Team unity can be hard to find

Spanish prose writer Baltasar Gracian might not be a household name, but he certainly smacked… Spanish prose writer Baltasar Gracian might not be a household name, but he certainly smacked the nail on the head when he wrote, “A wise man gets more use from his enemies than a fool from his friends.”

The common complaint among sports fans around the country is that loyalty doesn’t exist in sports anymore.

You hear grandpa telling his grandchildren about the days of old, when players competed for the same team for their entire careers. Even your parents remember the diehard loyalty of greats like Magic Johnson, Cal Ripken, Jr. or Bart Starr.

But these are different times. We live in an age of salary caps, luxury taxes, LeBron James and $100-million contracts. We see guys like Kenny Lofton play for nine teams in 15 seasons or Larry Brown change benches when he loses the thrill of turning franchises around. We look at the rosters of our favorite sports teams after their preseason training and wonder who half the players are.

“What a shame,” your grandpa says. “There’s no more team unity, no more pride in your jersey’s lettering.”

He’s right. Johnny Damon, a man who spent just four years in Boston, yet managed to become a C-list celebrity, changed from Fenway fame to Big Apple allure. The centerfielder patrolled the green backyard off Yawkee Way and earned a place in Boston folklore, thanks to the fans who fell in love with the bearded big shot.

But then he bolted for bucks, joining the ranks of his old club’s mortal enemy. “A regular Benedict Arnold,” a shrill-toned New Englander would say.

Can you blame the Yankees? Enemy or no enemy, the dollar figure on the Yankees’ contract offer was bigger. The Yankees knew he was talented, wanted him and got him by offering more money than his other suitors. Apparently George Steinbrenner is familiar with Gracian’s work.

You can blame Damon, however, for his lack of compassion or gratitude for the Boston fans making him that C-list celebrity. Imagine Daniel LaRusso ditching Mr. Miyagi in Karate Kid for a new teacher, even after Mr. Miyagi made him into a well-oiled karate machine. It’s just disappointing and heartless.

Adam Vinatieri, the golden-toed kicker for the New England Patriots, shocked his teammates and fans with his decision to head west to Indianapolis. The same Vinatieri, whose laced-up cleats claimed New England’s hearts and minds, joined his old club’s most recent rival in the blink of an eye.

He bolted for bucks, too, jumping ship to play with the same guy who called Vinatieri’s predecessor an “idiot kicker.”

Even here in Pittsburgh, players head for greener contracts and new places despite the undying support that Steelers’ fans provided them. Money, money, money.

Is anyone else just tired of it? You know your parents, uncles and aunts and grandmas and grandpas are. We don’t know loyalty anymore. I forgot what it’s like to have a player say he loves his team.

Of course, there will always be stellar standup guys who write letters to their home cities or thank fans for their support. There will always be guys who stick around until they win the big game or the clock finally runs out.

As the Steel City knows, Jerome Bettis was more than grateful to Pittsburgh for its love and support over the years. I will never forget when Drew Bledsoe wrote a letter to Patriots’ fans, thanking them for the overwhelming kindness that made his nine years in New England worthwhile.

There has to be more of that in today’s games or they will start losing meaning. When the Red Sox play the Yankees this year, the starting lineups will feature six new players combined. When the Steelers take the field this fall, Antwaan Randle-El and Kimo von Oelhoffen will be gone and everybody will miss them. When you flip on the television to watch your club at the outset of a new season, some of your old favorites will be gone.

I am not complaining or demanding a change in sports. I just want to see my favorite teams pay for their fans’ favorite players, and my favorite players play for less if it means more to their fans.

But like Gracian wrote, the smart enemies are the ones that recognize talent regardless of the name spelled out on a player’s chest. It’s up to the player to decide if the extra $2 million really makes that big of a difference.

So flip on the television and get ready for baseball – just don’t cringe when your favorite player isn’t on the roster, because the real athletes with loyal hearts will always stay where they are loved, regardless of the amounts of money that could fill their pockets in other cities.

Jeff Greer just wants to see names he recognizes on the screen this spring, don’t you? Let him know at jag59@pitt.edu.