get that monkey off my back

When I hear a broadcaster say a player has to get that monkey of his back, I think about all of the great athletes, men and women who absolutely hate that expression. When Steve Young won the Super Bowl in 1994 and NFL Films captures him saying "will somebody get this monkey off my back", and Gary Plummer obliged him, I actually got a bit emotional. He had a great career but he will never replace Joe Montana in the hearts and minds of the 49ers. He threw 6 touchdowns in the game so he not only got the monkey his back he walked him out of the park. Ray Bourque winning the cup with the Avalanche got the monkey his back. Peyton Manning winning his Super Bowl. Kobe winning without Shaq got his monkey of back. When Danica Patrick finally won a race, the monkey got run over by her car.
As the postseason advances, we will hear until our ears about A-rod has a huge monkey on his back. Even if he gets big hits in games, if the Yankees do not win the World Series the monkey will stay on A-Rod's back. He is the most tragic figure in sports today.
There are others who are in his category. Dinara Safina was the number 1 player in women's until last week. She is a constant figure in the finals and semi-finals of many tournaments over the past two seasons. For some reason she melts down under the glare of the big lights. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was supposed to be the next great diver and he has not won a race in two years and is falling of the map. The Chicago Cubs is the franchise that has the biggest monkeys on their backs. The Vikings and Bills are football biggest monkey carriers. Tracy Mcgrady is the monkey porter in the NBA. He has never gotten out of the first round of the playoffs. The one year that his team makes the second round, he is injured. He is constantly ridiculed for comments he made in a playoff series when the Orlando Magic played the Detroit Pistons. Sergio Garcia is the Golf world's monkey porter. He has been touted as the games next mega star for years and has fallen behind some of his contemporaries. He is treated like a brat for some of his behavior issues and his "waggles".
It must be so painful to see young players come into a sport and win either right away or within a couple of years. Eli Manning and Big Ben winning rings in the early days of their career. Tiger Woods, Venus and Serena Williams, winning majors early in your career. Derek Jeter and Ryan Howard in baseball must make A-Rod go crazy. Ryan Howard is a freak. He continues to do well in the post season for the Phillies.
My advice is just win baby and be like Albert Pujols. His postseason numbers are quite pedestrian but he has a ring and no one can take that away from him. A better example may be Chris Moneymaker in poker. He wins the main event and hasn't come close since to winning anything since. All of the big name guys tease him but he just puts his ring in their face and that usually shuts them all up. So good luck to A-Rod, T-mac, Sergio, Dinara, and Dale Jr. we will keep watching. Phil Ivey your day will come too.....