Since my long-time colleague and fellow award-winning sports columnist Ken Willis has earned the lifetime pass for quite some time now, I have not descended into full Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction mode regarding his column about Ted Trent and the updating of Bethune-Cookman Athletics history.

This is a good thing for two reasons. 1) VP Lynn Thompson strongly discourages the use of profanity and 2) I'd look ridiculous in jheri curls.

But do allow me to retort.

Willis opined upon the local angle from Major League Baseball's decision to allow Negro League stats to be included in its all-time record book.  This makes Trent, who had the best curve ball of the 1930s, the first Bethune-Cookman player to make it to the highest level of professional sports. Willis even quoted me, another reason I've been relatively quiet … until now.  

Alas, this demotes our living legend and the embodiment of all things Bethune-Cookman athletics, Cy McClairen, to "only" being the first Wildcat to make it to the National Football League. More on that later.

Delighted I am that Trent's story – long relegated to museums and obscure baseball encyclopedias, is now reaching new audiences. What I'd really like to know is … is he entitled to a pension and if so, who gets it? That I will leave to the baseball scribes.

However, only seeing someone only as stats in a record book is failing them and failing ourselves. Context and perspective is key, perhaps even more so than chronological order.

Before Trent, you had Dick Lundy, who played for Cookman Institute prior to the 1923 merger of the two schools. Does it diminish Lundy, considered to be of the Negro League's top three shortstops? Absolutely not.

Does this diminish Stan Jefferson being the first modern Wildcat to make the show as well as the first Wildcat to be selected in the opening round of the draft? Especially with his post baseball career including his service as a New York Police Department first responder on 9/11? Absolutely not.

What about other major leaguers – Carl Fuller as the first Wildcat in the ABA/NBA, Willie Mack III on the PGA Tour or Joel Redhead the first Olympian? Nope.

Then you have Amber Jackson (softball) or Hazel Ortiz-Rosado (volleyball). For that matter, any Wildcat who has had a chance to compete at the next level has a story worthy to be told.

As for Cy McClairen … well, this would be the part where I would strike with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brother(s).

Let's not mince any words.

Cy McClairen is the GOAT.

Has been.

Still is.

Will always be.

Even in the next life when Jesus is tossing the coin at the all-time Florida Blue Florida Classic followed by Cy torching Jake Gaither's secondary on ropes from Bobby Frazier and/or Bernard Hawk and/or Allen Suber. (Congrats on the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Hall of Fame induction, Allen!)

I am, though, looking forward to see Trent paint the corner and sit Vince Coleman down looking as Trent three-hits all-time FAMU when he gets the ball in the all-time baseball series.

One more time.

Cy McClairen is the GOAT.

The [censored] GOAT

Yeah, I know, Lynn. I know.