The R Word

There were two stories in sports yesterday that had to do with the 'R' word. Retirement.

They both took place in New York. Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina, who no one expected to win 20 games this past season, did just that, and has apparently decided it's time to hang up the spikes.

Former Packers quarterback Brett Favre, now playing for the Jets, was asked to talk about his future beyond 2008. He refused to do so, saying he doesn't know if he's going to play beyond this season, but that he also isn't thinking about anything other than this Sunday's game against the Titans.

What we have here is someone who knows the right way to exit stage left, and someone who clearly does not.

Look, this is not to say that Favre is supposed to address his future mid-season. But, instead of saying he doesn't know, he should have just said something to the effect of this. "Now's not the time to talk about my future. I'll make a decision shortly after this season comes to an end."

Instead, you got the usual Favre hemming and hawing. You could go to Vegas now and bet the house on another off-season of indecision. This is not a man who makes decisions easily. This is not a man who has shown the ability to stick to those decisions. Ultimately, his inability to make a decision and stick to it was why the Packers decided they needed to turn the page on The Favre Era.

Then there's the case of Mussina. After going 11-10 with a 5.15 ERA in 2007, most wrote Mussina off, figuring he was washed up. But the soon to be forty right hander turned it around in a big way in 2008, going 20-9 with an era of 3.37. He went from being an afterthought to a guy the Yankees wanted to have in the rotation next season. But, what the Yankees want, and what Mussina apparently wants are two different things.

According to reports Mussina has decided to retire. He's leaving money on the table, and he's calling it quits thirty wins short of the magical number of 300. There's a saying in show business. Always leave them wanting more. That's what Mike Mussina is doing.

Now, if only guys like Favre and Randy Johnson (who is five wins short of 300 and desperately trying to find a job somewhere) could look at what Mussina's doing and learn from it, then no one would take them to task.