2018 Tom M-F&^%$ing Brady: Still Proving It

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Papelbon's Poutine

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I don't give a shit whether it has legs, and didn't say it would.

I simply said I think it's a mistake.
Honest question - why?

I don’t see anything in the article but does Seaver have any kind of copyright on it? Because otherwise (no offense meant here) if you said ‘Tom Terrific’ to anyone under, I dunno, 50 (?) years old, they have no idea they called him Tom Terrific or at very least don’t care. It’s not exactly ‘The Great One’ or ‘Air Something’.
 

E5 Yaz

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Honest question - why?

I don’t see anything in the article but does Seaver have any kind of copyright on it? Because otherwise (no offense meant here) if you said ‘Tom Terrific’ to anyone under, I dunno, 50 (?) years old, they have no idea they called him Tom Terrific or at very least don’t care. It’s not exactly ‘The Great One’ or ‘Air Something’.
I guess it is partially an an age thing. I hear "Tom Terrific" and I only think about Seaver; so, perhaps outside of people in my age range, baseball fans, and those in New York, I doubt it would have any resonance. With Seaver's degenerating illness, though, it just adds a layer of icky optics to the situation.

In general, though, I've never been a fan of players or teams trademarking phrases to apply to themselves, particularly if those phrases or nicknames already have associations with others.

Each to their own. Like I said, it just seems like a rare mistake (to me) on his part
 

Jimbodandy

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I guess it is partially an an age thing. I hear "Tom Terrific" and I only think about Seaver; so, perhaps outside of people in my age range, baseball fans, and those in New York, I doubt it would have any resonance. With Seaver's degenerating illness, though, it just adds a layer of icky optics to the situation.

In general, though, I've never been a fan of players or teams trademarking phrases to apply to themselves, particularly if those phrases or nicknames already have associations with others.

Each to their own. Like I said, it just seems like a rare mistake (to me) on his part
It's tacky in general. It's worse with a sick Seaver, which I didn't know about or forgot. It's small potatoes, but unnecessary bad optics.

On the plus side, it does tweak a shitload of New Yorkers.
 

Anthologos

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I agree with the other old guys. It is a Johnny come lately approach to a fairly anodyne moniker, it seems tacky in general (to me) to trademark unoriginal nicknames, and it is especially gauche given Seaver's family's announcement in March. Small potatoes indeed, but...still a bad look. I love Brady, but he should have his people call this one off, imho.
 

bsj

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Early 40s here, never even knew Tom Terrific was associated with Seaver. He probably should have trademarked it himself. Frankly, I dont care if NY hates him more (although given the uproar, justified or not, I suspect they pull the filing).
 

Papelbon's Poutine

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Not a great look ripping off a guy with Alzheimers.

Maybe next year he can go for "3-peat"

fuck Pat Riley, but leave Seaver be.
Riley copyrighted it, that would be kinda dumb, but sure.

I’ll be 40 by end of year. I don’t think I’d ever heard of Tom Seaver being called that, never associated it with him and didn’t know he was sick. Despite being a pretty big sports fan I’d have thought nothing of it.

Brady has been called that for a while now by mainstream media. It’s a generational thing to get upset, but as noted, to each their own and it’s just mho. Brady isn’t selling to (again, no offense meant) the generation that finds it offensive and it’s not like he’s trying to jump on an icon; I highly doubt even he knew Seaver has Alzheimer’s. The tacky part is on the Mets for making it anything to begin with but to each their own.
 

bankshot1

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Riley copyrighted it, that would be kinda dumb, but sure.

I’ll be 40 by end of year. I don’t think I’d ever heard of Tom Seaver being called that, never associated it with him and didn’t know he was sick. Despite being a pretty big sports fan I’d have thought nothing of it.

