If anything he decided join expos system ... traded to boston alongside orlando Cabrera in 2004? Or he would move to washington when the expos relocated?
Sports What Ifs.
- Thread starter Dave
- Start date
Tom Brady lost his starting job to Drew Henson in college. I could see the two of them facing each other in AAA; Henson was in the Yankees’ organization and both Boston’s and Montreal’s AAA teams would have been playing Henson regularly.
Henson wasn’t good enough to play regularly in the majors and make an impact, so I doubt that becomes a thing at the majors.
I was thinking, what if Bret Hart had become some kind of reverse Kurt Angle, going from professional to amateur wrestling (maybe, after the Montreal Screwjob) and winning a gold medal in Sydney? If any professional wrestler of the post-kayfabe era could've done it, it was him, after all. As far as I know, he even proposed for professional wrestling itself to become an Olympic sport, with performances judged like those of gymnastics and other choreographed disciplines, but I don't think it could happen even now in the present, let alone in the 1990s.
Yeah, I think they showed him saying that on the Brady 6 documentary. I heard that he would have been a second-round pick in baseball if he didn't go to Michigan for football (in reality, he was drafted in the 18th round by the Expos in the 1995 Amateur Draft. Fun fact: Lawyer Milloy, his future Patriot teammate, was drafted 11 spots later in that draft by the Tigers).
MLB draft is even a bigger crapshoot that nfl if he got the same discipline he could have been expos/nationals own yadier molina (except no Latino, unless traded first of course)
Right now, I am looking at a Google preview of the book A Season On The Brink by John Feinstein (about Bobby Knight).
In 1981, after Knight's Hoosiers won their second title, CBS out-bid NBC for the rights to the NCAA Tournament. After getting the package, CBS executive producer Kevin O'Malley thought of one name: Bobby Knight.
They were going to pay him 500,000 annually, and give him control of the operation (scheduling, halftime shows, etc...). Hard to turn down.
Bobby went out west on a fishing expedition (and to think about his future) when he found out that Landon Turner, a star player on the championship team, got in a car accident and was paralyzed. After that, Knight decided to stay as Hoosier basketball coach.
In 1981, after Knight's Hoosiers won their second title, CBS out-bid NBC for the rights to the NCAA Tournament. After getting the package, CBS executive producer Kevin O'Malley thought of one name: Bobby Knight.
They were going to pay him 500,000 annually, and give him control of the operation (scheduling, halftime shows, etc...). Hard to turn down.
Bobby went out west on a fishing expedition (and to think about his future) when he found out that Landon Turner, a star player on the championship team, got in a car accident and was paralyzed. After that, Knight decided to stay as Hoosier basketball coach.
This is based on this video:
In 1986, Joe Montana suffered a ruptured disc in their Week 1 win over Tampa, and it seemed like Montana would be out for the season. So, they turned to the Oilers, who drafted Purdue QB Jim Everett in that draft that year.
The 49ers tried to trade for him, but when the Oilers insisted on DT Michael Carter, the trade died, and the rest is history.
In 1986, Joe Montana suffered a ruptured disc in their Week 1 win over Tampa, and it seemed like Montana would be out for the season. So, they turned to the Oilers, who drafted Purdue QB Jim Everett in that draft that year.
The 49ers tried to trade for him, but when the Oilers insisted on DT Michael Carter, the trade died, and the rest is history.
WI the Philadelphia 76ers lost the 1996 NBA Draft lottery? They won in part because Toronto and Vancouver, due to their expansion agreement with the NBA, were not eligible for the first picks in the 1996, 1997, and 1998 NBA Draft.
So, assuming Allen Iverson is drafted by Milwaukee (who traded Stephon Marbury's draft rights for Ray Allen and a first-round pick from Minnesota), who do the 76ers draft? Would they draft their hometown star, Kobe Bryant (he went to Lower Merion High School)?
So, assuming Allen Iverson is drafted by Milwaukee (who traded Stephon Marbury's draft rights for Ray Allen and a first-round pick from Minnesota), who do the 76ers draft? Would they draft their hometown star, Kobe Bryant (he went to Lower Merion High School)?
