Saturday, May 16, 2015

Walk On

If Derek Jeter had grown up in the Bronx. Had Larry Bird been raised in the Back Bay, or Dirk
Nowitzki in Deep Ellum, then maybe we'd have an American equivalent of Steven Gerrard.

The Liverpool captain and soul of his club and city plays his final home match at Anfield today, winding down his 17th season as a bit player, though still managing to score eight goals in Premier League play. As he himself admits, "I'm too old to play at this level." Too old to play to his standard, perhaps, his bone-rattling tackles, lashing drives from long range, box to box midfield play the stuff of a younger man.

But he remains an icon, a legendary figure the Reds will find impossible to replace. Says Liverpool head man Brendan Rodgers,
“I asked my staff to describe Steven in one word and they said things like ‘genuine’ and ‘quality,’ The word I would use is ‘Liverpool’. Not just Liverpool as a football club but Liverpool as a city. This is a guy who is very much about looking after his people. He loves his city. He’s had a number of opportunities to move to prestigious clubs but Liverpool is his home, he grew up around the corner, this is his place and these are the people he loves. What he’s given to this city, politicians haven’t given to this city. “All the work he does for local hospitals and charities goes unheralded. He is a wonderful symbol for the people here and an incredible icon of the club. You see in Barcelona they have the quote ‘more than a club’. You look at Steven Gerrard and he is more than football.”


FOG:TB John Day penned a terrific tribute to the Liverpool captain at Dangerman Futbol. In it, he imagines what might have been had Gerrard chosen to take one of the many offers presented to him to join one of Europe's other legendary sides. At the end, Dangerman decides that Gerrard made the right choice, "Because, for someone like Steven, a hometown boy raised in Red, the source of the applause, adoration, and admiration, likely means as much as the affection itself."

Gerrard never led the Reds to a Premier League title, the only silver missing from his stellar resume. When he slipped and turned the ball over to Chelsea's Demba Ba to cost Liverpool the 2014 Premier League championship, it was perhaps the cruelest moment in sports this decade. But he won everything else.

And there's always Istanbul, where in 2005 Gerrard led Liverpool to its fifth (and to now last) Champions League title. AC Milan took a 3-0 lead into the break against Gerrard's Reds before the captain scored the goal that kicked off a memorable comeback, and allowed him to raise the cup for his boyhood side.

 

The next, and likely final act of Stevie G's impossibly illustrious career will unwind in Los Angeles, where aging geniuses go to claim one last bit of glory. He'll walk onto the pitch in the Galaxy's unfamiliar blue and gold. But as the fans he leaves behind in his home town know, he'll never walk alone.

27 comments:

Danimal said...

Have been dvr'ing the last week or so of Letterman's. A good one last night with Norm Macdonald. He is one of the best. Nice act followed with a classy and emotional sendoff. He cried!

TR said...

Great post, Rob. He's a guy who definitely got the most out of his skill set.

rob said...

he seems like a quality dude, too. my daughter started following liverpool two years ago, so i've learned a lot more about him over that time. wish i'd done so earlier.

TR said...

You forgot a link to Neil Young's Walk On (which Widespread Panic covers well).

A link to Pantera's Walk, on the other hand, would be less fitting.

Mark said...

Nice job. I'm a fan of Gerrard and almost wish he'd call it it now instead of going to LA. I'm a dope though because I certainly wouldn't turn down the chance to make more money and live in LA.

Danimal said...

Mark....David Nelson currently in our hood as a favor to a neighbor who helped his charity out. Nice kid.

Mark said...

Patton Oswalt and El-P are cracking jokes to each on Twitter. 2015 is pretty amazing.

rob said...

patton was having a conversation with killer mike earlier, too

rob said...

no fairytale ending for stevie g. liverpool lost, 3-1, to crystal palace.

Mark said...

I saw that too. It started after Oswalt commented on Killer Mike's appearance on Real Time last night. Even if you're not a Bill Maher fan, it's worth watching the end of the episode when Killer Mike comes on. He was impressive, per usual.

zman said...

I understand he challenged Bill O'Reilly to fight.

rob said...

just had to buy a new dishwasher. water softener next. followed soon by a new fridge. homeownership is waaay overrated.

rob said...

norm macdonald's standup set on letterman last night was pretty great

zman said...

I bought a washer then a dryer then a dishwasher then a fridge in the past 18 months. The appliance store loves me. Homeownership is a scam.

rob said...

my kid is watching day one of the combine. she thinks it's 'cool'. wonder is shlara needs an intern.

rob said...

is, if. pretty much interchangeable.

Mark said...

I too agree that home ownership is highly overrated. I'm about to spend entirely too much money on a front deck area and fire pit. Money that I could be spending on a sweet El Camino I saw for sale yesterday.

I also just saw Dan's David Nelson comment. He was highly thought of by the athletic dept folks I know at UF. A far cry from many of his teammates during Urban Meyer's tenure in Gainesville.

zman said...

I bought new front steps, a walkway, and exterior paint. I'd rather have the el camino.

TR said...

American Pharoah's a Mudder! Who knew.

Danimal said...

Man crush on nelson. Great kid. Apparently Tebow would have been here had it not been for his new opportunity.

Mark said...

Pharoah's mother was a mudder!

mayhugh said...

Just tuning in for Gennady Golovkin. His opponent with whom I am unfamiliar has 20 fights and 6 knock outs. I am not sold on Golovkin's defense, but I'm not sure this is the guy that is going to test him. I see triple G walking through punches per usual and finishing this inside of 5 rounds.

rob said...

mayhugh's about to be prescient

mayhugh said...

Monroe earned my respect. It didn't look like he wanted to continue after Round 2 but he pulled it together for a few rounds and showed Golovkin's weaknesses on defense. I feel like once he goes against a Canelo or a Cotto that he's not going to be able to eat straight punches like that.

Mark said...

I'd rather Canelo than Cotto. Cotto feels washed to me at this point.

mayhugh said...

Tend to agree. Cotto will mix it up at times but he is much more cautious. And he's got some serious mileage. Canelo has the same mileage but he's like a decade younger. And he will have no qualms exchanging with Golovkin. Before tonight I would have ranked Cotto 1, GGG 2, and Canelo 3 but I think I would switch GGG and Canelo after watching tonight.

TR said...

just finished playing my 6 AM tee time of 9 holes at the county course w/ a couple friends. They should call it the "too whipped to make the wife angry" session.