Bob Lobel: The Growing Legend of Tom Brady

By Bob Lobel (@boblobel)

So Yoda (nickname Brady) and his young Jedi warrior (nickname Jimmy G) are the chosen ones for “the force.”  

Brady, in typical Yoda fashion, will say to his understudy, “fumble or interception, I do not want. My job, take it not!”  

Not yet anyway. "Three more years, Yoda does want.” And so it goes. 

Ryan Mallett has turned to the dark side and now there are the Brady/Belichick understudy three: Mallett, Hoyer and Cassel. All pretty, good but not our Tom. 

How his career will be measured is difficult to tell. The final chapters have not been written, but up until now we know he is the rarest of rare things: Talented, humble, and the best teammate and athlete. A winner that lives in the present and soon will be immortalized in the future.  

Can we mention here that the Patriots, their owner and head coach are the luckiest people on the football planet? They cannot dispute that nor would they dare try. That means their fans can join in on the good fortune because Yoda has it all. 

There aren’t many that past this way that haven’t had their detractors. Ortiz has his detractors, Teddy ballgame had his detractors, Orr no, and Bird no. 

Brady is in the Orr and Bird camp as he can do no wrong. There is the slight chance that would change because he is still playing and anything is possible, but for now it has been a run for the ages, and we have shared it. 

Let me tell you about another run for the ages. Sportswriter supreme, Bob Ryan, will have a book coming out in October entitled “Scribe”.  It’s written by him, about him, and his remarkable career in sportswriting. There will never be another like Bob Ryan. I say this not to push the book but to push him. 

In so many ways he is unique. Having Ryan here has been a gift.  In my opinion, he is the pinnacle of a legion of local sportswriters that have been the very best there has ever been, and they were ours to love or hate, but always to read. 

Names are not necessary, but there is an institutional knowledge of the way things have developed around here that will document what I said about those that wrote sports in Boston. 

That’s long before their TV careers blossomed. Remember, writers and electronic reporters did not like each other, and shared a jealousy that was totally ridiculous until all the barriers came down and writers realized they could make some money doing electronic stuff. It was a simple way of fixing the problem. 

I have my favorites and Ryan is right there. He and Nate Greenberg of the Bruins were the first two I interviewed when I took a job in Manchester, New Hampshire.  Now, this year, I’m taking a part time position at Salem State, and they probably will be the first people I ask to join me in a classroom setting. 

That’s not public yet, so please don’t say anything.   

Getting back to the start of football/fantasy league season. There will be continued questioning of whether you should let your son play football.  I am happy that mine did not and that my grandson will not.  It’s a sport based on collisions which, sadly, is its great appeal. 

So for now, hope for the best. We have experienced the best, and there is no reason to expect anything else.