Mike Lupica: Stop whining about the Chiefs and appreciate their greatness

Here is Matt Damon arsenic Sonny Vaccaro successful a beauteous fantastic movie astir Michael Jordan and Air Jordan shoes called “Air,” talking astir Michael successful that movie:

“Once they’ve built you arsenic precocious arsenic they perchance can, they’re gonna teardrop you backmost down — it’s the astir predictable pattern.”

It has ever been a predictable pattern, and not conscionable successful sports. It’s conscionable that successful the modern world, which means the satellite of societal media, that signifier is present connected steroids. And present everybody extracurricular of the Chiefs fans of this satellite are coming for the Chiefs, looking to teardrop them down each accidental they get, and diminish the squad that has present go the main lawsuit successful nonrecreational sports successful this country.

You cognize who the Dodgers privation to be?

They privation to beryllium them.

But, of course, you tin recognize wherefore radical extracurricular of Kansas City would beryllium coming for them now, and getting down the cockeyed conception that the refs similar them better than everybody else. After all, these Chiefs did triumph their archetypal Super Bowl due to the fact that of a arguable telephone connected the aged Tuck Rule.

Then determination was Deflategate.

And Spygate, don’t hide that.

Oh, wait, that was the different squad everybody loved to hatred earlier the Chiefs started winning excessively much, and were trying to found themselves arsenic the benignant of large and lasting and historical dynasty that Vince Lombardi had successful the ’60s with the Green Bay Packers.

Now adjacent Sean McDermott, manager of the Bills squad that mislaid to the Chiefs past Sunday successful the AFC title games, is moving with the assemblage and whining that a squad having the benignant of bonzer tally the Chiefs are having doesn’t get present without the refs.

“I told the squad we wouldn’t get the calls,” McDermott says astatine ProFootballTalk. “But you person to play supra it.”

Well, conjecture what, Coach? If you were truthful definite you weren’t going to get the calls past why, with each the options you person connected discourtesy and with 1 of the champion quarterbacks successful the satellite connected your side, did you stubbornly marque the fourth-down telephone you did past Sunday and permission yourself astatine the mercy of the aforesaid refs you’re fundamentally saying were retired to get you?

McDermott has Josh Allen, who whitethorn oregon whitethorn not extremity up being the MVP of the full league this season, and Allen had the shot successful his hands and 2 minutes connected the timepiece and a accidental to spell down the tract and, if not necktie the game, sound the Chiefs close retired of the ringing erstwhile and for all. You cognize who did that 1 time, against an 18-0 Patriots team? Eli Manning. Allen did not, and present his manager looks tiny arsenic a jockey talking astir the refs aft the fact.

When the Chiefs needed to marque a archetypal down astatine the extremity of the crippled to adjacent retired the Bills erstwhile and for all, you cognize what happened? Patrick Mahomes, who volition someday beryllium called the champion backmost to ever play the crippled if helium isn’t determination already, threw the shot successful the level and the Chiefs got the archetypal down and that was that.

What stopped the Bills from making that benignant of call, alternatively of moving Allen up the mediate adjacent though he’d been fortunate to get the archetypal down the past clip helium tried that? And possibly McDermott tin explicate however the refs were mean to his squad when, connected the past fourth-down play of his team’s season, they got outflanked and outsmarted by Chiefs antiaircraft coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

But Troy Aikman, who indispensable person forgotten what it was similar erstwhile helium was the 1 getting deed and getting concussed, wrings his hands due to the fact that helium thinks Mahomes got a telephone from the refs connected a precocious descent against the Texans the week before, similar someway Mahomes was gaming the strategy successful that moment; arsenic if someway Mahomes’ squad being awarded 15 yards aft a brushed precocious deed was immoderate menace to the integrity of the game.

Get lost.

People were aft Michael Jordan and the Bulls once, conscionable not similar this, not successful this clip erstwhile Mahomes is playing similar Michael and trying to triumph 3 successful a row, which is thing Michael managed to bash twice. That is the benignant of aerial Mahomes is breathing, and Andy Reid is breathing, and Travis Kelce is breathing, and antiaircraft coordinator Spags and adjacent Jake from State Farm.

You cognize what you bash with the Chiefs? You don’t whine astir them, oregon astir the refs, oregon suggest that someway Mahomes’ dazzling beingness grounds successful the postseason practically requires an asterisk, he’s getting truthful galore breaks. No. You admit what we are seeing. You admit the genius of Mahomes, and the greatness of his manager and of this team, whether they get clipped by the Eagles adjacent Sunday successful New Orleans oregon not.

I was sitting with Brian Leetch 1 clip aft Wayne Gretzky had travel to the Rangers astatine the extremity of his career, and mentioned to Brian however fortunate helium indispensable consciousness to beryllium getting the accidental to play connected Gretzky’s team.

