“Charles Barkley hit me with this, the best” - Michael Strahan's remarkable encounter with NBA icon has Alex Rodriguez amused
Michael Strahan and Alex Rodriguez know a thing or two about playing in New York and the kind of pressure fans' expectations can have. While the two are fortunate in that they both experienced the pinnacle of achievements in their respective sports, winning the World Series and Super Bowl, there was a time when that wasn't the case.
Speaking on "The Deal," the former New York Giants star talked about all things Big Apple. When Rodriguez asked if there was a notable difference between being a champion and not winning a title, Strahan laughed and responded:
"Heck yeah. Charles Barkley hit me with this, the best. I seen him at a golf tournament, and I had never met him. I love Charles, I'm like, 'Oh my god, Charles Barkley, the best.'
"He sees me and I go, 'Hey Charles, Michael Strahan,' and he goes, 'Hey man,' and this was right after we won the Super Bowl, he goes, 'Good to meet you, you know what, you were on my F list, like curse word.'
"And I'm like, 'how am I on the list? I've never met you before.' He goes, 'No no no, it was a list of guys who had great careers but never won (a championship). But now you off my list.'"
Recognizing the glaring hole in his own career, Strahan recalled Barkley saying:
"He said, 'I'm even on my own list.'" (Time stamp - 4.23)
Michael Strahan tells Alex Rodriguez what winning the Super Bowl was like
Michael Strahan won the Super Bowl with the Giants in 2008, beating the New England Patriots 17-14 in one of the biggest upsets in sports history. While Tom Brady and company scratched their heads at the miraculous sequence of events that led to their defeat, including the "Helmet Catch," the Giants were celebrating.
Not only that, Strahan says it helped his public image and post-NFL career astronomically:
"I had a lot of relationships but it's something different when you walk in a room or are being introduced and it's like, Super Bowl champion, World Series champion, as Alex knows.
"It's like somebody walks in a room full of great actors and this is the Oscar winner. And that's what it's like when you win a Super Bowl. When you walk into a room, you bring back, if they're a Giants fan, an incredible memory from some point in their life, because that was in my opinion, probably the best Super Bowl ever played. ..."
"I just think that adding that little Super Bowl champion on to the end of your name or title card opens up so many more doors than just saying, 'Yeah, played for the Giants.'"
Given the importance the public puts on trophies, especially as a measuring stick of a player's career, Michael Strahan certainly has a point.