Ah, the trade!
“I’ll trade you two of these for one of those!” I got involved with the business early in my life, and even though it was just for marbles, I still remember the euphoria of pulling off what I thought was a good deal.
Later my passion for making the trade extended to ball cards. That was as close to the real sports deal as I’ve ever come. Eventually, I found out that they actually do this with athletes – not just cards – real people!
The ebb and flow of success and defeat in team sports is impacted by the art of the trade.
There are trades and then there are trades.
The temptation that lures the brightest (and dumbest) of franchise architects is the hope of turning a trade into the trade.
Some coaches are known for their love of trading. George "the future is now" Allen made 131 trades as an NFL coach, a whopping 81 during the seven years he was coach of the Redskins.
Others are known more for their one moment in time, such as Mike Ditka who gave up 8 draft choices for the right to pick Ricky Williams. If you think that number is way too high, you should’ve seen Williams.
Moving on……
Every franchise has worked notorious trades that its fans have never gotten over. The bitter taste is still there after all these years, isn’t it? You might as well admit it.
The trade has derailed many a season, altered many a front office, and left many a coach wondering "What if?".
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