goat or GOAT
So, it’s been a while since I decided to post my thoughts on
a topic. In fact, it has been almost three years since I posted a copy of a
sermon I preached when our minister was away one Sunday. I guess it is time for
another mini-sermon. Quite honestly, it may be another three years before I
post again. I don’t know and I really don’t care if it is.
The decade of the 1980’s was a great time in sports history.
My thoughts in this post are not necessarily about that decade as it compares
to other decades but that decade as the time in my life where it is arguable
that we are most impressionable. That decade saw me through middle school and
high school and the first couple of years of college, so it was a time where a
lot of my values and opinions were first established. Over time, life
experiences may have strengthened those values or changed them into something
different. Nevertheless, those years give me a frame of reference for how I
view things, sports in particular. For instance, when growing up if someone
asked me to come up with a list of goats, I would immediately think of players
like Bill Buckner, Scott Norwood, and Chris Webber. If you don’t remember those
names, Buckner was the first baseman for the Boston Red Sox in 1986 who let a
ground ball go through his legs in the World Series leading to a game seven
which the Mets won to take the crown. At the time, the Red Sox were the team
that hadn’t won a title since 1918 so the pain and suffering of losing was
compounded by how long it had been. Scott Norwood was the kicker for the
Buffalo Bills who missed a field goal that would have given the Bills their
first Super Bowl title. That happened to be the first of 4 Super Bowls in a row
for the Bills, none of which they won and the others were not even close games.
Chris Webber of the “Fab Five” Michigan basketball team infamously called a
timeout in the National Championship game against UNC. Unfortunately, Michigan
did not have any timeouts left so the ensuing technical foul essentially gave
UNC the title.
Fast forward to just a few years ago when I heard the term
goat and Michael Jordan uttered in the same breath. Based on my 1980’s
education I almost had a stroke at the thought that there was someone out there
who thought MJ could have ever done something negative for his team, especially
at the magnitude of the aforementioned athletes. It was then that my teenage
son (or pre-teen depending on how long ago this was) educated me on the
definition of goat. It is actually an acronym GOAT – Greatest Of All Time. Who
knew? Apparently, every social media junkie since the first Facebook post,
Twitter tweet, and Instagram upload. Since I don’t participate in those
playgrounds of the devil, I missed the transition from goat to GOAT. Now every
day in the sports world of talk radio, Sports Center, and social media posts,
that term is attached to some retired or active player based on whatever whim
the poster or talk radio host wants to use. That is what led to me expressing
myself in this post. Let me explain…
Tom Brady’s Super Bowl performance, Serena Williams and
Roger Federer’s recent Grand Slam victories, Lebron James and his current
success in the NBA all put these athletes in the discussion of GOAT. My
intention is not to support one of these over the others deserving
consideration, but to discuss the qualifications for the title of GOAT. I am
less concerned about what metric you want to label as the most important as I
am about the consistent use of whatever you deem important. Let me explain…
In the upcoming NFL draft there are several QB’s who are being
rated to determine who should be drafted first, Deshaun Watson, Mitch Trubisky, and DeShone
Kizer to name a few. It is the raking of these quarterbacks, or at least the
discussion of them that “gets my goat.*” (hehe) They talk about the
“measurables” which usually means height, weight, and a list of other physical
measurements. There is mention of statistical accomplishments and that is
certainly considered as important. However, what seems to get just a passing
mention is the ability to WIN. Don’t tell me that the most important thing in a
quarterback when you are deciding whether or not to draft him is how tall he
is, arm strength, TD/INT ratio, total yards passing, etc. and then when the
discussion turns to the GOAT it becomes about “the rings.” Tom Brady has incredible
QB stats but what gets him in the discussion, and quite frankly now at the top
of that discussion, it the number of Super Bowl wins. He was drafted in the 6th
round while a guy like Dan Marino was a first round draft pick. I submit that
Marino is in the discussion as the GOAT but if you ever talk about him and his
outstanding, HOF career, it always comes down to, “But he didn’t win any Super
Bowls!”
To all you draft room warlords out there, you better not
forget the 1998 NFL draft. That year a second place Heisman finalist who
happened to be a cerebral quarterback who could make all the throws and had a
history of winning was chosen over a highly touted “measurable” quarterback.
Looking back, can you believe there was actually discussion as to who was the
better quarterback, Peyton Manning or Ryan Leaf? This year there is a second
place Heisman finalist (a whole other discussion on the ridiculousness of that
result) who is not only a cerebral quarterback who can make all the throws, but
also one who can use his legs…and WINS the big games. Those qualities
coupled with the character of the man make Watson the best choice for QB. I
don’t care if he is the first pick in the draft (I actually hope he isn’t
unless the Browns trade that pick) but he should certainly be the first QB
taken. For all you social media fanatics out there who can’t understand the
written word…
#DW4 – Heisman, 1st QB pick, GOAT. Disagree? KMA
*Some would argue the
term is goad but there is at worst disagreement on which it is and at best
acceptance of either term. Goat is funnier in this context obviously.
