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T.O. vs. ARod – Pick your poison
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With football season in the rearview mirror, baseball takes center stage and thanks to Alex Rodriguez, the year has started off with a thud after the Yankees third basemen admitted to using steroids. ARod is baseball’s biggest star and he has overshadowed everything, not only in Yankee land but the sport in general with these latest revelations.
It got me thinking about Terrell Owens and his impact on the NFL and his team, the Dallas Cowboys. Both Owens and ARod are polarizing figures, their talent is unquestioned but their attitudes bring just as big question mark to their teams. Plus, the Yankees and Cowboys are the biggest and brightest teams in their respective sports, so every move Owens and Rodriguez make are more magnified.
Now let’s put this in perspective, neither player has been involved in legal issues (other than divorce) so their antics are more about pulling their teams apart instead of facing jail time or some other legal problem. T.O. and ARod have proven one thing, talent doesn’t always equate to wins and they actually are more of a problem than a solution.
So, which player is more a detriment to their team and their sport? Let’s start with T.O.. First, he has destroyed the mental fabric of every quarterback he has played with, starting with questioning then San Francisco quarterback, Jeff Garcia’s sexuality. After complaining to no end, the exuberant wide receiver managed a trade to the Eagles where it looked as if he may have found a home. Philadelphia went to a Super Bowl with Owens but of course he called out his quarterback Donovan McNabb for choking on the games biggest stage. After another year full of controversy with T.O. adding to his reputation of being a locker room cancer, he bolted Philly before heading to Big D to try his hand again in the NFC East.
Don’t forget along the way, the famous sit up’s T.O. put on display at his house for reporters or other zany antics he displays even while doing standard interviews. Of course Owens came in when Bill Parcells had the reigns in Dallas and from the start it was an oil and water mix that just seemed ready to explode. Owens started his famous Lance Armstrong workouts on the sideline while he said he was to hurt to play in training camp. Of course, that did not go over well with Parcells who refused to call Owens by his name and just added to the controversy. Next, T.O. had rumors swirling he tried to commit suicide which prompted a national media firestorm while the team once again was forced to talk about Owens and not football.
Most recently, he called out his quarterback, Tony Romo for calling plays with his buddy Jason Witten instead of getting T.O. more touches so he could display his skills. Of course, when you look at the stats, Owens was targeted the most on offense but his penchant for drops had more to do with Romo going in another direction with the ball. Okay, so that’s a good snapshot of Owens ability to rip apart a team.
As for ARod, he has the highest salary in baseball, plays for the biggest team and without question has the most talent of any player in the sport. However, the Yankees stopped winning when he arrived in 2004 and missed the playoffs for the first time in 13 years last season.
He has been linked to a stripper in Toronto while he was married, sunbathed in Central Park before a game, had a highly publicized divorce and started dating Madonna. He has also failed to play at a high level during the playoffs and even his home fans have grown tired of his fake image and propensity to choke at the biggest times.
And now, he is an admitted cheater and steroid user even though his talent is so off the charts he was awarded baseball's biggest contract in 2001. The worst part, it’s not even close to over and his teammates will pay the price all season long.
Another interesting similarity is how each player hasn’t been the answer in terms of playoff wins. The Cowboys have not won a playoff game since 1996 and during the 2007 season had their biggest chance but lost in the divisional round to the Giants at home and haven’t recovered.
The Yankees, after making the World Series in 2003, have exited stage left in the first round each year before staying home in October last season. Do you think it is a coincidence that ARod came aboard when the winning stopped?
Is it a stretch to say the Cowboys haven’t reached their potential because Owens has pulled apart the team each year he has worn the star on his helmet? One thing is for sure, just because your talent is unmatched; if your attitude is worse it usually means bad things for your team.
So, who’s worse? Which player would you want on your team? Well, after analyzing T.O. and ARod and their antics, the worst player for a team award has to go to ARod. While Owens is a burden, he hasn’t cheated the game and for that you have to go with T.O. over ARoid.
To bad these players don’t get the big picture and do what’s right for their team so winning could be the number one priority. Instead, their egos are simply to big and with each passing year and mounting losses, their respective teams continue to pay the price.
