About a week ago, I received the following email with the subject line "Blog Topic" from my good friend Rob Fisher.
Giants=Red Sox
Discuss..."
Since I am happy to take requests, I have been thinking about it over the last week. I have given it a lot of thought, done some research, and I am happy to report that I have several scenarios for debate. After all, part of the reason why we follow sports is to debate our opinions.
First of all, the Redskins can't be the Yankees. While the team has won championships, it certainly was not in the recent past. The Redskins have a long history of spending and not winning. I do agree that they typically spend on aging stars, possibly past their primes, similar to the Yankees. However, I think they more resemble the Dodgers of the late-90's and early part of this decade. The Kevin Brown/Shawn Green Dodgers. The Dodgers that spent almost as much as the Yankees, but never had anything to show for it. To me, that's what the Skins have. Nothing to show for all of Daniel Snyder's spending. Further, all of the coaching changes, is yet another similarity.
So if the Redskins aren't the Yankees, what team most resembles the evil empire? If you want to talk about winning, the Yankees resemble the Patriots. Both teams were underdogs in their first championship year. The Yankees weren't supposed to beat the Braves and the Pats certainly weren't supposed to beat the Rams. They each had unprecedented runs of success in recent history. They each have an icon. Derek Jeter is certainly baseball's answer to Tom Brady, or visa verse. While Joe Torre and Bill Belichick will never be mistaken for having similar styles, they each had questionable resumes prior to becoming geniuses. Was the 2007 AFC Championship Game similar to the Red Sox beating the Yankees in 2004? Definitely. Neither has won a championship since.
Do the Giants represent football's answer to the Red Sox? I don't think so. Both were built by smart GM's, not a lot of free agents, and maybe some free spirits, but I think the Giants need a sustained run of success and another Super Bowl win before they can be put up against the Sox. For now, I think the Sox and the Steelers might be more suited for comparison. Jerome Bettis could be Big Papi in pads. The Steelers have won twice in recent history, same as the Sox, coming out of nowhere for the first one and as the favorite the second time around.
Always fun to debate one side or another...I would love to hear your thoughts if you are reading this. I fixed the comments section so it's easier if you want to comment.
Some random thoughts:
- I am sick of ARod and am glad he will be out for at least the first month of the season. Maybe the Yankees will get back to the brand of baseball that brought them four rings. Moving the runner, sacrifice flies, pitching and defense.
- U2 doing five nights of Letterman was just damn cool.
- At this point, Max almost can't be replaced as the drummer for the E Street Band. He can be replaced on Conan. Without Max, the spontaneous nature of the show would be out the window. I truly hope they figure out how to make this work. Due to healthy concerns, this very well may be the last ride for the E Street Band and it would be a shame for a sub to be sitting in.
- Bill Simmons' podcast keeps getting better. If you aren't listening, you should start. His columns are great too, but the podcasts are truly entertaining.
- The economy certainly hasn't put a damper on the concert tours. The Allmans, Bruce, Clapton/Winwood, and U2 are on my radar.
- I am enjoying the World Baseball Classic so far...but I can't wait for Opening Day.
That's all for now..."It ain't no sin to be glad you're alive" - BS
JN
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