Brady has been called that for a while now by mainstream media. It’s a generational thing to get upset, but as noted, to each their own and it’s just mho. Brady isn’t selling to (again, no offense meant) the generation that finds it offensive and it’s not like he’s trying to jump on an icon; I highly doubt even he knew Seaver has Alzheimer’s. The tacky part is on the Mets for making it anything to begin with but to each their own.
Well seeing that Tom "Terrrific" Seaver hasn't pitched for the Mets in about 43 years, its not surprising that you are not familiar with the nick-name he earned on the playing fields of Shea. But it was clearly his nick-name.

And i was being facetious about Pat Riley and 3-peat, except for the "fuck him" part.

The TMing the 3-peat was a dick-move/money grab by Riley.

Now, that was tacky.

I'm surprised Brady;s global marketing team didn't do their homework and they inadvertantly got themselves into a pissing match with a guy who's dieing of a terrible disease.

Maybe TB/Terrific will donate some of the T-shirt sales to Alzheimer research.
 

h8mfy

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I started out as a Mets fan and even as a kid thought Tom Terrific was a kind of lame nickname for Seaver, in a “granted by the teacher” sort of way.

If I ever heard TB called Tom Terrific I can’t really remember it but I’m sure I’d have seen it as a Seaver reference, and even if it didn’t connote Seaver, it isn’t a natural nickname and kind of undersells Brady at this point in his GOATdom.
 

FormerLurker

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For whatever it may be worth, while baseball does have a history of prosaic alliterative nicknames (Rapid Robert, Hammering Hank), Tom Terrific was originally supposed to be an allusion to a now-forgotten cartoon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Terrific. I would definitely think of it as Seaver's nickname, although I looked up his Hall of Fame plaque and it is not listed there. So who knows to what degree Seaver himself was really attached to it. I think I may have heard the more cutesy sportscasters occasionally use it to describe Brady, but not frequently.
 

joe dokes

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Early 40s here, never even knew Tom Terrific was associated with Seaver. He probably should have trademarked it himself. Frankly, I dont care if NY hates him more (although given the uproar, justified or not, I suspect they pull the filing).
I think trademarking one's own nickname is a fairly recent phenomenon. (Although I havent researched the say hey kid or splendid splinter.)

And tbh, I dont recall hearing Brady referred to that way very often. I dont where the line is, but at 58, I've associated Tom Terrific with Seaver since as far back as the early 70s.
 

Plantiers Wart

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I’ve never heard Brady referred to as Tom Terrific. Ever. TB12, sure. The GOAT, absolutely. Never Tom Terrific. Seaver? Yes. That was his nickname, as lame as it is.

It reminds me a bit of George Costanza trying to claim TBone as a moniker and getting stuck with Coco.

In the end, it doesn’t matter. Met fans are pissed and rightfully so.
 

lexrageorge

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I remember Seaver's brief stay with the Red Sox in 1986, and he was still sometimes referred to as Tom Terrific.

It does seem as if Brady's highy-paid PR team whiffed on this one.
 

bankshot1

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TB12 should say he was unaware of the Seaver connection, meant no disrespect to the HoF pitcher, an all-time great, send his prayers to Seaver and his family, yada, yada, yada and move on .

Besides "Hondo" just opened up and if his marketing and branding team acts fast enough...
 

EvilEmpire

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You guys should ask @TomTerrific for a ruling. He's a reasonable sort.


Edit: Though he might not be when Brady's legal team sends him a cease and desist letter...
 

snowmanny

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I’m old and you ask me who Tom Terrific is I’ll say Seaver. But I’ve heard Brady called Tom Terrific many times, although I thought it was a little stupid because Seaver and because not very creative.

I assume the income Brady would make off this trademark is relatively negligible to him, but if Seaver or his reps really wanted the trademark for income or legacy they had nearly fifty years to do something about it besides wait for a more famous athlete named Tom to stroll on the scene and claim the moniker
 

TomTerrific

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You guys should ask @TomTerrific for a ruling. He's a reasonable sort.


Edit: Though he might not be when Brady's legal team sends him a cease and desist letter...
Not on this topic I'm not. Seaver was my first sports hero growing up in upstate NY and being a Jets/Mets fan. When I settled in Boston and transitioned to the Red Sox in the mid-80's, having Seaver join them eased that transition. (Still wish he had been able to complete the 86 season and pitch for them in the WS, that would have been beyond awesome.)

