Todd Marinovich, the Happy Ending

I once read that Helen Keller was able to play the piano with one
hand and sing with the other.

 

The fact that this thread wasn't about Todd Marinovich, a pile of coke and an asian massage parlor is the upset of the week.

 

Question- Does anyone else think that Marv's training/life regimen would've worked better if he was building up a, say, running back? As opposed to a QB?

I mean, all the physical gifts you create and foster for a QB don't mean much if there's something tweaked between the ears.

 

Finally watch the documentary. Marv sounded and had the same mannerisms as Funkhauser from Curb, which was odd. Todd was obviously so unhappy and didn't have the mental strength to quit or tell his dad to screw off. I'm not sure that he does even now.

The sister wasn't half bad looking though.

 

"I figure if Rabin can break bread with Arafat, I can have lunch at this anti-Semitic shithole."

 

That documentary was something else. Marinovich is my age. I remember reading the SI article in my high school library so I've known who he was for going on 25 years.

Something weird I noticed though about the doc. Some of the newspaper clippings had the byline and newspaper credit removed.

 

Layoffs and cutbacks run deep these days.

 

The documentary was excellent. But not a surprise ending as the father put way too much pressure and expectation on Todd from a young age. It's reminded of the Capriati or Woods situations. These great athletes had to sacrifice their childhoods to become the supreme athletes that they did. Todd said that once he got to the NFL and showed he could compete successfully at that level, his competitive fire waned after that big game he had with the Raiders. With the achievement Todd showed that he fulfilled his father's prophecy. That was it, the high point. Then it went down hill. Fascinating film and story. Great to see he's doing well today and has found a new calling, something that he loves, something that he can express his obvious talent with.

One other thing, I thought the negativity from a lot of fans and media with the Robo QB thing really bothered Todd. It portrayed him as a freak and that was a part of the equation he or the father did not forsee and could not control. But that kind of thing could have an adverse affect on a sensitive young man which Todd was.

 

Friendly's is bankrupt for a reason.

 

I found that documentary to be intriguing. Very well done.

In relation to today's world, the Marinovich situation boils down to this.

There's a Marv Marinovich on every corner these days. Travel ball has made it that way.

Whether that's good or bad is obviously open for debate; I don't think there's a total consensus on whether Marv's methods were good or bad.