Sounds interesting if the Sixers get Kobe. Maybe Philly gets Shaq instead of the Lakers and they win three in a row instead of LA but that Bucks team with Iverson and Ray Allen looks good as well. But if Shaq still goes to LA without Kobe there, then who knows who gets those titles in the early 2000s.
I’ve been trying to develop a scenario in which the NFL managed to salvage the Canton Bulldogs in addition to the Packers via fan ownership. OTL the Bulldogs were sold and moved to Cleveland, which wasn’t ready for a pro football team. The team folded, and so did their replacement in Canton due to the Depression.
While I doubt the NFL would have saved small-town teams willy-nilly like this, saving one team in Canton could have worked. Canton has four times the population of Green Bay, and it does feed off the Cleveland market (which might avert the Browns...or maybe the Rams as we know them, since the Rams started off in Cleveland. This means a much later toe-dipping in LA, and since the AAFC was the reason for the Browns and 49ers, OTL Rams owner Dan Reeves (who was eyeing LA anyway) instead buys the Brooklyn Tigers and moves them west.
The key difference here is that, when the Dallas Texans, the infamous 1952 disaster, go belly-up, this leaves the league at 12 teams instead of 11. So one of two scenarios happens - Baltimore doesn’t get replaced or the NFL expands early. It’s both more likely and more interesting if the NFL sits tight.
Why? Carroll Rosenbloom is sitting in Baltimore chomping at the bit. So when Lamar Hunt starts gathering owners for a new league, Rosenbloom is in. It also means the unprepared ownership in Oakland ends up on the outside looking in. This pushes the Oilers to the West, and when the Chargers lose the fight for LA, Al Davis buys the failing Titans and moves them to New Orleans to become the Saints.
The AFL also gets the Dolphins and Bengals while the NFL takes the Vikings, Cowboys, Falcons and the Seattle Seahawks. There’s also an unspoken rule in the NFL after the Chargers, Texans and Titans move - one city, one team. At the merge, the Steelers still agree to switch to the AFC, taking the Browns and Bulldogs with them (the Browns were too powerful in the AAFC to toss them aside.)
So alignment after the merge looks as follows:
AFC East
Baltimore Colts
Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins
New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints
AFC Central
Canton Bulldogs
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC West
Denver Broncos
Houston Oilers
Kansas City Chiefs
San Diego Chargers
NFC East
Atlanta Falcons
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Redskins
NFC Central
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
NFC West
Dallas Cowboys
Los Angeles Tigers
San Francisco 49ers
St. Louis Cardinals
Seattle Seahawks
In other news, Dan Reeves dies, and Robert Irsay buys the Tigers at an estate sale and immediately looks for a trading partner. Thanks to the Colts being an old AFL franchise, no deal is struck, and Irsay instead swaps with the Bidwill family in St. Louis.
With a team already in Seattle, next up is Phoenix and the Bart Starr group. So in addition to the Buccaneers, Phoenix gets the Firebirds, who go in the AFC West.
The 80s get a little chaotic - Al Davis agitates in New Orleans and becomes hated, but he doesn’t move. He talks about moving back to New York or into LA, but he can’t find a stadium he likes that he can use and it never happens. The biggest move is the Cardinals out of St. Louis and into Indianapolis while the Colts stay put with a new stadium, thanks to Rosenbloom’s patience.
Then in the 90s, things get a little insane. First up, welcome to the NFL Carolina and Jacksonville. Next up, the Browns (the LA Tigers stay put, being the only game in town.) Baltimore isn’t available but St. Louis is, so the St. Louis Stallions are born. Then with the Oilers heading off to Tennessee, the Browns and Texans join in, meaning someone has to jump to the NFC.
Enter Al Davis, who volunteers the Saints. (It could also be the Stallions, but it doesn’t matter in the end.)
