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Would you have let Bucs middle linebacker Barrett Ruud walk?
this column was inspired by an angel. To be precise, an angel second class.
Clarence Odbody is the angel who takes Jimmy Stewart's character on a Christmas Eve tour of what the world would have looked like without him in It's a Wonderful Life.
That idea got me thinking about how different the sports world might be today if different decisions had been made in 2011.
So let's consider some possible versions of an alternate Tampa Bay this morning, but don't let Mr. Potter know.
The rays' signings of Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez
This one blew up in the team's face less than a week into the regular season. Ramirez tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug and retired while facing suspension.
Would you do it in hindsight?
Without a doubt. Andrew Friedman would not have signed one without the other, believing the Rays had to have both bats to contend.
As it turns out, Damon was enough. The Rays were stretched to the final inning of the final day of the regular season to get a playoff spot, and they wouldn't have gotten that far without Damon.
Ramirez was an utter bust, except for his role in bringing Damon to town.
The Bucs extend the contracts of coach Raheem Morris and gm Mark Dominik
The Glazers picked up the two-year option on Morris' contract a week after the 2010 season ended and then signed the general manager to a four-year extension just before the April draft.
Would you do it in hindsight?
Yes and no. The Morris deal may look like a mistake today, but it was a no-brainer in January. The Bucs were overachievers in 2010, and that is often a reflection of good coaching. At the time, Morris was looking like one of the hottest coaches in the league.
Dominik's extension is another story. There was no reason to extend his deal two years beyond the coach's. It's the mistake the Glazers made in 2008 when they re-signed Jon Gruden for four seasons instead of two. They've been paying ever since.
The Lightning invests in goalie Dwayne Roloson
On the first day of 2011, the Lightning dealt minor-league defenseman Ty Wishart to the Islanders for a then-41-year-old goaltender. They later re-signed the goalie to a one-year deal.
Would you do it in hindsight?
Getting Roloson for the final few months of the season was a sharp move. Counting on him again for the next season is looking more and more like a mistake.
Roloson — along with defenseman Eric Brewer, who was acquired a month later — changed Tampa Bay's fortunes and led to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final. Even if Wishart turns into a player — he's still in the minors at 23 — the move was worth it.
On the other hand, it now seems like wishful thinking to expect a 42-year-old Roloson to continue carrying a team with a shaky defense for an entire season.
The Bucs letting middle linebacker Barrett Ruud walk
After Ruud led the team in tackles for four consecutive seasons, the Bucs made virtually no effort to re-sign their defensive captain, and he went to Tennessee on a one-year deal.
Would you do it in hindsight?
No, no, no. And furthermore, no.
Ruud may not have been a Pro Bowl linebacker, but he was a steadying influence on a defense that was populated by a bunch of 23- and 24-year-olds. His departure is not the only reason the defense is having its worst season in 25 years, but it did have an impact.
Owner Stu Sternberg suggests the Rays will be vaporized
In the clubhouse following Tampa Bay's elimination from the playoffs, the Rays owner talked about the team's future in the market.
While answering direct questions, Sternberg suggests Major League Baseball will vaporize the franchise if a new stadium and revenue streams do not come in the near future.
Would you say it in hindsight?
Not then, not there, and not him.
Impassioned rhetoric is a part of every stadium debate, and so it is not unexpected. The question is whether it was the right messenger at the right moment.
Typically, team owners allow MLB officials to be the bad guys in this type of squabble. Sternberg, who should be celebrated for his incredible work with this franchise, instead set himself up as a villain regardless of whether you believe his message.
Other do-over possibilities
The Matt Garza trade? Absolutely. Drafting Adrian Clayborn and Da'Quan Bowers? Good moves. Giving Quincy Black a guaranteed $11.5 million? Yikes!
Paying Jim Leavitt $2.75 million to disappear? Necessary. Signing Steven Stamkos to a five-year, $37.5 million deal? Also necessary. Bringing Aqib Talib back after yet another accusation of violence off the field? Ridiculous.
Signing Wade Davis and Matt Moore to extensions? Smart and smarter. Starting Moore in Game 1 of the playoffs? Brilliant. Failing to get another bat for the Rays' lineup at the trade deadline? Regrettable.
I wrote in September that the Rays were probably not going to catch the Red Sox. A few days later, I suggested the 2011 Bucs might have the best offense in franchise history.
Turns out we all make decisions we end up regretting.
I suppose that's life. Isn't it wonderful?
Would you have invested in Lightning goalie Dwayne Roloson?
Would you have suggested the Rays will be vaporized, as Stu Sternberg did?
Would you have extended the deals of the Bucs' Raheem Morris and Mark Dominik?
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