Folsom: Patrick Mahomes and Friends | Opinion

Texas Tech is the place I did the majority of my research. It was the one college with a soccer crew on the time I attended, so I nonetheless pull for the Pink Raiders. Whereas they’ve had award-winning working backs and quarterbacks who put up online game numbers since I attended the college within the Nineties, all of them had forgettable professional careers.

That was till Mahomes. Within the first 4 years of his profession, he has blown away the NFL efficiency of any Texas Tech offensive participant. He places up monster numbers and has performed in two Tremendous Bowls and received a league MVP award.

After all, it’s slightly bittersweet for Texas Tech followers because the Pink Raiders went 7-6 and 5-7 in 2015 and 2016, respectively, the 2 years Mahomes began there. We don’t get to look again on his school days the best way followers of all-time greats like Michael Jordan and Peyton Manning, who had particular person and crew success in school, can.

Even Tom Brady, who was a sleeper sixth-round draft choose earlier than turning into the best NFL quarterback of all time, had extra success in school, serving to the Wolverines to 10-3 and 10-2 seasons (although he cut up time with Drew Henson).

However with Texas Tech soccer falling into a fair deeper pit in recent times, we’re glad to have the ability to pull for Mahomes on Sundays, since Saturdays typically aren’t enjoyable.

And Mahomes actually appears pleased with being a Pink Raider, going to see the Texas Tech basketball crew (which is rather more profitable now than soccer) on many events. And, aside from being in some tacky commercials, he looks like an incredible man.

The opposite two faculties I attended had been smaller NCAA Division II faculties. They each produced memorable athletes, although they’ve sadly each been marred by dishonest scandals.

I attended what was then Augusta State College in Georgia for a yr. It’s gone via a number of identify modifications over time and is now merely Augusta College (which is what it actually ought to have been all alongside).

As you may guess for a college close to the house of The Masters match, Augusta is greatest identified for its golf program, which in contrast to the college’s different sports activities, competes on the NCAA Division I degree.

The very best identified alumnus is Patrick Reed, who has 9 skilled golf wins, most notably the 2018 Masters. Not like Mahomes, Reed led Augusta to unprecedented success, successful NCAA crew championships in 2010 and 2011 (although it’s school golf, so nobody actually cares).

However Reed is simply as well-known for controversy, together with feuding with teammates through the 2018 Ryder Cup, asking safety to escort his household out of the 2014 U.S. Open and being penalized two strokes for bettering his ball’s place throughout a 2019 match.

However deep down, I sort of like Reed. He’s a kind of guys who I really feel dangerous for as a result of he’s criticized a lot.

Full Disclosure: I initially wrote this column earlier than the Tremendous Bowl, however I pushed it again. I knew I must replace the Mahomes half, primarily based on what occurred within the huge recreation, however didn’t know I must add one other attainable Patrick Reed dishonest scandal.

On Jan. 30 on the tenth gap on the Farmers Insurance coverage Open in San Diego, Reed declared an embedded lie within the tough, regardless that his ball had bounced to that spot, which you might be, apparently, not purported to do. Reed (or his spouse) additionally had been accused of utilizing a faux Twitter account to defend him after Reed’s official account included an an identical tweet to one of many alleged burner account. Regardless of the controversy, Reed went on to win the match by 5 pictures.

That’s not the Patrick I wished to see win, however I assume it’s higher than nothing.

Although I’m older than baseball participant Evan Gattis, we each ended up on the College of Texas of the Permian Basin (UTPB) for one yr, 2009-10.

I went there whereas working for the paper in Odessa, Texas, to complete up my diploma after a decade away from school.

Gattis took an much more oblique route. He was a Main League prospect popping out of highschool however deliberate to play for a significant school program.

As a substitute, he stop college and baseball in 2006 and had a bout with scientific despair and hung out in drug and alcohol rehab. He labored at instances as a parking valet, ski-lift operator and as a custodian.

However he cleaned up and was capable of earn sufficient curiosity in his one yr at UTPB to be drafted by the Atlanta Braves within the twenty third spherical of the 2010 MLB draft.

Gattis turned a favourite of mine after I moved to Atlanta and he was working his approach via the Braves minor league system. Although I by no means met him in school, I hoped I’d get to see him play in Atlanta.

Oddly sufficient, the final Braves recreation I attended earlier than transferring to Washington state was opening night time in 2013. Gattis made his Main League debut of their second recreation, hitting a house run off Corridor-of-Famer Roy Halladay.

Sadly, I’d left city by then. However I definitely pulled for Gattis in his rookie yr, when he scored a promising 21 residence runs.

It was thrilling having a man from my small college enjoying for my favourite crew, however that modified when Gattis was traded to the Houston Astros earlier than the 2015 season. He hit a house run in Recreation 7 of the 2017 American League Championship Sequence, and the Astros went on to win the World Sequence.

Whereas that title was marred by the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal, Gattis at the very least had the decency to apologize and admit they cheated baseball.

Gattis has retired from the sport, however not earlier than giving me some nice reminiscences. Let’s hope that the enjoyable reminiscences Patrick Mahomes brings by no means require an apology.