he once said he wanted to be a Yankee before he came to the Mets. Now, he's here with a chance to help them win.

I've always believed that a team will sign almost anyone if ownership believes their presence will produce a title.

Well, Marcus Stroman, welcome back to New York.

*****

Yeah, yeah, yeah, Bill Belichick. 

Another *GOAT.*

We know about the Super Bowls and the success in New England.

Just as impressive to me was his work with the New York Giants and his two Super Bowl titles there. Most exceptional was the game plan he devised with head coach Bill Parcells to stop the Buffalo Bills and their "K-Gun offense" in Super Bowl XXV.

But there were also the questionable things in New England and those can't just be swept under the rug. Spygate happened. Deflategate exists as well.

To me, it's part of the story. Obviously, it's not Belichick's fault that Pete Carroll (who stepped down from coaching the Seahawks this week) didn't choose a likely gimme touchdown handoff and instead had Russell Wilson throw the ball in Super Bowl XLIX. 

Wilson was picked off. Game over, Patriots win.

Nor did the Hoodie make the Falcons forget how to play football and blow a 28-3 lead in Super Bowl LI.

But he did lose -- twice -- to an inferior Giants team in the Super Bowl that, again, had a masterful game plan.

Look, the praise for Belichick is deserved. I'm just saying to remember to look at the whole picture. Remember his time in Cleveland as well as any time he coached in New England without Tom Brady.

But Belichick and Brady taught New England they had a football team and that's something.

I salute Coach Hoodie. But, like Brady, I don't think he's the GOAT.

On the same topic, I can't say enough good things about Coach Saban at Alabama, and think he deserves a large amount of respect. But, again, is he the greatest ever? Is he better than Bear Bryant or Bud Wilkinson, Woody Hayes, Knute Rockne, Bobby Bowden, and so on?

Honestly, I don't know. My good friend Dave Torromeo addressed this on his Facebook page tonight and, in discussing the greatest pro and college coaches, wrote the following:

If you think somebody is missing from either list, please ask yourself:

• Did they win without cheating?

• Did they change the game for the better?

• Did they concern themselves with their players becoming better people by getting an education (which is what I think the point of college is/or was) or men who went on to succeed in other areas (other than a constant $$$ grab)?

Outstanding questions to consider.

For Belichick especially, the question becomes what will he do next? It seems fairly obvious he will coach somewhere else in 2024 as opposed to sailing away into retirement. Saban seems content to head to his boat by comparison and enjoy time away from sports.

But landing in, say, Atlanta is all well and good if Belichick builds something.

Vince Lombardi won 75% of his games and five titles over nine seasons in Green Bay. After a year off, he reemerged in Washington, leading the Redskins to a 7-5-2 record in 1969. The team he inherited and eventually left in Washington was on the upswing and would make a Super Bowl appearance a few years later.

Incidentally, that one season in Washington was the first time the Redskins had finished with a winning record since 1955. Players, fans, and media agree that Lombardi changed the culture of the franchise.

Sadly, Lombardi entered Georgetown University Hosptial in Jun 1970 and died Sep 3. He was just 57.

As we all know, the Super Bowl trophy was named in his honor.

That sounds like a GOAT to me.

Now the story is up to Belichick.

I look forward to following it.