Imagine the days when only six Super Bowls had ever been played. That’s where we are in our sport. Vs. System has seen only six Champions of the Pro Circuit so far, and we are less than a week away from crowning another.
Sport has always fascinated me, and I am old enough to remember the first six Super Bowls firsthand. I was in sixth grade as I sat in the stands and watched the Miami Dolphins complete the only perfect season in NFL history. Legends are born and loyalties formed when we share our lives with sport. Vs. System is no exception.
Today, as we sit mere days away from our next Pro Circuit, I’d like to give my selections for Player Most Likely to Succeed in Atlanta. I used the most unscientific method possible to make my picks; I used sport itself. These are the Vs. System players who remind me of legendary athletes from other leagues and arenas. Here we go.
Matt Oldaker reminds me of Mickey Lolich and the first World Series I can remember. I was seven years old in 1968. My family is home to a long line of Detroit Tiger fans. In that magical October twilight, Mickey Lolich gave us a ring. He won three games of the seven-game thriller himself, pulling off the last on two days’ rest. He out-dueled the great Bob Gibson, and the Tigers won three straight games while facing elimination. His pure talent and solid work ethic even overshadowed his teammate Denny McClain’s gaudy thirty-one victories on the season. Matt Oldaker is like that. Solid. Not flashy. He could win it all quietly.
If Josh Wiitanen wins the $40,000 at Pro Circuit Atlanta, he won’t do it quietly. Josh reminds me of Michael Irvin and College Football’s National Champions—our beloved University of Miami Hurricanes as loud and proud conquerors, setting the city ablaze with emotion. Michael Irvin is the perfect symbol of that time in South Florida, and Josh has the same ultra-confident swagger. He is also good enough to back it up with victory. Cover your ears if he wins; it will get intense.
Tim Batow hurts in my heart when I see who he represents to me. He is like Doug Flutie. When Boston College buried the UM season with that Hail Mary pass that the classic sports stations just will not let die . . . a little bit of me died with it. Tim Batow has the charismatic capability and the natural talent to execute a play like that in the Pro Circuit hall. He has mad skills that transcend his size. We can never count him out of any tournament, even at the last second.
Michael Jordan put daggers through my chest each playoff year during the Glen Rice era of Miami Heat basketball. Michael Jacob has the potential to be that good on the Vs. System Pro Circuit. I know the name connection sounds hokey, but this kid has the skills. Remember, Jordan didn’t win his first ring for years. But everyone always knew he would eventually find a way. It was obvious from watching him play. It is the same with Michael Jacob. He will win one—it’s only a matter of when.
TJ Holman is my favorite player in the sport of Vs. System. Joe Namath is my favorite player in the National Football League. They are both huge underdogs who can beat down even the biggest Goliath on any given Sunday—even when that Sunday is the Super Bowl against the unbeatable Johnny Unitas and his Colts. Joe Namath was a rebel, a wild man. He had a bachelor pad with twelve-inch shag carpeting. TJ is from a different era, but he is just as bad. And he is good enough to win the whole thing.
Neil Reeves scares me. He looks like he could have a three-day tournament where no one else even has a chance. He could shut down the entire Pro Circuit . . . just like Josh Beckett did against the New York Yankees in 2003. The Marlins’ team salary totaled less than one-third of the Yankees’, the Yankees had the best hitting line-up they could buy, and Josh Beckett did not care. He was a hunter in the off-season on his ranch and he had a World Series in his sights. Reporters asked him if he was nervous with Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, and the Yankee Hall of Fame circling the stadium. Beckett said, “Why? I don’t have to pitch to them.” Josh reminded me of a pit bull in that game; he just knew he was going to kill something. Neil Reeves scares me in the exact same way.
Dean Sohnle is Bill Walsh, Joe Montana, and Jerry Rice all rolled into one. Believe it or not, I loved watching them defeat Dan Marino in the Super Bowl. Dan Marino was too arrogant for me. The 49ers championship teams, like Dean Sohnle, worked like a well-tuned machine. They were smarter and more disciplined than their opponents almost every time. Dean Sohnle has the potential to create a dynasty like they did. If he wins Pro Circuit Atlanta, he is my pick to be the first two-time PC Champion.
The best feeling I ever got from sports involved a bunch of rubber rats. See, Scott Mellanby had killed one of the little vermin in the locker room with his hockey stick before a crucial victory for the Florida Panthers. Then he went out and scored the winning goal. It was published as an anecdote in the newspaper. The fans started throwing rats for good luck. The year was 1995. The Florida Panthers made the playoffs in only their third season. A deep love affair was growing between a city and its team. The romance took place on ice less than a mile away from the baking sunshine of Miami Beach. David Frayer and Daniella Grijalva remind me of those warm memories. Stu Barnes and John Vanbiesbrouck keyed one of the most magical seasons in Stanley Cup history, and by the time we had won the Eastern Conference Championship, the whole world was cheering with us. The National Hockey League allowed us to throw rats on the ice after every goal since it was just so much fun and the team was on such a roll as an unexpected underdog. The league did not impose a new delay-of-game rule to stop it until the next season. At one point, in the Stanley Cup finals, over 800 rubber rodents were scooped up after a Stu Barnes goal. It was a beautiful thing. It would be lovely if either Daniella or David winds up as Pro Circuit Atlanta Champion. They are both that good.
If Billy Postlethwait became Pro Circuit Champion, it would send shockwaves through our sport. I would be cheering like mad for the underdog, just like I did for the Minnesota Wild in Patrick Roy’s shameful final performance; I like to root against the favorite. Billy’s skills are as solid as they come, he never melts under the pressure of the big stage, and he is a really great person. Just like the Minnesota Wild, who embarrassed one of the biggest egos in sports history by eliminating Roy’s Colorado Avalanche from the playoffs, Billy Postlethwait could surprise us all in Atlanta.
Magic Johnson is the best basketball player of all time. Of course, that is just my opinion, but you will never convince me otherwise. He brought creativity to his sport that may never be equaled. He was in the right place at the right time with the right team. He had Kareem and James Worthy and the defensive genius of Michael Cooper to help him win five championships, but none of them could have come close to that level without AC Green. Anthony Justice reminds me of AC Green. You might not even know he is around, but by the time you do, he will have sixteen rebounds and eight assists and he will be popping champagne with Pat Riley again. Watch your back for Anthony Justice, or else he will slide past you and dunk the Pro Circuit in your face.
Those are my choices and their reasons. When I think about how much fun we will all have being back together in one hall, I forget all about the fact that someone will be crowned Pro Circuit Champion. Then I see the giant cardboard $40,000 check and the crystal trophy. I hear the screams and cheers from the crowd. I remember the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. I realize that our sport may be young, but it sure is fun. I can hardly wait.
Rian Fike is also known as stubarnes, and he is going to Pro Circuit Atlanta! He hopes to see you there, but if you can’t make it, you can still send requests to rianfike@hattch.com.