Michael Ventre

Declaring one’s independence can be tricky. It means being willing to exit a comfort zone and take a bold step forward. It requires determination and courage. It indicates a desire for change. Most of all, it demands freedom.

Americans celebrate Independence Day on July 4 to recognize the adoption in 1776 of the Declaration of Independence, which basically told Great Britain to step off. It wasn’t that easy, of course. There was a long war, lots of muskets, men in wigs, and a weaning off of bad English cuisine. A lot of tea was wasted, and we pretty much cut all claims to a nation that would eventually produce the Beatles and offer national health care for all.

But we did it. And it worked out, for the most part. Oh, we’ve had the occasional massive screw-up, but who hasn’t? Generally speaking, when we stuff our faces with hamburgers and hot dogs, guzzle beer and blow off firecrackers on the holiday, we do so out of a sense of triumph.

Establishing independence isn’t just reserved for nations like ours. An argument could be made that many in the sports world have done so also, to varying degrees of success. It may have come out of a sense of kinship with our great nation, or it could have been a total accident. Either way, an independent spirit is to be honored, even if it belongs to somebody who makes way more money than you.

Below is a list of 10 individuals in sports who have asserted their independence. Blow off a small firecracker in honor of each, legally and safely. If you don’t have firecrackers, fill up a paper bag with air and pop it. That’s what the founding fathers did because taxes on fireworks were so high:

Baron Davis
He could have remained at Golden State and continued to be benched by Don Nelson. Instead, he stood proudly, said, “I want to play, and I want $65 million over five years,” and signed with the Los Angeles Clippers. He is also a film producer, so his independent streak could extend to indie films – unless he gets shoved out of a movie deal by unscrupulous Hollywood moguls who would make Nelson’s benching seem like a gesture of appreciation by comparison.

Eli Manning
There was no sense of independence in Eli before last January. Up until that point, he was assigned the role of Peyton’s little brother, and he was scheduled to remain there indefinitely. Instead, he played some great football in leading the Giants to a shocking Super Bowl victory. Eli achieved his independence at the expense of guys who named themselves after the very men who attained independence for the U.S., although I don’t think he’s enough of an independent thinker to have planned it that way.

Andrew Friedman
The general manager of the Tampa Bay Rays established his independence this season by overseeing a remarkable construction project. He took over the team after the 2005 season and has lived in the shadow of more fabled baseball men in his division like Theo Epstein of the Red Sox and Brian Cashman of the Yankees. But now his Rays are in first place above the big boys. It’s a stretch to call him the George Washington of Major League Baseball. Yet it’s not farfetched to describe him as the George Washington of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Hank Steinbrenner
His father was born on July 4, 1930. He ran the Yankees with an iron fist, until arthritis set in. Then Hank was elevated to take over the club. Since then, Hank has stepped up and established a reputation of his own as a cantankerous sort, railing against Red Sox Nation, Joe Torre and most recently the team’s anemic offense. I’m sure when the two get together, the old man gushes, “Like father, like son.” But it takes a true independent streak to establish a reputation of your own as the biggest blowhard in baseball.

Kobe Bryant
He may have had the most difficult challenge of all independence-minded sports figures. When he came into the league, he was immediately compared to Michael Jordan. Kobe, of course, wanted to be the best Kobe Bryant he could be rather than the next MJ. And it worked. Kobe has only three rings, Michael has six. Also, Kobe was charged with sexual assault, carried on an ongoing feud with Shaq, helped run Shaq and Phil Jackson out of town, blasted Lakers management in the spring of 2007 while demanding a trade, and disappeared at key moments of the 2008 NBA Finals. Truly, he has asserted his independence.

Rick Dutrow Jr.
Horse racing needed a savior. Big Brown was a prime candidate. And Dutrow bucked tradition to create as much interest as possible in his horse. After Big Brown won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, Dutrow said winning the Belmont and completing the Triple Crown would be a foregone conclusion. It wasn’t. Big Brown finished last. Since no horse has completed the task since Affirmed in 1978, it probably would have been prudent for a trainer in a position to do so to go low key. Instead, Dutrow showed some real independent thinking by making sure his fall would be spectacularly embarrassing.

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