Time Out for the Wide Out

After missing practice Monday for a "family emergency," the New York Giants are slapping Plaxico Burress with not only a fine but he has to sit out during a one game suspension to boot. While that may seem like a harsh penalty to some, (primarily Mr. Burress and his agent), the main issue was that Burress did not so much as give the organization a phone call. Rather, he did things his way.
"Plax is Plax, he does what he wants." Said Steve Smith.
Everyone knows that age old cliche about a certain vowel that's absent from team, so we won't repeat, but it goes without saying this is not the kind of impression to leave on your teammates. For lack of a better phrase, Smith said that Burress was unreliable and selfish. Burress is undoubtedly an immense assest to the team and last season he selflessly played with a beat up ankle. Also, unlike former teammate Jeremy Schockey, he does not bad mouth them during every waking moment.
However, he plays for Tom Coughlin. Nevermind that any coach or boss for that matter deserves call, he plays for Tom Coughlin. Tom Coughlin. There are 80 year-old catholic school nuns who are more flexible with rules than Coughlin. Is the severity of the punishment fair? That is hard to say, but when a player carries himself in a manner that is cavaliere, he most certainly deserves punishment. Benching also hurts him more than it does the Giants; he may be the star wide receiver, but there still is Smith, Amani Toomer and a few others. Players take notice, time out is still an option.

Hard Times in Ann Arbor

At 1-2 right now, it’s hard to remember the days when the Wolverines were a dominant force on the gridiron, let alone a national powerhouse. Going into last season, Lloyd Carr’s program was ranked as high as 5th in the nation by some publications. After a disappointing 0-2 start and an embarrassing loss to Appalachian State, the program seemed doomed. Although last year’s boys were able to turn things around a bit and gained a presence in the Big 10, Carr still stepped down and in came Rodriguez.

I am a die-hard Michigan fan and I like to think I bleed blue, but I have always had a soft spot for Big East football. With that in mind I was hopeful that the Big East’s most successful coach would be able to turn things around. While this may be a rebuilding year, the team is going to have a lot to work on during this off week. After finally settling on having Steven Threet start at quarterback Michigan will have some direction, but he’s still not one to catapult his team to a national ranking. While it is obvious Michigan is hurting with the loss of some key players, they still have to figure out away to compete in the Big 10.I cringe to think about how things will go down next week against Wisconsin. It seems Michigan is so far gone these days, that no one remembers how good they were three years ago, let alone a decade. This may be an off week, but let hopes it’s not an off season.

Retirement…A Tiring Ideal

Michael Jordan made it popular and Roger Clemens made it nauseating. This summer when Brett Favre announced his return nearly all of Green Bay was in upheaval. Someone who had a team built around him for over a decade had hung up his cleats only to put them, and it was as though the option was no longer there.

When athletes are so special that they are at the top of their game and they carry with them that certain mystique, it is hard to deny them the right to go out on their own terms. It does, however, become difficult when it affect the careers of their teammates and even the face of the game. In Green Bay, it had become Aaron Rodgers time, and while Favre will forever be revered by Packer fans, the organization and fans alike believed his time had come.

This past week, Tour de France legend Lance Armstrong announced he looks to be back for the 2009 race, peddling it out with his old racing team, Astana. Since Armstrong’s retirement, Astana has been banned from the race for resistance in efforts to clean up doping. While Astana’s 2009 fate is still uncertain, Armstrong has said he would go as far as to appeal to French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, to get his team back in the hunt. Armstrong, who last won in 2005, will undoubtedly be a contender to win the race next summer, but will that race be enough for him?

It is not up to a fan to decide when a player should or should not retire. Playing the game is not just the player’s career, but often the defining factor in his or her life. The problem is what become of the player when the game is about to change. For Favre, his team moved on and for Armstrong, his team got banned. With team sports, can one player so greatly command the scene? In these cases it is obviously not an issue of money. Maybe it is for glory or maybe it is for another record, but if it is for a genuine love for the game, then athletes have the right to keep on playing.

Yet despite this right, it is still selfish. Athletes cannot be forced into retirement, but they should know when to bow out gracefully. The face of their respective sports change and with that change comes a call for new talent, new fan fair, and a new icon. Both mean have done so much for their sports, but enough is enough. It’s time for new heroes, and all this indecision has grown quite tiring.