Tony Del Prete - The Greatest Teams Never: Sports Memories of Near Misses, Total Messes, and Not-so-Magical Moments

The views and opinions expressed in this book are solely those of the author and do not reflect the views or opinions of Gatekeeper Press. Gatekeeper Press is not to be held responsible for and expressly disclaims responsibility of the content herein.

The Greatest Teams Never: Sports Memories of Near Misses, Total Messes, and Not-so-Magical Moments

Published by Gatekeeper Press

2167 Stringtown Rd, Suite 109

Columbus, OH 43123-2989

www.GatekeeperPress.com

Copyright 2021 by Tony Del Prete

All rights reserved. Neither this book, nor any parts within it may be sold or reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

The editorial work for this book is entirely the product of the author. Gatekeeper Press did not participate in and is not responsible for any aspect of that element.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021946192

ISBN (paperback): 9781662919374

eISBN: 9781662919381

CONTENTS

I grew up in Pittsburgh during the 70s when the Steelers were winning multiple Super Bowls. It would have been a great time to be a teenager in the Steel City, except I was an Oakland Raiders fan. I had latched on to the Raiders when I got a board game called Strat-o-Matic Football in 1967, the season in which the Raiders were 13-1 and lost in the Super Bowl. Instead of cheering for Franco Harris, Mean Joe Greene, and the Steel Curtain, I followed Kenny The Snake Stabler, Fred Belitnikoff, Ted Mad Stork Hendricks and the bad boys from the west coast.

Unfortunately, that began a series of disappointments and near misses for my team, often at the hands of the vaunted Steelers. Ironically, the Raiders finally won it all the year after I graduated high school, so there was no consolation in that for me either, which is often the case for many avid fans and almost great teams.

As I got older and began to play sports and focus on the nuances of the games themselves, it occurred to me that there was more to it than sportsmanship and life lessons. I learned the hard way that winning may be one of the most important aspects in shaping a persons life, but losing is what develops character, or so I was told.

Soon the fun of simple fandom gave way to the greater importance of whether or not my teams were winning or losing which, in turn, evolved into various degrees of judging how good a team was and, ultimately, whether a team was great or not. I also realized the best team didnt always win. I often questioned the so-called greatness of teams that benefited from a lucky bounce or favorable call by an official. It seemed unfair that fate could somehow intervene in the determination whether a particular team is great or not without recognizing consistency, competition, and won-loss records over time.

Then instant replay came along to boggle my mind even more by allowing me to replay the replays of indiscretions, misfortune, and what I considered downright unjust acts committed against one team, and especially my team, which was generally regarded as the better team. Yet sports fanatics many of whom were my friends compounded my confusion by turning a blind eye to how their team won; all that mattered to them was that their team did.

As a sports fan I came to find that for me somehow the losses meant more. In a masochistic way the desired outcomes that didnt come to fruition became somewhat perverse in their gratification and almost always made for a better story than had my team won or hoisted a trophy. There is so much more angst and regret when a team loses than there is joy in winning a championship because, lets face it, there have been hundreds of baseball titles, and dozens of hockey and football and basketball championships over the decades but how many times has a team blown it when just within reach of greatness? How many games has the favorite faltered at crunch time? How many instances does the elation of an all-but-written championship never materialize and, in a cruel twist, cement in its place the opposite mirror image, a more vivid, agonizing memory, than winning it all?

Witness The Immaculate Reception in the 1972 AFC playoff game between the Raiders and Steelers. The last-second desperation pass and ping-pong deflection that turned into a winning touchdown was voted the greatest play in NFL history; to me, it was simply the luckiest play ever, if it was even a legitimate play at all. And no matter how many times anyone reviews the tape, its not clear which side is right. I only know it wasnt my team that got the call, which could have been a call to greatness.

Point being, it is often the disappointments, the near-misses, and the colossal failures the should-haves and could-haves that drive our love of sports. There isnt a sports fan alive who hasnt suffered the pain and disappointment of their team losing a game they should have won; or not making the playoffs; or not winning a championship that was all over but the shoutin.

And as sports have expanded and introduced more teams, new divisions, wild card playoffs, and modified rules, the complexity of defining true greatness has grown with it. No longer does the most wins or last team standing necessarily determine which teams are truly the best as often a mediocre team that simply gets hot or lucky at seasons end can win a championship. I always liked a good underdog story, but to me it seems to have become too much of a good thing and has watered down the perception of greatness. In fact, it could be argued that any team which makes it to the Super Bowl, or World Series, NBA championship or Stanley Cup Finals for that matter, is worthy of the moniker, great.

Today, the adjective great is tossed around too freely for my liking. I find myself harkening to simpler and ostensibly better times, in sports and life, but end up wondering if they really were that great. Instead of reliving those salad days in my mind, I decided to research and write a book paying homage to a few dozen teams that for one reason or another were denied greatness. This book, then, is not an indictment but, rather, a stark reminder of just how great some teams were, even if they are remembered that way only in the boyhood memories of a grown fan.

P robably one of the most difficult and hotly debated sports topics is the notion of which team is the greatest. Pub and water cooler banter has long run the gamut from simply counting wins and losses to debating sports eras and even how rule changes and expansion have tempered competition. Now, sports analysts use computer simulations and metrics to fuel social media in comparing teams from different eras and leagues for bragging rights and imaginary banners to hang from the rafters of our minds.

We debate whether the No Name Defense of the undefeated 72 Dolphins could withstand the offensive barrage of the near-perfect Patriots in 2007. Would the Mantle-Maris Yankees from 1961 be able to outslug Ruth, Gehrig and the 27 Bronx Bombers comprising Murderers Row? Was the Canadiens hockey dynasty more impressive than those of the Islanders or Oilers? Even within the same franchise such as the Lakers and Celtics there is often debate as to which team was the best. Yet, ask anyone what team won the Super Bowl or World Series a few years ago and youll get a contemplative stare through the bottom of a beer mug. Its easy for the greatest teams to get lost in Super Bowl LVI, the 118th World Series, or 70-plus NHL and NBA titles.