Long before he led the New England Patriots dynasty and won seven Super Bowl rings, Tom Brady nearly had a career in baseball.
American trading card company “Topps” imagined that alternate reality in a new ad for the release of special edition Bowman “Dream Draft Picks” Brady rookie baseball cards.
The NFL legend — widely considered football’s greatest player of all time — was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 18th round of the 1995 MLB draft as a catcher who batted left.
Brady ultimately declined the chance to play baseball and joined the University of Michigan Wolverines before charting out a Hall of Fame career in the NFL — but what if he hadn’t?
Sportswear manufacturer “Fanatics,” which owns Topps, released the cards as part of a larger #BradyDay promotion — which fell on Dec. 12 as a tribute to his iconic No. 12.
The ad, which Brady shared on social media, features fans in what appears to be a local Montreal bar called “Brady’s Brasserie” reminiscing on his Hall of Fame career with the Expos.
“You know why Tom Brady won seven rings? It wasn’t because of his game calling or his arm,” says a bartender in the ad.
“It was because of his hitting — 649 home runs, what a power hitter,” a fan chimed in, before another ordered two poutines with “extra Tommy.”
Expos greats Larry Walker, Pedro Martinez and Vladimir Guerrero Sr. also feature in the ad.
“That guy never let us lose,” said Walker of Brady.
“Except to the Giants,” added Martinez, a reference to both Brady’s two Super Bowl losses to the New York Giants and the San Francisco Giants of MLB.
The Expos, who were relocated to Washington, D.C., in 2004, also appear to still be in Quebec in Brady’s dream.
“Without him, they would have moved us out of Montreal,” said Walker, before Brady woke up from his dream at 12:12.
Brady was the last active Expos draft pick to retire from professional sports.