I think Brady is being stupid and grasping here. There are far, far more references to Seaver as Tom Terrific than there ever were for Brady (though in fairness I have seen him referred to as that on a few occasions, though only by the media). Add to that the fact that Seaver has it by right of precedent. Also, while Seaver may not quite have the same stature as Brady when comparing across sports, he's a legit HoF and, like Brady, lead a previous laughingstock team to an iconic Championship early in his career.

When I first joined the site in 2004 I actually liked the fact that TomTerrific had this sort of double entendre thing going with Seaver and Brady. Now I'm pissed.
 

Jimbodandy

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Only on SoSH could a TB12 sploogefest turn into a Tom Seaver thread.

All we need now is a renowned trademark lawyer weighing in and at least one conspiracy theory/persecution complex regarding the nickname thing, and we're good to go.
 
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DJnVa

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I'm willing to bet Tom Brady has around 0% to do with this filing.

And everyone get off this thread's lawn.
 

reggiecleveland

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As an aside it is amazing to me how many of the hyped up "faces of baseball" when I began follwoing the psort in the 70s have fallen out of the public consciousness. Steve Garvy. Pete Rose, Tom Seaver were the faces of baseball. I suppose the information revolution has made playing in New York or LA less important, but if you read baseball magazines, the Sporting News (which was all a kid in Canada could do as a fan then) Seaver and Garvey were untouchables. "Tom Terrific" was used in virtually any reference to Seaver other than boxscores. To imagine the Hype imagine if Jeter really was the best player for in the game for 4 years and the best at his position over a decade or more.

This is a miscalculation from Brady;s crew.
 

Super Nomario

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As an aside it is amazing to me how many of the hyped up "faces of baseball" when I began follwoing the psort in the 70s have fallen out of the public consciousness. Steve Garvy. Pete Rose, Tom Seaver were the faces of baseball. I suppose the information revolution has made playing in New York or LA less important, but if you read baseball magazines, the Sporting News (which was all a kid in Canada could do as a fan then) Seaver and Garvey were untouchables. "Tom Terrific" was used in virtually any reference to Seaver other than boxscores. To imagine the Hype imagine if Jeter really was the best player for in the game for 4 years and the best at his position over a decade or more.
My dude, I have some shocking news for you about what year it is presently ...
 

drbretto

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I for one am definitely not upset by any means. But it's still a dumb thing to do. It'd be like if Mike Trout tried to TM The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived.
 

Mugsy's Jock

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There was a time the Mets and their fans were pretty cool... the sad sack pre-championship years (I'm not old enough to remember those), and the subsequent years from the Miracle Mets through 6/15/77 -- when the Mets front office succumbed to pressure from execrable Daily News columnist Dick Young to run Tom Seaver out of town. Since that moment, the Mets and their fans have been appalling or worse.

During during the Seaver years, he was sublime. Seaver was fantastic on and off the field (I was beyond psyched when the Sox acquired him) and was referred to as "Tom Terrific" as often as David Ortiz was referred to as "Big Papi". Brady was born a few weeks after the Midnight Massacre sent Seaver away from the Mets, but I gotta believe as a baseball player and fan he was aware of the nickname.

I wouldn't say I'm upset, and I definitely blame TB12's marketing department for this clumsy move moreso than the man himself, but yeah he should step back. Quickly.
 

RIFan

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I've never associated "Tom Terrific" with Brady. I don't recall him ever referred to that way either. The only guy I've ever heard it associated with is Seaver. Here is an article from 1972 about Seaver.
TOM TERRIFIC AND HIS MYSTIC TALENT There is no reason for Brady to pursue this.
 

InstaFace

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And tbh, I dont recall hearing Brady referred to that way very often.
I’ve never heard Brady referred to as Tom Terrific. Ever. TB12, sure. The GOAT, absolutely. Never Tom Terrific. Seaver? Yes. That was his nickname, as lame as it is.
I've never associated "Tom Terrific" with Brady. I don't recall him ever referred to that way either. The only guy I've ever heard it associated with is Seaver.
It's been at least a decade:

To be fair, I've never heard a fan say it, only announcers looking for something pseudo-witty.
 

