Sportscolumn.com

When I was young, the flight of free agency in major sports hadn’t quite taken off of the runway and although trades occurred, it seldom involved major stars. These days of course, it has become almost a sporting event in itself. Team sports such as football, basketball, and baseball stay in the headlines during the off-season with the barrage of free agency, trades, and all of the rumors that swirl around it. My questions is this; what kind of impact, if any, does this have on the young sports fans who cheer for their favorite player on their favorite team?

Here was a man who had it all, a high nineties fastball and a knee buckling curve, a rubber arm and steel back bone, an intense glare with pristine perception, but most importantly the talent in reserve to move above the status of legend.

Here was a man who threw it all away and still recieved second chance after chance. A man who succumbed to temptation and betrayed himself. A man who looked in the mirror and mocked his gifts. A man who fell back on his accomplishments instead of elevating above them.

Here was a man who had the key to New York City only to open all the wrong doors. Here was a man whose tale spun from adventure to tragedy. Here is an example of the saddest thing in life, which is wasted potential.

Here is a human being.

Here was a man.

With preseason play coming to a close, and the NFL season only one week away, it’s time to make largely unfounded but highly anticipated season predictions. Though I condemn the idea in principle, I could not resist predicting the records of each team. I acknowledge that quite a bit can change during the course of a season, so I do not expect these records to accurately predict so much as convey how I envision the relative strength of each team’s opening day roster. So, without further ado…