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Alstott Is Truly Unforgettable

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 19, 2008

TAMPA - They'll blow the whistle loud and long again tonight, and the A-Train will roll back into your life. As if he ever left.

Mike Alstott wasn't only the most beloved figure in Tampa Bay sports history, he was the most unforgettable. Still is.

Images of Alstott rumbling for first downs, bouncing off defenders on his way downfield, carrying would-be tacklers along with him as he plows into the end zone are ingrained in us.

It's too bad all we have left are the memories. Alstott dragged his career out for far longer than he probably should have, but there's a part of every one of us that wishes he could have dragged it out a little longer.

There is a part of Alstott that wishes he could have dragged it out longer, too. Doctors and family members advised him against it. Wisely, he took their advice. He doesn't regret it. Except on Sundays.

He's not alone. Alstott was one of those players fans just couldn't get enough of. They won't get enough of him tonight, either. The Bucs plan to devote a halftime ceremony to him. It doesn't seem like nearly enough.

Done right, Alstott's highlight reel alone should require more than a halftime to run. Why, a halftime might not even be enough to hold the ovation Alstott is likely to get.

Thankfully, there is more to come. At some point next year, the Bucs will finally unveil a ring of honor. At some point beyond that, or maybe even at that moment, Alstott's name and number will be added to it. As it should be.

No other Buccaneer has stirred the fans' emotions the way Alstott did. This is a guy who got applause for running the ball in training camp, who still draws a cheer whenever a six-second clip of him is shown on the scoreboard.

This is a guy kids all across the Bay area grew up wanting, and pretending, to be. This is a guy who some adults in the Bay area secretly wanted, and pretended, to be. Hard to blame them.

Alstott was a throwback to a time when football was played for the love of the game, when the paycheck was a bonus, when divas were nothing but singers on a stage. That's why it was so sad to see him go.

Tears will be shed again tonight, including a few by Alstott, who admits he misses the field and the locker room and the camaraderie that was so much a part of his life for 12 seasons.

Maybe that's why he's so special to us, because underneath that tough exterior, behind the bulging muscles he built while pulling a Jeep Wrangler during his college days, there is a soft spot we can all relate to.

Stripped of all that made him seem like a superhero to us, Alstott is like every one of us. He's your next-door neighbor, your son, your father. You want memories, here's a memory:

Alstott and his kids, playing football in the afterglow at Raymond James Stadium, long after the stands had emptied out, going until the sprinklers forced them off the field or the kids just couldn't take it anymore.

You see, Mike Alstott never could get enough of this game. It's no wonder we couldn't get enough of him. No matter how high the ticket prices went, he was always worth the price of admission. He is again tonight.

Bucs-Seahawks doesn't have a whole lot of sparkle to it. Not this time. Honoring Alstott is what makes this game must-see TV. It's another chance to express your gratitude. And there's plenty to be grateful for.

Even more than the thrills he provided on Sunday afternoons, there was the respect he helped bring to the Bucs franchise, to the city of Tampa. He was one of the players who helped to turn the Bucs and our city around.

Tony Dungy probably said it best. He made it cool to be a Buc when being a Buc wasn't cool. He wasn't alone, but tonight he stands alone. He will, at least until everyone stands as one to thank him for all he was, for what he'll always be.

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