"Cheat to Win" - that was the late Eddie Guerrero's motto. He wore a shirt admitting to it. The blatancy of it makes your skin crawl. The audacity... I mean how egotistical can one be? Guerrero performed in a scripted sport, where this type of behavior is known as "drawing heat". A "heel" (or rule breaker) getting over in an over-the-top , maniacal manner. So where am I going with this?
Egotistical. Audacity. Rule Breaker. Maniacal. I'm speaking of course about Bill Belichick, coach of the New England Patriots. Yes, our favorite ex-Browns coach... 3 time Superbowl Champion head coach. Superbowl Champion defensive coordinator... the man that was once accused of telling his players to fake cramps in order to seal a Superbowl victory. The man who in showing great sportsmanship, refused to shake hands with Eric Mangini, turning his back on a friendship with one of his former coaches who was simply living his dream... becoming the head coach for the rival NY Jets. Nothing like being happy for one of your friends. (By the way Bill... didn't you go from the Patriots to the Jets with Bill Parcels... and then accept the head coaching job with the Jets, only to back out and accept the Patriots head coaching job instead?) Those in glass houses...
So why should the latest indictment of Mr. Sunshine come as a surprise? The Green Bay Packers told us the Patriots were video taping them last year. Caught red handed last year yet turned their nose up at the NFL - Audacity. Egotistical. Pretty much sums it up.
Rumors have it that the Football Hall of Fame officials have contacted the Baseball Hall of Fame to find out where they can purchase astericks, however Major League Baseball has signed an exclusivity contract.
People will argue that Pete Rose betting on games DIRECTLY influenced the outcome of the game. That's why he is vilified even more than Home Run Champ Barroid. I hear ex-NFL athletes like Sean Salisbury saying that the players still have to execute... stealing signals isn't that big of a deal. HOW THE HELL CAN KNOWING WHAT PLAYS THE OTHER TEAM IS GOING TO RUN NOT BE A HUGE ADVANTAGE? Especially in a sport where Xs and Os are so important. In the words of NBA MVP Tim Duncan... "That's retarded".
Yes, baseball players still have to be great athletes to hit. But a 310 ft. deep fly out turns into a 350 ft. home run and suddenly great hitters become home run champs. Very good NFL teams win. Very good NFL teams that know what plays are coming win multiple championships. Just ask the Eagles, who in light of the news, pondered "So that's why every time we blitzed in the Superbowl they knew to throw a screen." And we though Tom Brady had ESP.
I petition that the NFL immediately:
1) Bans Belichick from the sport (Pete Rose has been banned from MLB, and we don't even know for sure that Rose's betting had any influence on the game, unlike the case here).
2) Expunge the Patriots 3 Superbowl Championships (The NCAA does this... after all, CBS kept reminding us that OSU hadn't been to a Final Four since 1968... 1999 was just in our imagination).
"Cheat to Win" - a motto created in a sport where the outcomes are predetermined. Barry Bonds,Tim Donaghy, Bill Belichick... I'm beginning to wonder which sport that is.