Papelbon's Poutine

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This thread has literally been awesome since this, in a morbid kind of way, albeit; but nonetheless, fantastically entertaining.

Y'all realize that when Seaver was relevant, we wouldn't have even known about this because the Mets wouldn't have made a public stink, right?

And the posts on "I've never heard him referred to as Tom Terrific" are so illustrative of the point...it's been on ESPN or sports talk or relevant outlets for a long time. If Brady deserves to get knocked on something, knock him on his "concussion water" crap. This is a nothing burger.

Also, I get he's got more money than he can ever spend between him and his wife, but I'd love to see one of you in his position say "Hey, before we do this, let's go back 50 years, pull up the microfiche, see if anyone was known under that nickname, check his health currently and with the team he played for, I don't want to look bad to the generation my marketing team isn't targeting."

 

sonofgodcf

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If anything, this is just another data point on how great Brady truly is. Not only is he going to own pretty much every record possible and win a ton of championships, now he's after the nicknames of hall of famer's of any sport. The Black Mamba, The Great One, The Nigerian Nightmare - Brady is coming for all of the titles.
 

BornToRun

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It seems to be pissing some people off so I’m loving it. Let the New Yorkers cry that the evil Brady is insensitively stealing an ailing legend’s monicker as if he’s twirling his mustache and cackling while doing so. Probably not great optics given Seaver’s condition, but it’s hard for me to have a real issue with something that gets the “Tom Brady is the Devil” crowd up in arms because it’s very amusing when it happens.
 

RIFan

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Also, I get he's got more money than he can ever spend between him and his wife, but I'd love to see one of you in his position say "Hey, before we do this, let's go back 50 years, pull up the microfiche, see if anyone was known under that nickname, check his health currently and with the team he played for, I don't want to look bad to the generation my marketing team isn't targeting."
You're right Brady applying for a trademark really isn't a big deal, but this is really an awful take especially on a baseball centric board. Seaver wasn't some obscure player and he was relevant in what really isn't the distant past. On the actual business side of this, yes most people who intend to register for a trademark would actually do a tiny bit of research to see if there were potential issues with getting the trademark granted. The red flags on getting this approved are obvious and Brady deserves every bit of crap he's getting if for no other reason than employing whoever greenlit the application without anticipating the potential reaction.
 

Ralphwiggum

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Is he getting crap? I haven't heard of this story anywhere except in this thread.

Anyway, if it pisses of Mets and Jets fans, all the better. It's a fucking nickname, who gives a shit?
 

reggiecleveland

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If he does this he needs to go all out.
I would like to see Brady take ownership of Mr. October, The comeback kid, Mr. Clutch, "Magic" as a first name, Broadway Joe, the Bambino, Rocket Roger, and Rocket Ismael,
 

troparra

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Is he getting crap? I haven't heard of this story anywhere except in this thread.

Anyway, if it pisses of Mets and Jets fans, all the better. It's a fucking nickname, who gives a shit?
Chris Russo criticized Brady last night on his XM show.
This could be a big deal if the older than dirt crowd in NYC, who still talks about Willis Reed's return to the game as if it happened yesterday, decides to take it up as a cause.
 

DJnVa

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Well, if we take Brady's explanation as the truth, then he won't be monetizing it, so perhaps this long sordid thread discussion can die.
 

Mystic Merlin

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‘TB12 disrespects Tom Seaver as he falls off a cliff’ is an interesting twist on the media narrative for 2019.

Has anyone checked if Tom Seaver takes as much umbrage at this as Boomer Esiason does?
 

snowmanny

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He should just trademark it and then license it out to Seaver for $1. Based on my extensive knowledge of copyright law I believe this is the best approach.

Edit: I should have said “the extent of my knowledge” instead of “my extensive knowledge”

Edit2: to clarify, that is none
 
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