Four sports geniuses: Rafael Devers, Cam Newton, Tony Clark, Wayne Gretzky

Friday 2/20/26

Saw some video of Rafael Devers from the Giants' spring training. This guy is eating himself out of his prime. You can't be a professional? You need dessert for dessert? I honestly thought it was Pablo Sandoval at first. Devers has fat man thighs. Which is a different level of out-of-shape than big-gut out-of-shape, though he has that covered, too. Once you get the fat thighs, it's hard to ever go back. He looks like a pork chop armed with a bat in the fight for more dinner.

How about Tony Clark, the now ex-executive director of the MLB Players Association? There's a class act. Fucks his brother's wife. Do people have no control? No ethics? No conscience? And this woman...what are you doing? Look at this walrus. You just need that Tony Clark love hog that bad? That's preposterous. Or you're in love with him? This brilliant thinker? This irresistible wit? It has to be him, huh? He's the one and only? Your husband's brother? Big sexy here?

Trash, trash, trash, trash.

Then you have the genius that is Cam Newton, who said that the more children women have, the more value they lose. He has like nine kids by three women. People will still defend this ass clown. Ass clown as a quarterback, ass clown as a competitor, ass clown as a teammate, ass clown as a man, ass clown as a son, ass clown as a father, ass clown as a human. Played like an ass clown, dresses like an ass clown, talks like an ass clown. Some clowns come out of cars, other clowns come out of the ass. Ass clown.

I saw a comment from someone in following from this that I thought was accurate. The only way Cam Newton--and many people--can stay or be relevant in the world today is by saying stupid things, which says an awful lot about our world, of course. Because if Cam Newton was intelligent and said sensible, insightful things, and he was a good person who behaved properly, he wouldn't be in the news, wouldn't get the attention, wouldn't have the platform.

What a great fucking world we have, right?

What is wrong with Wayne Gretzky? He's hated now. I'm not sure I've ever seen anyone in sports ruin their reputation to a similar degree (minus criminality or something outrightly racist like Al Campanis). Belichick (who signed A.C. Newton when everyone else managed not to be stupid enough to do so), maybe? BB is protected somewhat though by people chalking up what he's doing now to cognitive decline, dementia, something along those lines, whereas Gretzky isn't old enough for that kind of...what...life preserver? Sad state when you're better served with people thinking a disease has caused your brain to fail.

Gretzky's a drunk who loves Trump. I don't get it. Even if for some reason you did love Trump--and what on earth could that reason be?--then how could you still not know better than to publicly kiss the guy's ass, go golfing with him, any of that? What? You don't care? Like it's a matter of principle and you stand by your principles and true, decent, upstanding friends at the loss of your reputation and any positive feeling towards you? Like you're some hero? It ain't that.

In the playing of his sport, Wayne Gretzky was the smartest athlete in history. I've written about him many times, given many interviews about his play. There is no one who knows more about Gretzky the player than I. His physicals gifts are always underrated now in the elevating of the "genius on the ice" narrative, but it is true that how he thought the game is a huge reason why he is, in my mind, the best ever at any sport. Gretzky was better at hockey than Jordan at basketball, Ruth at baseball, Brady at football.

Then you see this same guy so dumb off the ice. When he played, you never had the sense that he was this wild man off the ice to the extent of his Oilers teammates. He must have been, though. He seems like an alcoholic now. You see it in the eyes. That rheumy look. Alcoholics don't have clear eyes. They're watery, foggy.

But it's really that worth it to you to go golfing with Trump? You can't sit that out? Why are you going? For the conversation? Because he's so ingratiating? Because you're close? You're true friends?

It's obviously none of these things. I think about Walter Gretzky, Wayne's late dad, such a big influence on him, and a man of the people. To electively roll so far from your father's tree, so to speak, apple-wise, in the years after his passing...it's very strange to me.

You know what often makes for the most strangeness to me? The needlessness. That's what makes things strange. People's choices. What they elect to say and do. The sheer needlessness of it. Doesn't have to happen, be that way. Doesn't do anything good for them, bring them anything good, but they do it anyway. And when it hurts them. They still do it.