hef
Veteran
Athletes I want to see retire
John Gambadoro
Special for azcentral.com
May 9, 2003
Paul Kariya is the only player in the NHL top 20 in salary that is still playing in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Kariya, who makes $10 million this season, ranks fourth on the list of highest paid players ... As great as the playoffs have been, no Detroit, no Dallas and no Colorado means low television ratings and that is not good for the NHL. Former Coyote Cliff Ronning has been one of the leaders for the third-year Minnesota Wild, who happen to have the best young player in the league in Marian Gaborik ... If Patrick Roy does decide to hang 'em up, he is leaving the sport in very good hands as young goaltenders the likes of Jean-Sebastian Giguerre and Patrick Lalime have stepped up and become star players ...
Now that Michael Jordan is retired, David Robinson is soon to be retired, John Stockton is unofficially retired and Steve Kerr will be forced to retire, I have a list of players I would like to see follow suit and call it a career.
1) Rickey Henderson - He got his 3,000 hits; what more can he possibly want?
2) Mark Messier - It's ridiculous that he continues to play as his skills have deteriorated to an unacceptable level. But his big ego keeps him going. He hurts the Rangers more then he helps them.
3) Lennox Lewis - When his bout against Kirk Johnson gets pulled off pay-per-view, that's a sign that nobody is watching the heavyweights anymore.
4) Emmitt Smith - There is still time to give back the money and save your reputation Emmitt. Don't finish your career with the Bidwills, it just doesn't seem right.
5) Edgar Martinez - It's been a wonderful ride, but he's no longer the hitter he once was. And I can't wait to see if a DH will get into the Hall of Fame, so the sooner he retires the sooner we find out
6) Grant Hill - It's just not worth it anymore and he keeps hurting the Magic by attempting these comebacks. If he retires his contract, he gets paid by an insurance company and the Magic eventually will get salary cap relief.
7) John Franco - The Mets relief pitcher should have retired two years ago but he just can't leave the game. And injuries have taken a toll on him.
8) David Cone - Signed with the Mets this year, had one good game, and then got rocked. Should have stayed retired, but wants to get to win # 200.
9) Charles Oakley - He should have followed Patrick Ewing out the door but instead had his former teammate acting as one of his coaches in Washington this season. He has chased that elusive ring for what seems like ever, but he has little if anything left.
10) Reggie Miller - After that playoff performance, he might want to think about it. It became obviously clear in the playoffs that Miller wasn't the go-to-guy anymore. One of the greatest clutch playoff performers of all time, he couldn't even get looks.
The one player I don't want to see retire - Jesse Orosco. If he's still getting left-handed hitters out, I'd like to see him try to pitch until he's 50 ...
"Roll Tide Roll" has just taken on a new meaning and if I were Mike Price I'd live the rest of my life in relative obscurity so to not hear those words ever again ... The problem in Washington wasn't that all the players wanted to be like Mike, it was that all the players didn't like Mike ... Somehow I wouldn't be surprised if one of the people spending $280 for a pair of blue plastic seats from the soon-to-be-demolished Vets Stadium in Philadelphia is Curt Schilling ...What do we have to do to make Jose Canseco go away? The former Bash Brother is now saying that Alex Rodriguez told him he was being blackballed by the league. Hey, Jose - nobody cares ... The Michigan men's basketball program will be barred from post-season play next season due to violations during the 'Fab 5' era and I still don't understand why the current group of kids has to pay for their mistakes ... I can't believe that 400,000 people paid $49.95 to watch Oscar De la Hoya conduct what amounted to a sparring session against Yory Boy Campas ... After Maurice Cheeks saved that poor little girl from an embarrassing situation during the singing of the national anthem, did anyone really believe he could be the fall guy for the Blazers first-round ouster? That touching moment combined with three straight wins against the Mavericks may have saved his job. But somebody had to pay, so instead of Cheeks it was General Manager Bob Whitsitt, who resigned ... Tony Womack should think about demanding a trade because his days in Arizona are numbered and he's sitting the bench in a contract year.
