The Major League Baseball trade deadline just came and went and The Diamondbacks made a lot of moves, the biggest of which was trading Dan Haren to The Angels. Every year, I am reminded that I can't get too attached to the players on my teams because they may be gone at any moment. In this world of fantasy team owning sports fans, no one seems to want to watch the same players day in and day out. Fans are as interested in trades nowadays as they are in the actual playing of the games. I feel like I may be the only person who wants to see the same players year in and year out and watch them grow from rookies to veterans on one team and retire with that team. I don't want to see Brett Favre in a Vikings jersey or Michael Jordan in a Wizards jersey. It just doesn't look right; I want to see the Cal Ripkens and the Larry Birds retire with the right colors on.
Even the players you think would never be traded are not safe. The Suns traded Dan Majerle, one of the most popular Suns of all time and my favorite player ever, for John " Hot Rod" Williams in 1995. And the fans were largely to blame. As Majerle was getting older, he started shooting more and more threes and we saw less of the thunderous dunks of his youth that gave him his nickname Thunder Dan. Fans became restlesss and wanted him gone. I was crushed by this trade, and worst of all so was Dan Majerle. He never wanted to wear another jersey in his lifetime. In this era of players who demand trades and want to play in big markets like New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles, finding a player loyal to your organization is almost impossible. Teams and fans should hold onto these players when they find them.
Last summer, I felt like this was happening all over again when fans started calling for Steve Nash to be traded. "He doesn't play defense." "He can't win a championship." I wanted to grab every fan I heard complaining about Steve Nash and physically shake some sense into them. Steve Nash may be the greatest Suns player of all time and people actually wanted to trade him. Be careful what you wish for is all I can say because while the grass is always greener on the other side, it was not very fun to watch John "Hot Rod" Williams hobble up and down the court like Andre the Giant while Dan Majerle continued to be a great player with the Cavs and Heat. We ask for loyalty from players and show them none back. Luckily, The Suns kept Steve Nash and he rewarded us with an unlikely run to the Western Conference Championship. The fact is, I would not have traded Nash for Kobe Bryant even if I knew that we would win a championship. I would rather lose with Steve Nash than win with Kobe Bryant and I would hope that most other Suns fans would too.
I hear you about the trades. Back in the days when I actually followed sports, I would get very attached to my players. I was a huge Braves fan in the late 90s, but don't even recognize the team any more. I am still crushed we traded Gonzo too, what on earth were we thinking???
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to see that you are a loyal fan to your players. I would not want to see Steve Nash getting traded either. He's a great player who deserves his fans' respect.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I remember watching Ken Griffy Jr. all the time back when he played for Seattle. Very sad to have seen him go.
ReplyDeleteI feel you on the whole trade issue. You're definitely a loyal fan and I would definitely hate to see Nash get traded.
ReplyDeleteSteve Nash will never get traded. I think we’ll miss Stoudimire this year but man he wasn't worth 99 million
ReplyDeleteBeing a longtime Indy Colts fan, I remember when Marshall Faulk left to go to St. Louis. We had just drafted Peyton and there was excitement about having a number one pick. They played together a year, but after that, when we drafted Edgerrin James and let Faulk go, it seemed like we were trading the new for the old. It turns out we were just using Faulk in ways that didn't show off his natural talent and he lead the Rams to a Superbowl.
ReplyDeleteThe crazy thing was, I didn't feel betrayed or dissapointed. Faulk played like a different player, he was doing things for that team that we weren't going to ask him to do, and he was great at it. It was like seeing an ex girlfriend, the one who was always shy and reserved around you, with her new beau, being extroverted and electric. But there wasn't jealousy, but more pride because she was allowed to be who she really was.