Alignment circa 2002 or whenever the Texans become a thing:
AFC East
Baltimore Colts
Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins
New England Patriots
AFC North
Canton Bulldogs
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC South
Houston Texans
Jacksonville Jaguars
St. Louis Stallions
Tennessee Titans
AFC West
Arizona Firebirds
Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs
San Diego Chargers
NFC East
Indianapolis Colts
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Redskins
NFC North
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
NFC South
Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers
New Orleans Saints
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NFC West
Dallas Cowboys
Los Angeles Tigers
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
OTL Hurricane Katrina nearly ran off the Saints from New Orleans. Add in an even more cantankerous owner and it’s even more likely, especially one obsessed with shitty QBs. Given that most of the “good” American cities are off limits, Davis gets an idea - London.
The NFL won’t bite, so Davis recruits - Dean Spanos in San Diego, Shad Khan in Jacksonville and none other than new St. Louis Stallions owner Stan Kroenke. So by 2010, the AFC now has four teams in Europe, leading to more expansion in Europe - a full-fledged conference in Europe.
Then the X League applies for admission to the NFL, and the league is worldwide and made up of 64 teams in four conferences.
AFC East
Baltimore Colts
Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins
New England Patriots
AFC North
Canton Bulldogs
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC South
Houston Texans
Memphis Showboats
Nashville Titans
San Antonio Roadrunners
AFC West
Arizona Firebirds
Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs
Las Vegas Outlaws
NFC East
Indianapolis Colts
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Redskins
NFC North
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
NFC South
Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers
New Orleans Saints
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NFC West
Dallas Cowboys
Los Angeles Tigers
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
EFC East
Bern Knights
Prague Rebels
Vienna Raiders
Zurich Renegades
EFC North
Amsterdam Admirals
Berlin Thunder
Frankfurt Cosmos
Rhein Fire
EFC South
Barcelona Dragons
Madrid Royals
Milan Rhinos
Rome Gldiators
EFC West
Dublin Wolves
London Monarchs
Manchester Blue Devils
Scotland Claymores
XFC East
Sapporo Brewers
Sendai Wizards
Tokyo Hurricanes
Yokohama Bulls
XFC North
Busan Griffins
Daejeon Phoenix
Incheon Thunder
Seoul Warriors
XFC South
Fukuoka Dragons
Hiroshima Sharks
Nagoya Cyclones
Osaka Black Eagles
XFC West
Beijing Ironmen
Manila Rough Riders
Shanghai Nighthawks
Taipei Predators
All teams play an 18-game schedule (six division games, six conference games, six interconference games - AFC and NFC teams play four against their opposite, one game against an EFC team and one game against an XFC team. EFC and XFC teams play four games against their opposite, one game against an AFC team and one game against an NFC team.
Playoffs include all division winners and three wild cards in each conference. The AFC and NFC champions play in the Super Bowl; the EFC and XFC champions play in the World Bowl.
The Super Bowl and World Bowl champions play in the Grand Championship, alternating between conferences on a four-year rotation. The winning team received a jewel-encrusted crown for their trophy case.
While I doubt the NFL would have saved small-town teams willy-nilly like this, saving one team in Canton could have worked. Canton has four times the population of Green Bay, and it does feed off the Cleveland market (which might avert the Browns...or maybe the Rams as we know them, since the Rams started off in Cleveland. This means a much later toe-dipping in LA, and since the AAFC was the reason for the Browns and 49ers, OTL Rams owner Dan Reeves (who was eyeing LA anyway) instead buys the Brooklyn Tigers and moves them west.
The key difference here is that, when the Dallas Texans, the infamous 1952 disaster, go belly-up, this leaves the league at 12 teams instead of 11. So one of two scenarios happens - Baltimore doesn’t get replaced or the NFL expands early. It’s both more likely and more interesting if the NFL sits tight.
Why? Carroll Rosenbloom is sitting in Baltimore chomping at the bit. So when Lamar Hunt starts gathering owners for a new league, Rosenbloom is in. It also means the unprepared ownership in Oakland ends up on the outside looking in. This pushes the Oilers to the West, and when the Chargers lose the fight for LA, Al Davis buys the failing Titans and moves them to New Orleans to become the Saints.