thanx gambo you just moved past woody page to earn my #1 pick of which reporter should go to hell
John Gambadoro
Special for azcentral.com
May 9, 2003
Paul Kariya is the only player in the NHL top 20 in salary that is still playing in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Kariya, who makes $10 million this season, ranks fourth on the list of highest paid players ... As great as the playoffs have been, no Detroit, no Dallas and no Colorado means low television ratings and that is not good for the NHL. Former Coyote Cliff Ronning has been one of the leaders for the third-year Minnesota Wild, who happen to have the best young player in the league in Marian Gaborik ... If Patrick Roy does decide to hang 'em up, he is leaving the sport in very good hands as young goaltenders the likes of Jean-Sebastian Giguerre and Patrick Lalime have stepped up and become star players ...
Now that Michael Jordan is retired, David Robinson is soon to be retired, John Stockton is unofficially retired and Steve Kerr will be forced to retire, I have a list of players I would like to see follow suit and call it a career.
1) Rickey Henderson - He got his 3,000 hits; what more can he possibly want?
2) Mark Messier - It's ridiculous that he continues to play as his skills have deteriorated to an unacceptable level. But his big ego keeps him going. He hurts the Rangers more then he helps them.
3) Lennox Lewis - When his bout against Kirk Johnson gets pulled off pay-per-view, that's a sign that nobody is watching the heavyweights anymore.
4) Emmitt Smith - There is still time to give back the money and save your reputation Emmitt. Don't finish your career with the Bidwills, it just doesn't seem right.
5) Edgar Martinez - It's been a wonderful ride, but he's no longer the hitter he once was. And I can't wait to see if a DH will get into the Hall of Fame, so the sooner he retires the sooner we find out
6) Grant Hill - It's just not worth it anymore and he keeps hurting the Magic by attempting these comebacks. If he retires his contract, he gets paid by an insurance company and the Magic eventually will get salary cap relief.
7) John Franco - The Mets relief pitcher should have retired two years ago but he just can't leave the game. And injuries have taken a toll on him.
8) David Cone - Signed with the Mets this year, had one good game, and then got rocked. Should have stayed retired, but wants to get to win # 200.
9) Charles Oakley - He should have followed Patrick Ewing out the door but instead had his former teammate acting as one of his coaches in Washington this season. He has chased that elusive ring for what seems like ever, but he has little if anything left.
10) Reggie Miller - After that playoff performance, he might want to think about it. It became obviously clear in the playoffs that Miller wasn't the go-to-guy anymore. One of the greatest clutch playoff performers of all time, he couldn't even get looks.
The one player I don't want to see retire - Jesse Orosco. If he's still getting left-handed hitters out, I'd like to see him try to pitch until he's 50 ...
"Roll Tide Roll" has just taken on a new meaning and if I were Mike Price I'd live the rest of my life in relative obscurity so to not hear those words ever again ... The problem in Washington wasn't that all the players wanted to be like Mike, it was that all the players didn't like Mike ... Somehow I wouldn't be surprised if one of the people spending $280 for a pair of blue plastic seats from the soon-to-be-demolished Vets Stadium in Philadelphia is Curt Schilling ...What do we have to do to make Jose Canseco go away? The former Bash Brother is now saying that Alex Rodriguez told him he was being blackballed by the league. Hey, Jose - nobody cares ... The Michigan men's basketball program will be barred from post-season play next season due to violations during the 'Fab 5' era and I still don't understand why the current group of kids has to pay for their mistakes ... I can't believe that 400,000 people paid $49.95 to watch Oscar De la Hoya conduct what amounted to a sparring session against Yory Boy Campas ... After Maurice Cheeks saved that poor little girl from an embarrassing situation during the singing of the national anthem, did anyone really believe he could be the fall guy for the Blazers first-round ouster? That touching moment combined with three straight wins against the Mavericks may have saved his job. But somebody had to pay, so instead of Cheeks it was General Manager Bob Whitsitt, who resigned ... Tony Womack should think about demanding a trade because his days in Arizona are numbered and he's sitting the bench in a contract year.
thanx gambo you just moved past woody page to earn my #1 pick of which reporter should go to hell
