Foundation of a Winner: Chemistry vs Skill

What builds a champion? Better yet, what builds a dynasty? Is it a team built on high-priced stars playing for the love of money? Or is it a team made up of gritty players fighting for one goal?

To me, a dynasty is built on a solid core of gritty yet talented players with great chemistry. Not just in baseball or football, but in all sports. When you take a look at the top teams of the modern era, they aren't built on those talkative, selfish stars that all fans crave.

Take a look at the 49ers, the NFL's team of the 80s: Montana, Lott, Rice, Taylor, Craig, Hicks, Clark—the list goes on. The Niners were a team with one goal, to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, which they did four times in the decade.

Then you have the Chicago Bulls of the 90s—a team that rivaled the Celtics of the 60s as the greatest team in NBA history. Those Bulls were a team with an unbelievable amount of talent, yet a great amount of chemistry. We all know the names: Jordan, Pippen, Kukoc, Rodman, Kerr, Harper, Paxson, Grant, Armstrong. Lord, the list goes on. Six times the Bulls, led by Jordan, won the NBA Finals.

The other team of the 90s, the New York Yankees, were a similar group. They won four World Series championships. Home grown ball players like Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams, Mariano Rivera, and Andy Pettitte made up the core of the league's top team of the decade.

Those Yankees, talent-wise, pale in comparison to the Yankees of today.  The current edition spends money like it's nothing, snagging every type of ego on the planet. You can spend all the money you want, bringing in the best of the best, but that doesn't guarantee you a championship. Just ask the Dallas Cowboys.

So, how 'bout those Cowboys? They had a great little run of their own in the 90s. Not only did America's Team have the most talent in the NFL, they had the most swagger. Led by future Hall of Famer Emmit Smith, Dallas overcame many obstacles on its way to three Super Bowl titles.

Unlike the Cowboys of today, the dynasty of the 90s actually came together as a team—and won. Today's 'Boys are more talented, they have the most talent at every position in the league, but no one is playing together. Every week you hear about TO and his whining and how he needs to be more involved. Or it's something with Adam "Pacman" Jones or Tony Romo.

The 2008 Cowboys need a reality check and need to actually start playing as a team.

You can't win championships or build a dynasty on talent alone. Most of the greatest teams were built from the inside, with home-grown players found in the draft. Occasionally, the big-name free agent you think will be the missing piece works out.

Take the Phillies for example. That is a team with chemistry. A team built from the ground up. Players like Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Shane Victorino, Cole Hamels, and Brett Myers are players they drafted for the future. Well, the future has worked out pretty well, I'd say.

They didn't acquire the high-priced star player in free agency we in Philadelphia all clamored for, but they made the little moves that filled in bare spots on the roster. Jamie Moyer, Brad Lidge, Joe Blanton, Pedro Feliz, and Jayson Werth are just some of the role players that greatly contributed to the Phils' championship run.

The best ingredient in making any great franchise is acquiring talent found in the draft and then cultivating that talent. Just ask the Phillies—those little moves pay off in the end.