The AFL also gets the Dolphins and Bengals while the NFL takes the Vikings, Cowboys, Falcons and the Seattle Seahawks. There’s also an unspoken rule in the NFL after the Chargers, Texans and Titans move - one city, one team. At the merge, the Steelers still agree to switch to the AFC, taking the Browns and Bulldogs with them (the Browns were too powerful in the AAFC to toss them aside.)
So alignment after the merge looks as follows:
AFC East
Baltimore Colts
Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins
New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints
AFC Central
Canton Bulldogs
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC West
Denver Broncos
Houston Oilers
Kansas City Chiefs
San Diego Chargers
NFC East
Atlanta Falcons
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Redskins
NFC Central
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
NFC West
Dallas Cowboys
Los Angeles Tigers
San Francisco 49ers
St. Louis Cardinals
Seattle Seahawks
In other news, Dan Reeves dies, and Robert Irsay buys the Tigers at an estate sale and immediately looks for a trading partner. Thanks to the Colts being an old AFL franchise, no deal is struck, and Irsay instead swaps with the Bidwill family in St. Louis.
With a team already in Seattle, next up is Phoenix and the Bart Starr group. So in addition to the Buccaneers, Phoenix gets the Firebirds, who go in the AFC West.
The 80s get a little chaotic - Al Davis agitates in New Orleans and becomes hated, but he doesn’t move. He talks about moving back to New York or into LA, but he can’t find a stadium he likes that he can use and it never happens. The biggest move is the Cardinals out of St. Louis and into Indianapolis while the Colts stay put with a new stadium, thanks to Rosenbloom’s patience.
Then in the 90s, things get a little insane. First up, welcome to the NFL Carolina and Jacksonville. Next up, the Browns (the LA Tigers stay put, being the only game in town.) Baltimore isn’t available but St. Louis is, so the St. Louis Stallions are born. Then with the Oilers heading off to Tennessee, the Browns and Texans join in, meaning someone has to jump to the NFC.
Enter Al Davis, who volunteers the Saints. (It could also be the Stallions, but it doesn’t matter in the end.)
Alignment circa 2002 or whenever the Texans become a thing:
AFC East
Baltimore Colts
Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins
New England Patriots
AFC North
Canton Bulldogs
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC South
Houston Texans
Jacksonville Jaguars
St. Louis Stallions
Tennessee Titans
AFC West
Arizona Firebirds
Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs
San Diego Chargers
NFC East
Indianapolis Colts
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Redskins
NFC North
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
NFC South
Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers
New Orleans Saints
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NFC West
Dallas Cowboys
Los Angeles Tigers
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
OTL Hurricane Katrina nearly ran off the Saints from New Orleans. Add in an even more cantankerous owner and it’s even more likely, especially one obsessed with shitty QBs. Given that most of the “good” American cities are off limits, Davis gets an idea - London.
The NFL won’t bite, so Davis recruits - Dean Spanos in San Diego, Shad Khan in Jacksonville and none other than new St. Louis Stallions owner Stan Kroenke. So by 2010, the AFC now has four teams in Europe, leading to more expansion in Europe - a full-fledged conference in Europe.
Then the X League applies for admission to the NFL, and the league is worldwide and made up of 64 teams in four conferences.
AFC East
Baltimore Colts
Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins
New England Patriots
AFC North
Canton Bulldogs
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Pittsburgh Steelers
AFC South
Houston Texans
Memphis Showboats
Nashville Titans
San Antonio Roadrunners
AFC West
Arizona Firebirds
Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs
Las Vegas Outlaws
NFC East
Indianapolis Colts
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Redskins
NFC North
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings
NFC South
Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers
New Orleans Saints
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
NFC West
Dallas Cowboys
Los Angeles Tigers
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
EFC East
Bern Knights
Prague Rebels
Vienna Raiders
Zurich Renegades
EFC North
Amsterdam Admirals
Berlin Thunder
Frankfurt Cosmos
Rhein Fire
EFC South
Barcelona Dragons
Madrid Royals
Milan Rhinos
Rome Gldiators
EFC West
Dublin Wolves
London Monarchs
Manchester Blue Devils
Scotland Claymores
XFC East
Sapporo Brewers
Sendai Wizards
Tokyo Hurricanes
Yokohama Bulls
XFC North
Busan Griffins
Daejeon Phoenix
Incheon Thunder
Seoul Warriors
XFC South
Fukuoka Dragons
Hiroshima Sharks
Nagoya Cyclones
Osaka Black Eagles
XFC West
Beijing Ironmen
Manila Rough Riders
Shanghai Nighthawks
Taipei Predators
All teams play an 18-game schedule (six division games, six conference games, six interconference games - AFC and NFC teams play four against their opposite, one game against an EFC team and one game against an XFC team. EFC and XFC teams play four games against their opposite, one game against an AFC team and one game against an NFC team.
