Author Topic: Expos and the 2 SB 53 QBs  (Read 470 times)

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Offline JCA-CrystalCity

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Expos and the 2 SB 53 QBs
« Topic Start: January 29, 2019, 11:31:52 AM »
I think most folks know that Brady was drafted by the Expos coming out of high school as a catcher buut elected to play football at Michigan instead.  Turns out, Jared Goff's dad also caught for the Expos in 1992 as a backup.  Nice story talking to the scouts (both named Hughes) who pushed the Expos to trade for Jerry Goff and who scouted Brady:

https://www.boston.com/sports/new-england-patriots/2019/01/29/tom-brady-jared-goff-montreal-expos-scouts-connections

Quote
“I could have ruined the history of the NFL,” former Expos scout John Hughes said with a chuckle, considering what might have been had Brady chosen baseball. “I love it when he goes to the Super Bowl.”

Both John Hughes and another former Expos scout, Gary Hughes (no relation) are downright giddy about the game in Atlanta, if not just a little bit torn because they’re thrilled for both quarterbacks.

Gary Hughes helped acquire Jerry Goff in 1990 from Seattle and is a fellow graduate, along with Brady, of Serra High School in San Mateo, California. Hughes had yet to fully ponder the pairing when he received a timely text message from a Red Sox scouting colleague.

“It’s the Gary Hughes Super Bowl,” Paul Toboni wrote his pal.
...
Just after the Expos selected Brady, he came out to Candlestick Park with Montreal in town to play the Giants. He seemed comfortable in the clubhouse, with John Hughes noting, “He looked like he belonged in the locker room.”

That didn’t end up meaning much. Brady took a football scholarship to play at Michigan.

The rest is history.

“Based upon the way we kind of went about our business and followed him throughout the course of the summer, we obviously felt that he had a career and had a future in baseball. He was an 18th-round draft choice, but he only went in the 18th round because we knew that he had football hanging over his head and that was probably what he was going to do,” John Hughes said.

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“So the quote/unquote sign-ability was going to be very difficult if at all. I don’t know that we ever really truly officially got to the point where we made a pure offer to him just because we never got close to what it would take to sign him. But we viewed him as a guy that had a chance to be an everyday major league catcher. He had a strong arm, he was a left-handed hitter, and he had some power. He was a solid receiver. In a lot of ways it’s kind of what you see now: He was a good athlete, not a great athlete, but he had incredible field presence and was highly competitive, and he commanded his teammates’ attention as a leader behind the plate.”

Back when he was watching Brady the catcher, Gary Hughes had no idea what the young man would become in football.

“I thought he might sign for baseball. I didn’t know he was going to become Tom Brady,” Gary Hughes said. “He had great size and athletic ability. I saw him play one game, but I cross-checked him and I could see why he certainly was draftable. I didn’t know he had so much going for him in football.”

Offline mitlen

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Re: Expos and the 2 SB 53 QBs
« Reply #1: January 29, 2019, 11:38:30 AM »
Too many threads  ....   shouldn't this be merged with the NFL thread?     :poke:

Offline JCA-CrystalCity

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Re: Expos and the 2 SB 53 QBs
« Reply #2: January 29, 2019, 11:49:23 AM »
I thought about it, but the Expos / baseball angle kind of distinguished it from the NFL thread.  If there were a Superbowl only thread, then I'd put it there.

Offline mitlen

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Re: Expos and the 2 SB 53 QBs
« Reply #3: January 29, 2019, 12:08:10 PM »
I thought about it, but the Expos / baseball angle kind of distinguished it from the NFL thread.  If there were a Superbowl only thread, then I'd put it there.

OT  I thought about Elway and Ainge.

Offline imref

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Re: Expos and the 2 SB 53 QBs
« Reply #4: January 29, 2019, 12:09:56 PM »
so would this mean we'd invite Brady and Goff to Expos Night in D.C.?

Offline mitlen

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Re: Expos and the 2 SB 53 QBs
« Reply #5: January 29, 2019, 12:10:56 PM »
so would this mean we'd invite Brady and Goff to Expos Night in D.C.?

:lol:

Offline JCA-CrystalCity

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Re: Expos and the 2 SB 53 QBs
« Reply #6: January 29, 2019, 01:52:33 PM »
OT  I thought about Elway and Ainge.
and Drew Henson and Tebow.

Offline mitlen

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Re: Expos and the 2 SB 53 QBs
« Reply #7: January 29, 2019, 02:00:49 PM »
and Drew Henson and Tebow.

I was doin' my Sunday crossword and Bo Jackson, Sanders and Gene Conley (pitched for Boston NL & AL and "played" for the Celtics in the '50s) came to mind.    I'll try to stick to football and baseball.    :)