Before I begin I want to make sure that I give full credit to ESPN's Colin Cowherd for most of the thoughts you are about to hear. They might not be original to me, but they speak exactly to my thoughts on the whole LeBron saga (I know, another LeBron post? Give me a break - the Devils and Nets suck so I need something to talk about).
Anyways, I had the rare chance to listen to some ESPN Radio yesterday and heard Cowherd compare the Cliff Lee signing to the LeBron signing. Both were the prize free agent in their respective sports. Both ended up leaving a lot of money on the table. Both went to teams with established stars rather than stay with their former teams of no-stars. Both are getting hammered by the media for their decision. Oh wait, my bad. Cliff Lee is actually getting hailed as a moral savior. He spurned the Yankees and Rangers money to sign with a team where he doesn't have to be the #1 guy; in a city that he loved previously playing in; and with an organization he feels comfortable with. I suppose the only difference between what he and LeBron did was that LeBron was a local savior who 'turned his back on his city'. Oh, and of course the way LeBron handled the whole Decision.
Even the most fervent LeBron haters can't really disagree with the above paragraph. Cowherd is exactly right. And he even took it a step further in noting that what Lee and LeBron did is no different than what all of us non-sports-playing-average-joes do on a daily basis. Think about it- we all make decisions for the good of our own well-being. Doctors, lawyers and financial planners want to be involved in the best practices with the best people in their field. And why? Because the best firms get the best clients. The worst firms get little to no clients and don't succeed. Teachers want to be involved with other highly motivated, creative and skilled teachers in an environment that helps them and their students reach their fullest potential. They don't want to teach with people who don't care. And what about you, one of the many readers of this blog? I bet you are no different. If given the opportunity to move out of a dead end job to a company that is considered the finest in your field, I bet you would have to seriously consider it.
LeBron and Cliff Lee did the same thing - they moved to a team with other star players. They realized that Cleveland and Texas were dead-ends. Sure they would have been the man, but they wouldn't have won titles. They wouldn't have to elevate their game to match their teammates. They did what you and I would do - only difference, their is no such thing as loyalty in the real world. If I was to leave my job today for a higher paying pharmaceutical company because my family needs the money, the Seattle Times would not be at my door. Obviously it's because I'm not a star, but the point is - no one would care. In sports, we do care. And so LeBron is made a villain.
I will try to stay off this topic for a bit (although I will be watching Miami-NY this Friday so who knows what he will do in the Garden), but ask next time you kill LeBron make sure you kill Cliff Lee too. And next time you get excited about Melo and Chris Paul forcing trades to the Knicks, make sure you kill them too. It's only fair.
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