With Patriots, place beauty above the bombast
The New England Patriots are among the most reviled sports teams of recent years. Whether it’s owner Robert Kraft, coach Bill Belichick or quarterback Tom Brady, they trigger instant disgust among fans wishing nothing but the worst. I can understand that, to a degree, but the Patriots did something Sunday that reminded me why I haven’t grown disenchanted with football.
They were elegant. They provided moments of balletic grace. To my way of thinking, that’s the essence of the game: exquisite beauty in the face of violence.
For some, it’s all about the macho mentality and any highlight film showing the week’s most bone-crushing hits. Who’s the baddest dude on the field? That’s what they want to know. I remember savoring the old NFL Films clips of Dick Butkus, Mike Curtis, Chris Hanburger and other defensemen bent on utter destruction. Now, in the wake of concussion studies, make-it-safer rules and disturbing injuries, that element becomes increasingly difficult to appreciate.
It’s the presence of great athletes, with all the risk involved, that makes it all worthwhile.
Two moments in particular: On Brady’s game-winning touchdown pass against Jacksonville in the AFC title game, Danny Amendola was at the very back edge of the end zone. Timing his off-balance leap to make a great catch, he let his legs go limp so he could keep both feet inbounds. That was
pure artistry, a Rembrandt on the football canvas. Then came cornerback Stephon Gilmore’s diving, one-handed breakup of a fourth-down pass intended for the Jaguars’ Dede Westbrook, effectively clinching the game. You won’t find a more alluring football photograph than the one showing Gilmore at full extension.
That’s always been the hook for me, going back to following the likes of “Crazylegs” Hirsch and “Jaguar Jon” Arnett of the original Los Angeles Rams. So many true artists over the years: Hugh McElhenny, Bobby Mitchell, Gale Sayers, Paul Warfield, Lance Alworth, Barry Sanders, Chuck Foreman, Lynn Swann, Johnny Unitas to Raymond Berry, Joe Montana to Jerry Rice. Great athletes can be found across the sporting landscape, but it’s that looming danger — whatever you do, don’t go near Ronnie Lott, Larry Wilson or “Night Train” Lane — that completes the picture.
Like so many sportswriters, I’ve addressed the concussion crisis, the NFL’s oblivious response to medical studies and a growing sentiment that football is dying — slowly, but inexorably. This autumn I heard from a reader asking, “How can you acknowledge all that and still enjoy the sport?”
Easy. The tightrope act. The man with a thousand moves. That phenomenal touchdown pass that clinched Alabama’s national title. And the New England Patriots, who play this game at the highest level. Let that forever be their legacy.
Three’s a crowd
Is Jim Barnett being phased out of the Warriors’ telecasts? The thought came Tuesday night, when Barnett became awkardly squeezed between Bob Fitzgerald and Kelenna Azubuike. It was just an experiment, not likely to be repeated more than a time or two this season, but it was troubling. For one thing, a three-man alignment just doesn’t work, especially in Oracle’s tight quarters. Leaving Barnett out altogether would be really unsettling. Azubuike is an excellent analyst with a big future, but what’s the plan? From this viewpoint, Barnett should keep that job as long as he wants it. He’s a franchise treasure who balances his priceless experience with contemporary perspective. Whenever he embraces retirement, let him make that transition on his own terms ... Thoughts of Pete Newell’s Cal basketball teams came to mind last week when Jack Grout died, at 80. Grout was a backup forward on the 1959 NCAA champions, and with the Bears trailing 23-13 in the title game against West Virginia, he came off the bench to score 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting and play tough defense on Jerry West, who went 8:17 without a basket (Dick Doughty and Bernie Simpson were other key reserves in that game) ... So many cool things about Vladimir Guerrero entering the Hall of Fame: Never wore batting gloves, because he loved the feeling of his hands on wood. First position player from the Dominican Republic to make the Hall — and the first wearing an Angels cap. His son in the Toronto organization, Vladimir Jr., is rated the game’s No. 3 prospect by Baseball America. And he never bought that “work the count” philosophy, attacking every pitch he possibly could. “I used to swing at a lot of pitches, too, but I’d strike out 100 times a year,” former teammate Garret Anderson told the Orange County Register. “He didn’t strike out. The pitchers kept thinking they could get him out with sliders down and away. That’s where he wanted it.”
The Giants replenished their outfield nicely with Andrew McCutchen and Austin Jackson, but the real haul was in Milwaukee, where the Brewers landed Christian Yelich and Lorenzo Cain. There’s talk of the Giants’ interest in Keon Broxton, a now-expendable Milwaukee outfielder who is prone to the strikeout but has power (20 homers) and speed ... The Giants wanted Yelich, but they couldn’t match the group of attractive prospects sent to Miami, notably star-potential outfielder Lewis Brinson ... One play doesn’t tell the entire story, but if you want to get excited about Jackson in the Giants’ outfield, call upon Youtube to find the sensational catch he made on Hanley Ramirez last year at Fenway Park ... Correct pronunciation on Giants outfield prospect Steven Duggar: Doug-er, as in dugout ... So who’s the greatest quarterback of all time? Brady seems to be the runaway choice these days, and it’s always worth noting that he seldom had elite wide receivers (the best of it: Wes Welker and Randy Moss from 2007-10). But I always go back to Montana. He had the numbers and the Super Bowl wins, but there’s an emotional component, as well. Brady just doesn’t move people the way Montana did, and that matters.