The Blue
Devils in the Details
The Story of Persistent
Excellence
By "Moose's Mulligans" host Alex Strizak
Why
do some consistent winning organizations attract admiration and others
attract envy?...
Is
it how they bend the rules? How humbly they act about their constant winning?
March 17, 2018
In
this game, Coach Krzyzewski (famously known as Coach K) recorded his 1,099th
career win, passing the late Pat Summit as the winningest coach in Division 1
basketball history. Yet there wasn't much call for celebration in the press.
Hell,
even Coach K didn't celebrate it too much. Not showing too much emotion, Coach
K answered a CBS reporter:
"It means I've had a lot of good players, and I'm at a
really good school," Krzyzewski said, "The lady who had that record
would have run hundreds more. Pat Summitt was as good of a coach as there was
... It's an honor."
A
very respectful and humble answer...
Yet
a lot of people were not happy that Coach K beat Pat Summitt's record. There
was almost this thought of "Classic Duke, ruining everything. They don't
deserve this success"
But where does this thought come from?
There
seems to be this idea that any team that has long periods of persistent success
is:
Rich
Bends the rules
Plays dirty
Has media bias
Referee/Umpire bias
Controversial star player
A well known coach (usually from the success on that team)
And
most sports fans will HATE the consistently successful team because they
have the assumptions stated above.
You
won't see this hate just at Duke University. There are plenty of examples of
teams from every sport that fall under this same category of scrutiny.
Sometimes it's surpassing a folk hero that brings on the hate.
Like in 1961, Roger Maris hit 61 home runs to surpass the legendary Babe
Ruth's single season record of 60 home runs. Admittedly, Maris did it in
162 games, while Ruth did it in 154, and this started the hate with the idea that Maris had eight extra games to hit two more home runs. The
stress on Maris was so unbelievable that it actually led to his hair falling
out and other long term affects from the constant stress.
Incredibly,
he was basically run out of town by the people in the city he represented when
he broke the record.
The
town that ran him out? New York! The same team that Ruth played for, yet
they still hated him for breaking such a sacred record.
And
even more irony to add on, the Yankees themselves are not too well liked
either! In fact, they're considered the most hated team in the United States of
all time!
The
New York Yankees have long been hated because of their constant success
for such a long period of time. Being located in New York with a cut-throat
media, die-hard fans, and great profits coming in, the Yankees are able to
piece together very competitive teams on the regular.
They
have even been given the nickname "The Evil Empire."
I
dare you to go google The Evil Empire and see how many actual pictures
from the Star Wars movies come up.
At
this point, Darth Vader should be the official mascot for the New York Yankees
and New England Patriots quarterback "Darth Brady"
But
that's exactly the point...
Tom Brady SHOULD be everyone's hero... This man was fighting for a starting QB
spot since high school. He had to earn his way to start for varsity, earn his
way to start for the University of Michigan, and earn his way to start for the
New England after being drafted 199th overall in the 2000 draft.
I
think it's safe to say now that Tom Brady was the best player from that draft class.
He has four MVP awards spaced out between 2007 and his 40 YEAR OLD SEASON
in 2017... He's a 13 time Pro Bowler, He has five Super Bowl rings, AND 4 Super
Bowl MVP awards... He's even been a Comeback Player of the Year after a
horrific knee injury!
He's
a devoted husband and father. He doesn't drink, smoke, or get in trouble off
the field. His wife is smart, rich, and absolutely gorgeous. He doesn't do the
"Papa John's, I'm just like your neighbor" B.S. commercials, because
he's not just like your neighbor.
From pick #199 and told he would never be an NFL starting
quarterback, to THE GREATEST QUARTERBACK OF ALL TIME (The GOAT)... And he is
widely HATED!
This
is the story we should be embracing proudly. He should be seen as the true
American role model.
But
instead we treat him like Darth Vader.
And
I have no reason to be a Patriots fan. Hell, I don't like ANYTHING about
Boston, being a Yankee fan and all... But I know excellence when I see it, and
I have the confidence to want to have more of it in my life.
It's
just like growing up, watching Pedro Martinez and Roger Clemens going at it
TWICE in the 2003 ALCS... Damn right I wasn't rooting for Pedro.
But greatness
is greatness.
And I wanted to absorb any bit of it I could, which meant not
seeing him as a Red Sock but instead one of the greatest pitchers to ever play
the game.
Think
about the players and the teams you hate... What does it say about you?
When
the Cubs finally won the World Series, I could feel the sheer joy from someone
like Bill Murray who had been a Cubs fan for life, through all the
horrendous years that they had.
But
it did NOT make me a Cubs fan.
As
apposed to the two-year Cub fan who can start rooting for them now that they
have won...
There's
being a fan of a team, and there's appreciating excellence wherever you find it
in sports because it's so rare.
Sports
are for enjoyment and appreciation of excellence. And you can be a fan of a
good or bad team and still love your team. But to make the most of yourself as
a human being, you have to gather excellence where you find it and bring it to
you. The excellence I admired from that Cubs team was Theo Epstein, because
this was the second time he had been able to put together a franchise that
would break a curse many thought would never be broken.
But
like I said, it didn't make me run off and buy a Cubs jersey to wear to school
the next day!
But
I did wear a Willie Mays jersey the next day, even though I'm not a
Giants fan. But there was greatness in the man, and wearing that jersey shows I
was able to see it.
So
the next time you go saying:
"I hate Lebron James"
"I hate Tom Brady"
"I hate Gincarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge together"
"I hate Grayson Allen. He's a Christian Laettner 2.0"
Instead
of bringing these negative vibes into your life, look in the mirror.
Appreciate
how ridiculous these people are. Enjoy the unbelievable things they bring to
the game before you won't get a chance to see them anymore.
Try
to love and appreciate greatness. Maybe it will rub off on you.
Oh,
by the way... Trivia Question...
Who
is the only greatest athlete in their sport that everybody loves?
As of 25 March 2018
-Host Alex Strizak
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