It has been and forever will be known that in baseball - it comes down to pitching. We all know the importance of great starting pitching -that's a given. Also, we know how a lights out closer can put a lid on things with a scoreless 9th taking home the glory (and the save). Not to be ignored bridging these lies the Set-up man. In the eyes of many under-appreciating viewers, this is seen as almost a commercial break from the action. A chance to reload on the Miller Light and grab a footlong before the concessions close up shop. Not today. Here's to the Set-up Man for cracking the top 5. Today, we got your back (unless you hang a curve and make us look like idiots).#4. The Swingman:
NBA analysts seems to flip flop every year on what wins championships. Some (including myself) think its won in the paint. Others say the 1-2 punch back-court are a must and will create space for everyone to fill their role. Lost on this is the versatile Swingman. The match-up nightmare that does both! Case and point: Boris Diaw, Draymond Green, Paul George. Not saying the guys will ever score an MVP vote, but if the V stood for Versatile - would give anyone a serious run for the money. The "Point-Forward" spot - when played the right way - creates mismatches across the board. Not only for him, but for teammates as well. Put a guard on him - he'll post up. Match him with a big - hes stretching the floor. While some teams tend to occupy this spot with a spot up corner shooter (ie Kyle Korver), I think the better play is the Swing-man that will keep the defense on edge. Here's to the nightly 9point 7board 4assist 1steal & 1block that today, we celebrate.
#3. The Gunner:The field position game is to some degree - appropriately mentioned throughout the course of a football game. In an effort to not group all the special teamers into one category, today we give the rose to the punt gunners. There is something to be said for the the back up to the back ups back up who will only see the field for about 7 seconds every time the team has to punt and for about 6 of these seconds, he will be fighting off 2 defenders while clawing tooth and nail to - best case scenario - force a fair catch. Someday Yahoo will add a spot on the fantasy roster for these guys but for now - you'll have to settle for #3 on our otherwise meaningless article. Congratulations.
#2. The Caddy:
#1. TBD
Tune in later for our #1 Top spot on the chart. In the meantime - drop your thoughts below on who you think rounds out the list.
My Number 1 would be the Quarterback. Yes I know, he is fully appreciated as the most important player in any sport...HOWEVER, I feel as though some don't fully appreciate HOW important a franchise QB is. Yes they are difficult to find, yes they are sometimes difficult to coach as they tend to have egos. A prime example of the importance of the franchise QB is with the Indianapolis Colts. They had Peyton Manning as their QB who led them to a Super Bowl win, as well as dominant regular seasons for years. When he because injured, their team plummeted to the worst in the NFL. This was a blessing in disguise as it led to the eventual drafting of Andrew Luck. Luck who is the only great player on that team (TY Hilton could be considered great thanks to Luck) and they have most recently made it to the AFC Championship. A great defense is good, a power running game is a great luxury, a top notch WR like Calvin Johnson is fun to have but, at the end of the day, if you have all that and don't have a franchise QB, you most likely will not be hoisting up that Lombardi Trophy. A franchise QB is VITAL to the success of your football team. To me, after having numerous discussions with my Buffalo Bills friends, don't understand the reasoning behind NOT drafting a QB every year until that coveted piece to the puzzle is found. Teams spend multiple draft picks on RB's WR's OL, DB's...why not spend 2 picks on a QB? Sooner or later, the next Tom Brady is going to be out there, its just a matter of a team willing to spend the time/picks to go find him.
ReplyDeleteNo question about it...the Set-Up man is number 1 in my book. All you need to do is look at the Yanks. Mariano was the set up man for John Wettland when they won the series in 96... We all know his capabilities after the fact. Let's also look at this past season for the Yanks. DRob was the closer but the set up man Betances was significantly more impactful. Literally took the 8th inning of the scoreboard every time he went out there. Eventually led to DRob heading to Chicago in Free Agency and the future is now for Betances.
ReplyDeleteThe caddy? The caddy is not a position. Does he matter? Yes, but that doesn't mean you put him on a list like this. The caddy does not tangibly participate in the game. He doesn't swing the clubs. He doesn't line up the shot. He doesn't deal with the pressure. He carries the bag. And maybe occasionally tells the player which way the wind is blowing or the green is sloping. But he is not a participant. If you're going to put the caddy on this list you better add the bat boy, water boy and zamboni man too.
ReplyDeleteI like Phins point...
ReplyDelete