{image1} Last week, within 24 hours of each other, Randy Moss and Chris Webber were traded. Combined with the arrival of Sammy Sosa to Orioles training camp (admittedly not the actual execution of his trade), there was an odd convergence of three modern superstars.
As I subconsciously digested what it meant to have all three "superstar" names making headlines in one edition of the newspaper, the realization finally dawned on me.
They are all the same guy. The same player. They are poured from the same sporting archetype. While the games they play are different, the essence of all three is almost exactly the same.
Put bluntly, all three are the quintessential "show pony" player.
Looks great. Everybody seems to want them. But they don't win. The stats they post ought to extinguish any argument about their true "value" to teams, but they don't. In fact, the numbers often start fresh arguments about what they mean, how they are acquired, and if they might be a product of something other than the player's greatness.
In short, Moss, Webber and Sosa were not so much "traded" recently as they were "dumped." All three teams that once possessed them, seemed oddly in a rush to get rid of their version of "the precious."
While they may all end up in their respective Halls of Fame someday (Sosa is a lock, Webber is a "probably" since the BHOF also counts college, and Moss is a "wait and see" since receiver numbers have been exploding in the NFL the last 10 years), there will always be arguments about their "greatness" as players.
To me, all three have simply been "great" not "Great." It is that capital "G" that makes all the difference. All three have been achingly close to stamping their legacy with a championship. Webber cut short by the Lakers, the Mavs and a knee injury on various occasions. Sosa went down with the Cubs in the "Bartman Series." Moss fell twice in the NFC title game.
But near misses and All-Star appearances aside, it is hard to successfully argue that any of them bring anything more than just gaudy stats and flashy plays to the table.
And all three players were the very "face" of their franchises at one time or another. The Cubbies without Sosa? Gasp! Bite your tongue! Remember the billboards erected in Sacramento to keep Webber from leaving? And who can forget the two most ill-conceived words since "New Coke": "Randy Ratio."
In all three cities, all three players were catered to by their organizations, in an almost sick display of team subservience to individuals who were playing in their own personal orbit.
And yet, last week the sum total of talent surrendered for all three, wouldn't have been enough three years ago to pry away just one of them. The answers are: "Jerry Hairston, Napoleon Harris, Brian Skinner, Corliss Williamson, Kenny Thomas -- plus a few picks and scrubs to even things out." These are stone-cold sure bar-bet winners in less than five years when you challenge a buddy to "name that trade."
Figuring out how and why Moss-Webber-Sosa, will never compare to say Rice-Duncan-Jeter is a difficult and vague exercise. Maybe the former were cursed with the bad luck of playing with losers. Maybe they will win a ring yet. Maybe it was injury. Maybe.... well, you can always make up your own "maybe..."
Still, I couldn't help to notice the almost eerie similarities in all three. I may have missed some, but here's a brief breakdown one must enter into evidence, the next time the debate comes up. Consider...
Fantastic Numbers
Sosa: In a four-year span between 1998 and 2001, he hit 243 HRs while hitting .311! That's not just other-worldly, that's from another solar system! Webber: Averaged a double-double every year with the Kings for the first five seasons, posting almost automatic 25-10-4 seasons until he hurt his knee. Webber was a box score stuffing machine in almost every category. Moss: His 90 touchdowns are only three behind Rice at this point in his career, but not his 9,142 yards -- which is the most ever for a player in his first seven seasons. Moss averages 84 catches a year with a gaudy 15.9 yards per catch average. And it's not like teams haven't been trying desperately to stop him.
Lack of Leadership Skills
Sosa: Was always more popular in the stands than in his own clubhouse. Never a good sign. Webber: Pouty, sulky disposition always reared its head when his teams needed quiet confidence. Moss: Always needed somebody to mentor him, not the other way around. Was a tumor that kept growing and growing.
Very Bad Liars
Sosa: Yeah, the bat was corked, but it was my practice bat. Uh huh. Webber: Honestly, I never got a dime from anybody at Michigan. Well, unless you put me in front of a grand jury. Moss: I've got Mike Tice's back. Sure. With a knife sticking out of it.
Off-field Shenanigans
Sosa: Charitable foundation in his native Dominican Republic was awash in corruption. Among the "needy" it helped? His sister's fancy hair salon. Doh! Webber: Traffic stop in D.C. where he decided not to roll down his window and talk to the cop, but instead sat there talking on his cell phone. Not cool, dude. Moss: Two words: "hood ornament."
Shady Exits
Sosa: Bolted last day of season, in his last game as a Cub. Claimed to have been there for at least a few innings. Security camera in garage said otherwise. Webber: Had seemingly routine knee cleanup surgery prior to 2003-'04 season, which he then stretched to an incredible 59 games in street clothes. Moss: Was caught walking off the field with :02 seconds left against the Redskins in a crushing Week 17 defeat. His final fatal misstep with Minnesota.
Marketability
Sosa: Undoubtedly more beloved than McGwire in that summer of '98. Sammy's English was just halted enough to be endearing, but still good enough to pitch product. Webber: Sold boxes and boxes of Kings jerseys nationwide, and had that seemingly innocent smile and sudden charm whenever he needed it. Moss: Despite being an unrepentant bad boy, Randy still cleaned up on jersey sales and related athletic apparel.
Emotional Fragility
Sosa: Had this "why is everybody picking on me" paranoia in his dying days in Chicago. Called being dropped to 6th in the line-up "an insult." Dude. It's just a line-up. Webber: Once got furious at reporters for asking about whether he and Tyra Banks were dating. What normal, self-secure man gets mad about this? Moss: Broke down and cried to Andrea Kramer on ESPN. "You don't know what I have to go through," he said. Boo hoo, Randy. Most guys would crawl through a mile of raw sewage for just one week of your life -- and paycheck.
Most Positive Mental Image that Lingers
Sosa: Majestic moon shots into the sweet summer air at Wrigley. The hop, the kiss, the charging out to right field with an American flag after 9/11. Webber: The high post, behind-the-back bounce pass to a cutting teammate for a lay-up. Classic C-Webb. Moss: The Thanksgiving Day game against Dallas as a rookie. So many highlights, you could hardly pick just one.
Biggest Knock on Them as Players
Sosa: Insane numbers came right around the "better hitting through chemistry" era of baseball. They don't look real, and circumstantial evidence says -- they're not. Webber: Never took a big shot to win a big game. Never. Biggest play was probably a screen to set up Mike Bibby. Moss: His own admission: "I play when I want to play."
Steve is a native Washingtonian and has worked in sports talk radio for the last 11 years. He worked at WTEM in 1993 anchoring Team Tickers before he took a full time job with national radio network One-on-One Sports.
A graduate of UC Santa Barbara, Steve has worked for WFNZ in Charlotte where his afternoon show was named "Best Radio Show." Steve continues to serve as a sports personality for WLZR in Milwaukee and does fill-in hosting for Fox Sports Radio.
