O P I N I O N
As a fan of Boston sports teams, and also a guy who likes studying the Bible, for the last couple of months or more I’ve been focused on comparisons between “Joseph Prince of Egypt” and Thomas the “GOAT” of New England. Both of them as young men had really big dreams. And both of them were hated by their brothers for dreams so lofty that would lead to tremendous dynasties.
How Joseph became the baddest man on the planet
Joseph’s story from the book of Genesis is so fantastic it’s hard to imagine. At 17 years of age his dreams and his life within his family had brought him to a crisis point. Joseph the second-youngest of 12 brothers born to Israel (better known as Jacob) was about to be killed, by them. Rueben the oldest of the brothers, stopped the madness and managed to spare his life. The other brothers threw Joseph into a great pit until they realized they could sell him for 20 pieces of silver and send him to Egypt as a slave.
Joseph had been given a royal robe by his father that made his brothers so full of envy that, before they ditched him, they stripped him of it and soaked it in the blood of a goat they killed in Joseph’s place. Then they returned his special robe to Jacob, their father, and tricked him to believe Joseph had been torn apart by a wild animal.
After Joseph was put to work as a slave for a prominent Egyptian with ties to the Pharoah, he quickly rose to be the head of his master’s household. Most unfortunately for Joseph, his master’s wife noticed his beauty and form and desired Joseph to be her lover, and eventually had him imprisoned after unrobing him once again, claiming he tried to rape her.
Even prison could not stop his giftedness and once again he was entrusted with administration of his environment. He successfully interpreted dreams for the Pharoah’s cupbearer and baker while they were imprisoned with him. He told the cupbearer to remember him to Pharoah after he went back to work for him. Sadly, he told the baker that his dream meant the end of him, as he would be hanged on a tree and the birds would eat his flesh.
After a couple of years, Pharoah also had terrifying dreams that none of his people could interpret. Pharaoh’s cupbearer finally told him about Joseph’s wonderful gifts and his tragic plight to Egypt and his awful prison sentence. Joseph was brought before Pharoah and gave him the meaning of his dreams and was put in charge of all Egypt to save their nation from utter starvation.
Joseph became the “baddest man on the planet” as Pharoah’s right-hand man everyone in the region came under his authority asking him for life-sustaining grain.
How Tom Brady became the baddest mother*&%$@ on the planet
Tom Brady, much like Joseph, came out of nowhere and began a dynasty as a very young man in the NFL. After watching his team from the bench in his first year, he took over the team in his second, and led them to their first Super Bowl win ever. Our nation celebrated these Patriots as Super Bowl winners after the Twin Towers came down and interrupted their season – and everything else in our nation.
Tom Brady would win three Super Bowls in just four seasons and go from being celebrated to despised, just like Joseph – hated because he was so special and successful. Envy took over and the rest of the NFL cities made all kinds of excuses to hurt him any way they could. Joseph told Pharoah there would be seven years of great plenty followed by seven years of severe drought.
Brady and the Patriots had seven years of plenty. Tom’s best year, his seventh as a starter, went 16 and 0. The only NFL team to win 16 games in the regular season and more than 40 years have passed since the 16 game schedule was adopted.
They lost the Super Bowl that year and for the next seven years also suffered a drought. Losing in the Super Bowl again to the Giants in the middle of the drought. Until finally beating the Seahawks in the Super Bowl seven years after their perfect regular season. They began a new cycle – three Super Bowl victories in just four years. All of the teams in the first three Super bowls of this new cycle were birds, just like the dream Joseph interpreted for Pharoah’s baker. The baker dreamed he had three baskets on his head filled with baked goods for Pharoah and birds of prey came down as he was carrying them and attacked the top basket and ate the goods.
Most in our country believe the Seahawks should have beaten the Patriots. Surely the Falcons should have beaten them with a 28 to 3 lead. But it was my beloved Eagles that finally stopped the Patriots and Tom Brady to end the cruel dynasty. Our nation and especially the Eagles fans believed the dynasty was over and the king was finally dead.
Just like Joseph … rumors of his death were greatly exaggerated.
Both came back to be the “baddest mothers on the planet.” Joseph effectively ruled the world in his time and Tom as a professional athlete is without question the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) at least the best our nation has ever produced. Beating the Rams in the last super bowl at age 41 after beating them 17 years earlier and coming out of nowhere is proof positive. God our Father favors him, just like he favored Joseph. All of the NFL fans that hate the Patriots and Tom Brady are just like Joseph’s brothers, envious to the point they just need to see the end of Tom Brady however that may be.
Tom Brady’s mind-blowing abilities and poise, at such a young age, affected the whole region. After his second Super Bowl victory in just three seasons as a starter, the Red Sox won their first world series in 86 years. The Celtics and the Bruins have also won world titles. The Patriots have six times been crowned champion. The Red Sox, four times during the same period, along with the Celtics and Bruins, one each. Twelve world titles in all, in just 18 years. Even as I’m writing, the Bruins just finished their last playoff series and are headed to the Stanley Cup finals again.
Thanks Tom, I agree with your quote just before the AFC championship game. You are “the baddest mother on the planet.”
Jim Robidoux is father of four, lives and works in Manchester, and writes about life in The Life Section – specifically, his own. He enjoys bicycling to work, urban gardening, exploring things of faith, and watching the Phillies at Billy’s. And, he happens to be married to Manchester Ink Link publisher Carol Robidoux. He can be reached at jrmetalman@comcast.net.
