The proverbial flops — every sport has them. Every critic is quick to abhor them, but I’m here to praise them. At least my purpose is to provide to them enough emotional uplift before they blow it all again with an interception on the game-tying drive; strikeout with ducks on the pond in the home-half of the ninth, trailing by two; or drop bricks in the closing seconds of Game 7, and the critics say, “I told you so.”
The point is: The definition of greatness doesn’t stem from the right ring finger; instead, its roots lie in the mark and legacy that the back of his jersey leaves on the gridiron, the diamond and the court. Aristotle once said, “Excellence is not a singular act, but a habit.” Winning one game and taking home a ring doesn’t define an athlete or make him. It’s what he habitually does that deserves recognition. I’m here to recognize some of habitually great names in sports who have never savored the delectable, sugary goodness that is a championship.
Peyton Manning, Alex Rodriguez and Kevin Garnett; Dan Marino, Ty Cobb and Karl Malone; Barry Sanders, Barry Bonds and Charles Barkley — all of these legends possess(ed) an unheralded talent, but wear no ring.
And while I don’t expect Manning, Rodriguez or Garnett to receive his crowning jewel, it is vital that I silence the critics who claim no ring equals no respect.
Despite winning last Sunday against the pesky Baltimore Ravens, Peyton Manning has a steep uphill battle left to overcome against Colts-killer Tom Brady to prevent another season from ending in disappointment.
Although the postseason for Manning is a horse that cannot be tamed, the regular season is a different story. Since entering the NFL in 1998 as the No. 1 pick, Peyton has, to put it lightly, had his way. In nine seasons, Manning has compiled 275 touchdowns and 37,586 yards. His career QB rating is an astonishing 94.4 and that includes his first season (71.2). In 2004, he shattered the single-season record for QB efficiency with a 121.1 mark. And he threw a record 49 touchdown passes to boot. Not only does Manning put up big numbers, he also knows how to win. During his nine-year career, the former Volunteer has led the Colts to a combined 92-52 record (.639). Since Tony Dungy took over as Indianapolis’ head coach in 2002, Manning holds an even more impressive 60-20 (.750) mark.
Yet critics say Manning isn’t a true winner. Regardless of all the records he has broken or will break, they say Manning doesn’t posses the crowning achievement that the likes of Trent Dilfer, Jay Schroeder and Brad Johnson lay claim to: Manning has never, ever captured a Super Bowl. In fact, in nine seasons and seven playoff appearances, Manning hasn’t even smelled the prize turkey.
Not since 1970 have the Colts, then in Baltimore, been to the Super Bowl, and it’s a wonder — as long as Manning’s at the helm — if they ever will. It’s not that Manning doesn’t know how to play, as indicated by his regular-season records, and certainly the defense cannot be solely blamed for abysmal performances. No, the blame lies with the entire team and other intangibles. But intangibles aren’t culpable. Quarterbacks like Peyton Manning are. He shoulders the blame. Losing is his onus.
However, I must admit I find it intriguing that for a guy who is so poised on the field during the regular season, the pressure of the “big game” in the playoffs seems to unnerve him every time. In seven playoff losses, Manning has thrown seven interceptions to three touchdowns. A mere three touchdowns is it. That’s a rate of one every .43 games. At that pace, he would have to play seven-plus seasons to equal the 49 touchdown passes he threw in 2004.
It’s easy to find the bad in Manning and call it a trend. I like to look at what he has done in five playoff wins: Manning has tallied 1,577 passing yards (315.4 per game) and 13 touchdowns to six picks, all while completing nearly three out of four passes.
Despite the greatness of Manning’s regular-season numbers and his noteworthy marks in postseason wins, Manning’s losing playoff record and the struggles he has endured in Colts losses will be the Manning who is remembered, a fact I find humorous. Manning, along with Dan Marino, is arguably the most explosive quarterback in NFL history. And I don’t see a ring on Marino’s finger. Clearly the view of Manning is flawed, and what makes a great quarterback isn’t his jewelry — a fact that applies to all professional sports.
Alex Rodriguez, the youngest player to reach 400 career home runs — lethal talent and poster boy — is another example of a man with the tools, but no hardware.
At age 30, the two-time MVP has launched 464 home runs, tallied 1,347 RBI, scored 1,358 runs and owns a .305 batting average. Despite being one of the most prolific players in history to step onto the diamond, the perception is that A-Rod has been A-rotten. Yankees fans have ridden the perennial All-Star to the ground for not patterning the likeness of affable “Mr. November,” Derek Jeter.
I’m not here to argue that A-Rod is clutch or Jeter isn’t, but if you look at their numbers, straight-up, A-Rod is the better ball-player, hands down. And if your argument is defense, Rodriguez’s career fielding percentage is .974, while Jeter’s is .975.
Sure, the Yankees won’t win another World Series as long as Steinbrenner continues to purge the league of baseball’s brightest stars (A-Rod included). That much is true. Yet I find it hard to believe that Rodriguez is solely to blame for their recent post-season struggles.
During the Yankees’ memorable collapse in the 2004 ALCS versus the Red Sox, A-Rod all but disappeared, going 2-for-17 — with a two-run home run — in the final four games, all losses. Baseball’s brightest — Derek Jeter, Gary Sheffield and Hideki Matsui — weren’t dazzling, either. Jeter batted 4-for-19 with 5 RBI, Sheffield went 1-for-17 and Matsui hit 5-for-19.
Yeah, A-Rod’s postseason struggles have extended beyond those four games, having gone 12-straight games without a postseason RBI while batting .098 during that stretch, but outside of Albert Pujols and Barry Bonds — who is criticized for flopping in the postseason as well — no one has demonstrated the superb consistency quite like A-Rod.
If you’re looking for reliability on the hardwood, Kevin Garnett is difficult to top. Yearly, he ranks among the NBA’s best for player efficiency, and Garnett is the only player in history to average 20-plus points per game, 10-plus rebounds and five-plus assists six times.
For all of the team records “The Big Ticket” holds and league records he will challenge, KG will never receive the same recognition as Tim Duncan, Larry Bird or even Karl Malone. The reason: Garnett hasn’t won a championship, he isn’t “Show Time,” and he doesn’t deliver the big shot. Plus, between 1996 and 2003, Garnett’s Timberwolves fell victim to an NBA-record seven-straight first-round playoff exits. That’s what he’ll be remembered for, not his four-straight years of leading the NBA in wins produced.
There are countless athletes whose names will forever hang from the rafters where they once played, or have statues erected in their likenesses despite not ever winning a championship. But these are the three names that come to mind among current players, the three players who have been criticized for crumbling under the pressure. Although Manning, Rodriguez and Garnett haven’t earned a ring, much less played for one, their excellence is noteworthy. I know it. The players know it. Why can’t the critics know it?
Hardware is great, but it is ultimately no more than the icing on a cake.
Kevin is a junior majoring in economics and journalism. If you would like to argue that this trio of players isn’t worth the price of admission, or another grouping of players should be recognized as the ring-less leaders of this generation, he can be reached at [email protected].
