In the classic ‘80s video game Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! (later known as simply Punch-Out!! after Mike Tyson lost his mind), our hero Little Mac battled his way through formidable foes like King Hippo, Bald Bull and Piston Honda (and the even more formidable second Piston Honda) en route to the ultimate title bout against Mike Tyson himself. By his side for the entire journey was his trusted coach, Doc Louis.
In addition to filling Mac’s head with inspirational words between rounds (who can forget “dance like a fly, bite like a mosquito!”), Doc was the one who told Mac the truth. After two fights in a row where Super Macho Man was just too super, Doc was the one who told Mac it was time to throw in the towel. Game over. A lot of professional athletes could use a man like Doc Louis in their lives.
Perhaps Doc would have told John Smoltz it was time to turn off the power button on the Nintendo that was his career before a humbling stint with the Red Sox. The 42-year-old Smoltz was cut loose by the Sox after going 2-5 with an 8.32 ERA in eight starts, following a 20-year Hall of Fame career with the Braves. This wasn’t enough to detour him from giving it one more shot with the Cardinals.
ESPN should add a channel to its lineup — ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, ESPN News and ESPN FAVRE, 24-hour coverage of the “will they or won’t they” drama between him and the Vikings all this summer. Once again, Brett Favre returns from retirement leaving sports fans to ask, “What is he thinking?”
But what is the harm? Favre isn’t ready to trade in the helmet and pads to wear his Wrangler jeans full-time, so why make him? He feels he still has a few more bullets in the chamber.
Last year, Patriots fans got to witness firsthand what was left in Favre’s arm in Foxborough. The veteran threw for 253 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Jets to a 34-31 overtime win in Week 11 to take sole possession of first place in the AFC East — eventually barring the Patriots from postseason play.
Apparently, he has been able to convince a few guys in Minnesota that he still has some games like that ahead of him, too, to the tune of millions of dollars.
Yes, some Cheeseheads will cringe at the sight of Favre in purple (although last year’s NFL interceptions leader will most likely throw one or two more touchdowns to a Packer before all is said and done). But this isn’t like Johnny Damon leaving the Red Sox to go play for the Yankees after years of saying he would never wear pinstripes. If Favre had his druthers, he would still have a locker at Lambeau Field. The same reason Packers fans will always love Favre is the same reason they aren’t going to hate him now — the guy would never say die.
Would Favre’s legacy have been more pure if he had ridden off into the sunset before putting on a Jets uniform? Will Favre’s last two seasons tarnish his previous 16 in Green Bay? Will Smoltz have to makes excuses for his lack of success on Yawkey Way during his induction speech in Cooperstown?
Of course not. And history is on their sides.
With 5.2 seconds left, Michael Jordan buried a 20-footer over Bryon Russell that gave the Bulls an 87-86 victory and their sixth championship in eight years. It was his last basket with the Bulls and a storybook ending to arguably the greatest career in the history of the NBA (arguably maybe only to guys from Boston who have blinders for green number 33s).
It would have been a Disney ending, but two seasons later, an older, slower Jordan returned to the hardwood in a Washington Wizards uniform. Averaging nearly 10 points less per game, Jordan retired for good after two mediocre seasons in our nation’s capital. Nobody’s even thought of MJ in a Wizards uniform in 10 years, but we all have seen that shot over Russell a hundred times on TV.
You can’t think of the Boston Bruins without thinking of No. 4. Yet an injury-ridden Bobby Orr didn’t finish his career in black and gold, but rather in Chicago for the Blackhawks.
The curse of the Bambino started when Babe Ruth left Boston for the Bronx, but few remember that Ruth actually ended his career back in the Commonwealth, playing 28 games for the Braves.
Broadway Joe Namath ended his career as far from Broadway as you could get, playing only four games in his final season with the Los Angeles Rams.
Willie Mays hung up a Mets jersey at the end of his career, as did Yogi Berra.
The Mailman, Karl Malone, didn’t call it quits until after a short layover in L.A. as a Laker.
Emmitt Smith left the heart of Texas to run for two years in Arizona.
O.J. Simpson will always be remembered as the greatest running back that ever played for the Bills (and, well, some other stuff too) but not for his last two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers.
What do all of these players have in common? They’re some of the greatest athletes to have ever played their respective sports, and what makes them so legendary might also be there biggest vice — they never give up, and they leave it all on the field.
Maybe they all could have used a Doc Louis to tell them their best years are in the past. Yet it is their drive to play hard till the final buzzer of their careers that makes these athletes inspirational.
For that reason, I look forward to seeing Favre wear purple this fall.
