It’s Time To Say Goodbye
When New York Giants running back Tiki Barber announced that this would be his final year of playing professional football he was meant with much criticism. Some people (ESPN’s Michael Irvin and Tom Jackson, to name two) even stated that his announcement would be a distraction to his team. Barber called them “idiots”, and I couldn’t agree more.
Who are we to say when and how professional athletes should retire. More often than not we see players staying in the game too long, which takes away from all of the great memories that they have provided us during their careers.
Jerry Rice stayed too long, as did Emmitt Smith and Michael Jordan. Tiki Barber refuses to go out like that.
Barber is a consummate professional. He not only plays hard every down and does everything in his power to help his team win, but he also keeps his nose clean off of the field and is one of the NFL’s greatest ambassadors to the game.
His success on the field has given him opportunities off of the field and we cannot fault the man for wanting to walk away from the game when he still can actually walk. He’s tired of getting KTFO-d every week, and I can’t blame him for wanting to get away from that. As the game gets more and more physical the career span of the NFL running back gets shorter and shorter. Barber was lucky to get his 10 years in, and now it’s time for him to go.
With that in mind here’s my list of six people (I couldn’t narrow it down to five) in sports that I wouldn’t mind following Barber down the path of retirement.
6. Terrell Owens: While Owens is no where near the end of his career, I think it is high time for him to high step it out of the NFL. His career is obviously on the decline, as he is considered now more of a distraction to a team than an asset. Of course, he still has the capability to put up monster numbers week in and week out, but it won’t be too long before his tiresome antics are no longer welcomed by any team in the NFL. He was booted out of San Francisco and Philadelphia and he has already overstayed his short time in Dallas. It’s time for T.O to G.O.
5. Roger Clemens: It seems like Clemens has been retiring and un-retiring for the past five years and frankly I am tired of it. When he first stated that “this was his last year,” he was pitching for the Yankees and in the World Series. During what was considered “his last game” he left the field after striking out his “final batter” to a standing ovation by everyone in the stadium. It truly was one of the few “goose bump” moments I have ever had while watching a game. And then he took that away.
He signed with his hometown Astros that next year, and then this year we were subjected to the “where will Roger go” talks for the first five months of baseball season. There is no doubt that these talks will continue heading in to next season as well.
You know where Clemens should go next year? Home.
4. Randy Johnson: I think it’s about time we stop calling Randy Johnson “the Big Unit” and start calling him, “the Big Shrinkage.” Johnson is now approaching 43-years-old and is still holding onto the fact that he was once the most dominating pitcher in baseball. What he doesn’t realize is that dominant pitchers in baseball don’t receive epidurals during the playoffs – pregnant women do. His back is about as strong as Jim Leyland’s lungs and he couldn’t make it through a season without injury if he tried. I say when you are receiving medication that pregnant women do it’s time to give it up, but hey, that’s just me.
3. Allen Iverson: Some people may actually disagree with this one, but hear me out anyway. In a way Iverson is a lot like Barber – save the great leadership and lack of off court problems – he is around the same age (31) and has taken around the same amount of abuse throughout his career. There is no other player in the NBA that plays as hard as A.I does, but that hard play has taken a toll on his fragile frame, and his body has already shown signs of wearing down. Iverson – like Barber – will leave the game without ever winning a championship, but if he leaves now, he may not need a wheelchair to do so. His gritty play will undoubtedly be missed, but he’ll still go down as one of the toughest 5-foot-11 guy ever to play the game.
2. Barry Bonds: If you ask me Bonds should have walked away two years ago when he was still a dominant player. In stead, we watched all of last year as everyone –MLB, the Feds, and the IRS – went after Bonds. He was a “steroid using, tax evading adulterer” who was a disgrace to the game of baseball. If he had retired before all that went down (which I assure you, he knew it was going to go down), the whole “steroid scandal” in baseball would be less of a focus, and improving the game to the public would be more of a focus.
Now, Bonds is less than 30 homeruns shy of breaking Hank Aaron’s homerun record and he is on his way to the American League where he can DH and shatter that record. While Bonds has yet to be convicted of any crime involving steroids or tax evasion, he is guilty of staying in the game too long, way past his prime. Do us all a favor Barry and just walk away now.
1. Brett Favre: Last year was Favre’s worst year in the NFL. His “gunslinger” mentality caused him to throw a career-high 29 interceptions and only 20 touchdowns. During most games it appeared as if Favre forgot that his team wore green and white, not whatever colors his opposition was wearing. He sucked and his team (the Green Bay Packers) sucked right along with him. The Packers ended the year with just four victories.
Favre “considered” retirement after last season, but the need to placate his ego brought him back for yet another season. In stead of doing the right thing and letting the Packers build for the future, Favre chose to keep on playing. On top of that, he stated that there was no way that he would help in the development of his successor, first round draft pick Aaron Rodgers. Now that’s what I call a team player.
This year the Packers are again awful. They will finish in last place yet again, and before it’s all said and done Favre’s numbers will look just like they did at the end of last year – more interceptions and fewer touchdowns.
Favre is most known for his consecutive games starting streak – which now stands at over 200 – but if he wasn’t as selfish as he is, he would have ended that streak at the end of last year and retained some sort of dignity.