Loving the GOAT
John Granato: Del could not be more wrong; we need Tom Brady on that wall
I didn’t read it because our producer Del Olaleye wrote it. If you want to read his article here on Sportsmap about his hatred for Tom Brady you’ll have to find it yourself. I don’t want to get near it and accidently click on it. But Del talked about it on the air and as usual he couldn’t have been more wrong.
We want Tom Brady in this Super Bowl. We need Tom Brady in this Super Bowl.
Can you imagine a Super Bowl Sunday with Blake Bortles taking on Nick Foles? Nothing against those guys. I’m sure they’re fine people. I just don’t want them on my TV this Sunday.
I want the GOAT.
I want the guy who’s taking on time and winning and saving a guy’s job even though he attacked Brady’s daughter with ugly words and even if Brady does kiss his son a little longer than people may like, I want that guy on my TV.
He wins big and that’s who we remember. That’s who we memorialize, who we revere. Ever see a statue of Trent Dilfer? No. Michael Jordan? Of course.
The Farmers Insurance Open was actually interesting to a lot of people who normally wouldn’t watch golf this past weekend for one reason: Tiger Woods. If you think he doesn’t make a difference ask The Golf Channel and CBS who seemingly showed every shot of his four rounds. Their leaderboard had the top seven golfers and then one notable who finished 23rd. Guess who. Why? We love greatness even when it’s not great anymore which Tiger clearly isn’t.
But there is that one glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, he can muster up that greatness one more time and come down the stretch on Sunday afternoon with the lead. So the next time he tees it up we’ll be back watching again. I’ll be watching anyway because I love golf and I don’t care who’s playing but the masses are all about star power. The players are too. More Tiger means more money for everyone. Jordan Spieth and Dustin Johnson are great young players but they don’t move the needle like Tiger. He changed the game.
How long did it take for basketball to rebound after Michael Jordan retired? It was a dark time for the NBA. Tim Duncan was a great guy and a great player but Shaq hit the nail on the head. “The Big Fundamental” was the perfect nickname. That’s a coach’s dream but not a casual fan’s. We want Showtime, Dr. J and The Splash Brothers.
The NFL isn’t any different. The game is better when there’s a great team to root for and against. The league took off thanks to the Packers of the 60’s, the Steelers of the 70’s, the 49ers of the 80’s, the Cowboys of the 70’s and 90’s and now these Patriots.
If Del had his way Jacksonville would have gotten by the Patriots and if they won this Sunday they’d be just another blip on the radar. It’d be great for Jacksonville but that’s about it. They would be just like Joe Flacco’s Ravens team or Brad Johnson’s Bucs team. Nothing against those teams but 50 years from now they’ll be nothing but footnotes.
We remember and still talk about Vince Lombardi, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and Lawrence Taylor because they transcended their eras. They’re all long gone from the game but their legend lives on. Years after we’re all gone they will be talking about Tom Brady the same way.
Same goes for Wayne Gretzky, Muhammad Ali, Jack Nicklaus and Babe Ruth. Brady will be right there with them. It won’t be long before he won’t be out there anymore and the generations to come will have missed out on seeing the GOAT.
But thankfully Del will be around to tell them how he once saw Tom Brady and how great he was. There will be a gleam in his eye and a faint smile remembering how Brady beat his Dolphins for the division title year in and year out. All that hate he’s had for all these years will one day turn into a bittersweet memory he can relate to the youngsters bouncing on his knee. They’ll look up and say “Thanks Uncle Del. You sure are a good loser. You’re a loser. But a good one.”
