COLUMN: Kobe’s ‘Vino Club’ memberships up for consideration
Sports commentators and fans weren’t the only ones buzzing about Peyton Manning’s seven-touchdown performance against the Baltimore Ravens Sept. 6.
Following the game, five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant tweeted out an unofficial announcement on the “Vino Club,” a group founded by Bryant himself that honors professional athletes and entertainers who “get better with age.”
Bryant, who lent the nickname “Vino” to himself, naturally included himself on the short list of members, as well as 36-year-old boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr., 32-year-old Justin Timberlake and the latest inductee, the 37-year -old Manning.
The seemingly inclusive club has very few rules— based on the group of individuals “inducted,” one must be over 30 years old, be a champion, still be at the top of their respective fields and be well known.
So, in all respect for Mr. Vino, based on these guidelines, there are a few athletes he left waiting outside the VIP room of the “Vino Club,” and if it weren’t to upset him, a few suggestions are justified.
Phil Mickelson
Professional golf’s most prestigious left-handed player turned 43 in June and is arguably the top golfer in the game right now. This is astonishing considering his success throughout his 21-year career. Each of his major championship wins have come in the past decade, the most recent coming this July at The Open Championship. Since 2004, Mickelson has ranked in the top 10 in earnings nine times, ranking second overall behind Tiger Woods. “Lefty” has had a knack to make SportsCenter “Top Ten” plays each and every tournament with his signature chip-in game, and he doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. If Kobe wants his club to be respected, Mickelson is a no-brainer.
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Tim Duncan and Tony Parker
While Duncan, 37, may have hit a stride in the mid-2000s, the San Antonio forward/center has kept his level of play at an extremely high, respectable plain for the majority of his career. Meanwhile, his partner-in-crime Tony Parker has continued to elevate his play, when healthy, over the past three years. In 2012-13, Parker, 31, recorded his second-highest season averages in both points and assists. Together, the duo built a NBA dynasty in the 2000s, and have continued to be a threat year in and year out including this past season when they took the Miami Heat to seven games in the NBA Finals, falling 95-88. Kobe should respect those in his own game and let Parker and Duncan through that velvet rope.
Pete Carroll
At 62, Carroll is the only coach and the most seasoned on the list. During the 1980s and 1990s, Carroll made his way around college football and the NFL as an assistant and filled pro head coaching vacancies in New York and New England. He went on to build the most dominant college football program of the 2000s at the University of Southern California, taking them to seven consecutive BCS bowls, including two BCS championship appearances and one BCS victory in 2005. After nine seasons with the Trojans, he returned back to the NFL in 2010 when he was hired as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. Since taking over in Seattle, Carroll has led the team to the playoffs two of three seasons, and the 2013 Seahawks are arguably the NFL’s best team by a mile. What was once thought as an impossible transition from college to the pros, Carroll has become the model for making it work. Considering his championship with USC and the potential of his Seahawks, Carroll seemingly fits the docket of the “Vino Club” perfectly. So, unless Kobe and Co. has anything against coaches, granddad Pete wants a seat at the big boys table, things are looking up for this old guy.
There you have it Kobe. Here are some recruits for you to consider for the “Vino Club.” Now as certain athletes reach that pinnacle age, there will be more names to be thrown into the ring. But, for now, if he truly wants the top-of-the-line names in aging, fine-wine athletics, don’t forget these four.
