As Tom Brady is preparing to play in yet another Super Bowl, his success on the gridiron is keeping the memory of the Montreal Expos alive.
One has to marvel at the success that Tom Brady has had with the New England Patriots over the years. A former sixth round draft pick, Brady went from being a virtual afterthought to arguably the greatest quarterback in the history of the NFL. At 40 years old, he is not showing any signs of slowing down, throwing for 32 touchdowns and a league leading 4577 yards.
That success has once again continued into the postseason. Playing in his 12th AFC Championship Game, he engineered another comeback for the ages, rallying the Patriots from ten points down with six minutes left in the fourth quarter. Brady and New England are heading to their eighth Super Bowl together, while the rest of the NFL is left wondering what happened.
While his success on football field has been astounding, it also brings back memories of another franchise. A franchise that had nowhere near the run of success that the Patriots have had. That franchise – none other than the Montreal Expos.
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Back before Tom Brady became Tom Brady, Super Quarterback, he was a three sport athlete in Serra High School in California. A left handed hitting catcher with solid power, Brady was drafted in the 18th round by the Expos. The only reason why he slid that far down the draft was because it was expected that he would commit to playing football in Michigan, which proved to be correct.
If not for his success as a quarterback, Brady could have been a highly drafted player out of high school. In fact, it was thought that had he chosen to sign with Montreal that he could have been one of the best catchers of all time. It seems that he was destined for greatness regardless of the sport.
This certainly makes for one of the better ‘what if’ questions in sports. What if Brady chose to play baseball instead, signing with the Expos and eschewing football? Would he have reached his potential on the diamond? If so, could he have saved the Expos franchise and kept the team from moving to Washington DC?
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Tom Brady has become one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. He may have found greatness on the diamond as well.