What Can Brown Do For You?

Sports has a way of captivating me. I think it's because, deep down, I feel like I should be out there making contact for the hit and run, driving the lane for a lay-up and the foul, or chasing down the receiver for the open field tackle. Its a perspective many of us sports lovers develop as young kids, watching our favorite players and then trying to emulate their moves in the back yard. Some may say its a waste of time to spend any effort imagining yourself as a pro athlete, but I'm all for it.

So, since I'm admitting that I often picture myself out on the field/court, you should know what kind of player I am. I tend to think of myself as a quick, "not so tall" but very dependable player (I figure, I should try to be as realistic as possible in this fantasy and since 5'9" is not very tall in the pro sports world, I've learned to live with being vertically challenged). I'm positive that I would know the plays inside and out and use my "head" to give me an advantage with the more athletically skilled opponents. And you can bet that I'll be the guy hustling on and off the field/court, playing hurt, and give answers to the press like, "I just go out and play because I love the game". I'll let the plays do the talking for me and I'll shake hands when the game is over. I'll be the player that I pictured myself to be when I was 12 years old.

Not everybody wants to be that player, but a lot of you (if you're willing to admit it) would choose a similar player profile. The reality is that we (like millions of others) will never reach the level of professional athletics. But does that mean that we can't still have hope? No hope sounds pretty harsh, but its true (unless your that guy from the movie The Rookie). Instead, we tend to choose real players the closely resemble the player profile we imagine our "athletic" selves to be. Rajon Raldo, Dustin Pedroia, and Wes Welker are all current players that come to mind for me.

But for 15 years, one guy has been the model player profile for so many in New England. Troy Brown. Last night, he probably played his last game in front Foxborough and received a hero's welcome. I was happy for him, but it also helped confirm to me that I'm not the only one who imagines themselves on the field...

Click Here to read about Troy's efforts in front of the home crowd.