9 self-evident truths of a sports purist (all of which Ruben will refuse to agree with)

--

1. Small ball works better than SABRmetrics and moneyball

2. If you’re up three with 5 seconds to play, you stop the other team from hitting a three.

3. Today, in the era of The Bottom Line, Drew Rosenhaus, Roger Clemens, Al Davis, the New England Patriots and Ari Gold, loyalty exists and fans who do not exhibit it in all its forms are not true fans.
-The exception to this rule is when the organization actively fails their fan base. There is no good reason why Jerry Rice did not retire as a Niner, Emmitt Smith as a Cowboy, and to a lesser but equally tramatic extent, AI a Sixer.

4. You NEVER reference a no-no, unless of course its being thrown against your team

5. You are only allowed one team in each sport, and once you pick them, you’re stuck with them forever (rare exceptions are allowed). Also, you have to support that team without as optimistically without condition

6. Shane Battier is more valuable than Eddy Curry

7. Larry Brown is a better coach than Phil Jackson

8. If a star player is going off against you – no matter what sport – you, or someone on your team, should attempt to hurt (not injure) him. This means hard fouls when driving, brushbacks in baseball, punishing hits in football, nonsensical side drinking challenges in beruit, etc.

9. The Colts championship run was not an affirmation of Peyton Manning as a legend, but rather a reaffirmation that he’s a choker

10. the PG position is as important in winning championships as the QB position.