He smiled and said, “I’m conscionable blessed to beryllium surviving successful his time.”

All this winning from the Chiefs isn’t boring, oregon uninteresting. It is astir excellence, and singular clutch play, and a legendary coach, and winning 1 adjacent crippled aft different successful the precise biggest games. Somebody needs to inquire Sean McDermott, present that helium diminishes his ain team’s effort with this benignant of loser talk, what officiating the Bills had to flooded that clip erstwhile helium gave Mahomes and the Chiefs a small excessively overmuch clip — due to the fact that adjacent 13 seconds is excessively overmuch clip — by not squibbing a kickoff aft that looked similar different clip erstwhile the Bills were astir to instrumentality down the Chiefs.

Guess what? Even if the Bills had gotten that 4th down telephone connected Allen’s sneak, Mahomes astir apt would person figured retired however to instrumentality his squad down the tract arsenic often arsenic helium needed to get them to New Orleans. It’s what helium does. Who helium is. Who they’ve each become. It’s wherefore they get the accidental to bash thing nary NFL squad has done since Lombardi’s Packers and triumph 3 titles successful a row; bash thing nary squad has done since the NFL-AFL merger and triumph 3 Super Bowls successful a row.

Michael did triumph 3 successful a row. Twice. Tiger Woods erstwhile won 4 consecutive large play tournaments. And made his athletics acold much compelling successful the process, due to the fact that we each travel to sports looking for this benignant of greatness.

Again: Next Sunday’s Super Bowl, going in, is excessively adjacent to call. The Eagles came adjacent to winning the 1 Super Bowl these 2 teams person already played. They didn’t. Oh, wait. Bad antiaircraft holding telephone astatine the end. Forgot.

WHEN BORAS GOES BUST, PITINO’S LATEST WINNING SYMPHONY & SPENDING ISN’T THE YANKEES ISSUE …

For the past time, you and I could person negotiated that woody for Juan Soto with the Mets and Yankees some warring implicit him and 1 of the owners progressive — Uncle Steve — being the richest 1 successful the sport.

But however galore players are watching Scott Boras look similar this benignant of chopper with some Pete Alonso and Alex Bregman and inactive deliberation Boras has superpowers different agents don’t.

Maybe what I’m truly wondering present is how, erstwhile this is each over, and some Alonso and Bregman person yet gotten deals acold little than Boras promised them, however Scott and each the Scotties of the satellite are going to crook it into immoderate benignant of triumph.

By the way?

I emotion the thought that each clip the crippled doesn’t spell Boras’ way, it’s baseball’s fault.

Sure, it is.

Thought Aaron Glenn did good the different day.

Kind of getting tired, though, of proceeding however idiosyncratic “won” the property conference.

Jets fans conscionable privation to triumph immoderate games.

When I spot different Rick Pitino squad playing the mode this St. John’s squad is playing, I’m reminded of my friend, the large Bob Ryan, described Rick arsenic a “basketball Mozart” each the mode backmost to erstwhile helium was coaching Boston University.

I frankly would similar to spot a batch much of Jay Bilas moving with Mike Breen and not less.

Now that Tommy Kahnle has moved on, I’m inactive trying to fig retired how, if each helium throws are changeups, however that really MAKES them changeups.

Help maine retired here.

There has ne'er been a escaped cause successful New York sports, astatine slightest not 1 that I tin remember, who moved connected and past had the benignant of play Saquon conscionable had successful Philly.

“Law and Order: SVU” continues to beryllium 1 of the large shows successful the past of television.

And not conscionable due to the fact that my man, Kevin Kane, is simply a regular.

This is conscionable me, but if I were the Eagles, I wouldn’t conscionable fto Travis Kelce tally astir unfastened successful the mediate of the tract adjacent Sunday.

Trae Young should person been an All-Star.

Starting to deliberation now, contempt each the bully thoughts I’ve tried to nonstop their way, that couples counseling was ne'er going to enactment with Coach Riley and Jimmy Butler.

JJ Redick, who got jumped early, and each implicit the place, is doing a precise bully occupation coaching the Los Angeles Lakers.

In the past 15 years — and including the 60-game COVID play of 2020 — the Yankees person spent astir $3.5 cardinal connected shot players who haven’t won the World Series.

Nobody would ever suggest that Hal Steinbrenner is cheap, due to the fact that he’s intelligibly not, and not with numbers similar that.

His squad doesn’t request to walk more.

Just better.

If Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman emotion Aaron Boone arsenic overmuch arsenic they accidental they do, they perfectly shouldn’t fto him spell into this play arsenic a lame duck manager.

Jimmy Butler is scheduled to make, what, $50 cardinal adjacent season.

Wow.

What a bargain.