Who Is The Athlete You'd Want Back On Your Team The Most
So this was a point of contention on the podcast this week. I want Derrick Rose back. The rest of the Redline Boys most certainly do NOT. Even though I don’t agree, I do understand the argument. There could be some baggage with bringing back Rose. They’re afraid to get hurt again. I’m not. I want the reunion. I want the team to have someone worth tuning in for on a nightly basis. That could be Derrick Rose again. Today is the anniversary of Rose DUNKING on Dragic. If that memory doesn’t make you want him to come home then you’re dead inside.
Everyone has the one who got away, and Chicago sports has several. Thanks to Stan Bowman and the NHL Salary Cap the Blackhawks could fill out an entire roster of guys who I wish never left. I want to know which guys you wish could come back.
Honorable Mention: Sammy Sosa
Sammy is in the news this week because of Hall of Fame voting. He will probably never be in the baseball hall of fame, but the Cubs need to bring him back. Just do it. What is the fucking problem? The entire city loves him except for Ricketts. Bring him back. Let the city wrap our arms around him again and have him do one more sprint out into Right Field
Robbie Gould
The most obvious one on the list and in theory…the most likely. It probably made sense to let Gould go when they did, but for FUCK sakes bring him back. The Bears all-time leading scorer and a kicker we all know we can trust. Chicago is clearly still his home. Let Cody Parkey go back to South Beach or wherever the fuck he is from and let Robbie Gould come home. Sign him, win hearts and ease minds.
Greg Olsen
Traded for a 3rd round pick after the 2010 season because…Mike Martz didn’t like him, or something. I don’t know. That was a preposterous trade. Mike Martz was an asshole and Jerry Angelo never should’ve given him that much power. Who knows how differently the entire Cutler era might have played out if Martz never got hired and Olsen, who was Cutty’s favorite receiver never got traded. Olsen had three 1000 yard seasons with Carolina and was one of the best TE’s in the NFL. That 3rd round pick was flipped for Marshall who left a smoldering crater in Halas Hall on his way out of town. Olsen would’ve been favorite here, on this website and in the city, because he’s a GIANT stoolie.. Could’ve been a great run
Phillip Danault
Of ALL Stan Bowman’s fuck ups this one might bother me the most. You could make a logical argument for nearly every move Stan has made. Even the worst of them…there’s a theoretical argument that can be made. Not this one. This trade didn’t even make the Blackhawks better that year. Now Danault has blossomed into a legit top 6 two-way center that the Blackhawks been desperately looking to find for years.
Dustin Byfuglien
Good ole Dusty Buff. He was mostly a forward here, but if the Blackhawks had signed him long term to be a defensemen they’d be in a MUCH better spot. Imagine the last four years with your defense built around Keith, Hjalmarsson, Seabrook, and Byfuglien. The Hawks elected to sign other guys instead of Buff under the cap crunch. Personally, this one stings because Byfulgien is SO bloggable. I feel like he does something almost every game that goes viral on the internet. 10 years of Byfuglien and another Cup and I’m probably looking at double the twitter following. It’s a real shame. He was just fun.
and…my #1 guy I miss.
Artemi Panarin
Panarin with Kane made every single shift feel special. Like something could happen. The were soulmates and it was a better love story than The Notebook. Panarin is a free agent this coming summer, in case you haven’t been following along, and I NEED him back in my life. I want the Blackhawks to be fun again.
That’s my list, in addition to Derrick Rose, of course. I want to know who I left off this list. If you’ve got gold…comment. If not, hit me up on twitter. OR even better…comment on itunes under the podcast.