Fred Bowen's "The Score" column,
November 15, 2002, Washington Post

Winners and Losing

Oakland Athletics shortstop Miguel Tejada won the Most Valuable Player award in the American League instead of Texas Rangers superstar Alex "A-Rod" Rodriguez. I guess A-Rod didn't do enough this season to win the award. He batted .300 and led the American League in home runs (57) and runs batted in (142) while playing Gold Glove shortstop for the Rangers.

A-Rod did plenty. He didn't win the award because he was stuck on a bad team. The Rangers were 72-90. Believe me, that wasn't A-Rod's fault.

Lots of great players in sports get stuck on bad teams or on teams that never quite win the championship. Here are some examples of all-time superstars who have never won it all.

Dan Marino. The former Miami Dolphins quarterback holds about every career passing record. Marino threw for 420 touchdowns and an unbelievable 61,361 yards, both more than anyone in the history of the NFL. But the amazing Mr. Marino never won a Super Bowl. He led the Dolphins to the big game during his second season, but lost to the San Francisco 49ers. He tried for 15 more years, but never made it back.

Pete Maravich. "Pistol Pete" was a basketball legend. He was a magician with the ball who could score from anywhere on the court, and could toss pinpoint passes from behind his back, around his neck or between his legs. Maravich set scoring records in college that still stand more than 30 years later. He averaged more than 24 points per game in the NBA and was a five-time all-star. But all of Pistol Pete's magic could turn only one of his NBA teams into a winner.

Ernie Banks. Before there was A-Rod, there was Ernie Banks. Better known as "Mr. Cub" because of his 19 seasons with the Chicago Cubs, Banks was a power-hitting shortstop (512 career home runs) who began his career in the 1950s. Despite his heroics, Banks and the Cubs never made it to the World Series. In fact, Ernie Banks played 2,528 games and never made the postseason. Still, Banks kept his spirits up. "It's a beautiful day for baseball," he would say. "Let's play two."

It isn't just great athletes who play team sports who sometimes fall short. There are plenty of greats in individual sports who never quite grab the gold ring.

Mary Decker Slaney. Slaney is probably the greatest female distance runner the United States has ever produced. Slaney set a slew of records and even won world championships in the 1,500- and 3,000-meter runs in 1983. But Slaney never won track's biggest prize: an Olympic gold medal.

Michelle Kwan. Every Olympics, it seems that someone skates away with Kwan's gold medal. In 1998, it was Tara Lipinski. This past year, Sarah Hughes had the night of her life and shocked Kwan and the world. Kwan is still figure-skating. Maybe she will score an upset in 2006.

Phil Mickelson. The best golfer never to win a major championship, Mickelson has won plenty of tournaments on the PGA Tour and millions of dollars in prize money. The smooth-swinging lefty, however, has never won one of the biggest four: the Masters, the U.S. Open, the British Open or the PGA.

Does the fact that these stars have never won the big prize mean that they are losers? No way. Every one of these athletes is great, a real winner. Sometimes the best player, even one as great and gifted as A-Rod, can't turn his team into a champion.

Maybe that's something to remember next time you find yourself on a losing team or on a losing streak. Even the best don't win all the time.

Fred Bowen writes KidsPost's Friday sports column and is the author of sports novels for kids.

© 2002 The Washington Post Company