Playoffs include all division winners and three wild cards in each conference. The AFC and NFC champions play in the Super Bowl; the EFC and XFC champions play in the World Bowl.
The Super Bowl and World Bowl champions play in the Grand Championship, alternating between conferences on a four-year rotation. The winning team received a jewel-encrusted crown for their trophy case.
So ESPN did an althist on the legendary QB of my team and did actually bring up a POD I have always considered: trading for Tony Romo and keeping him and Peyton together as the QB-Coach GOAT duo. However, I am more interested in thoughts as to who would be a good pick for backup/successor? I would consider Teddy (given both the relative closeness in the draft as well as the reluctance of Peyton to pick Johnny Manziel), but it is anyone's guess.
www.espn.com
Also, not sure what to think of the idea of Rivers to the Lions
Three wild alternate Drew Brees timelines, and how NFL changed
The future Hall of Famer's career could have gone differently if he had never gotten injured in San Diego. Or if he had signed with Miami. Let's change history.
Also, not sure what to think of the idea of Rivers to the Lions
Good idea. As memory serves me, this was when Sri Lanka really announced themselves as a cricket power.. so with a semi-final loss you might see the golden era of SL cricket hit a huge stumbling block.
I would think that a team that would crave for a higher end first round QB like Rivers would be the Browns or even the Cards. The only reason why I suppose that they picked Detroit was moreso because of some poor Lions fan.
Speaking of cricket, I'm not very knowledgeable about the sport, but one thing that I wondered, football clubs like Genoa and Milan were founded as football and cricket clubs, so there might be a chance cricket could survive in countries that, while not part of the Commonwealth or the Empire, still had diplomatic and trade ties to the United Kingdom; actually, had the British not been so obsessed with keeping cricket a British sport, it could've survived in the United States as well, since even George Washington played it. Maybe, an ATL defeat of the English team by the American one could've sparked an alternate version of the Ashes, because there's no chance London wouldn't try and get revenge on the colonials after such a defeat.
Read the article, Lions wanted brees otl, in their scenario too rivers as was available
Speaking of cricket, I'm not very knowledgeable about the sport, but one thing that I wondered, football clubs like Genoa and Milan were founded as football and cricket clubs, so there might be a chance cricket could survive in countries that, while not part of the Commonwealth or the Empire, still had diplomatic and trade ties to the United Kingdom; actually, had the British not been so obsessed with keeping cricket a British sport, it could've survived in the United States as well, since even George Washington played it. Maybe, an ATL defeat of the English team by the American one could've sparked an alternate version of the Ashes, because there's no chance London wouldn't try and get revenge on the colonials after such a defeat.
If you delay the Civil War five years or so then it probably replaces Baseball as America's most popular bat and ball sport. It was really popular, especially in Pennsylvania, until the Civil War..
Limited overs cricket might be introduced way earlier than in OTL if the United States keep practicing it and spreading it wherever they spread baseball in real life, if only to comply with the demands of radio and television - from what I've seen of Indian T20 matches, the bombast and showmanship surrounding them would translate very well to an ATL American setting.
In Italy, I can see an US-backed cricket doing better than real life baseball and cricket both, especially if a few teams from those regions in the country that haven't seen much footballing success to this day (everything south of Rome or Naples, depending on the degree of success you want) manage to become dominant.