Thursday, June 07, 2007

Make up your mind

Trade me, don’t trade me. I’m retiring, I’m not retiring. I’ll take the job, never mind.

Why does it seem like no one in sports can make up their mind?

Kobe Bryant, Brett Favre, Roger Clemens, Billy Donovan … you’re all guilty of this crime.

For most, the biggest thing is just keeping your thoughts to yourself and not sharing them with the media until you’ve made up your mind.

If I hear “this could be” Clemens’ last game here or Favre’s last game there, I’m going to punch something. For the past three years we’ve been hearing it about them, and I’m just plain sick of it. Now, when Favre finally does decide to retire, I’m not going to care — I’ll say “it’s about time.” As for Clemens, it’ll be more like: “Good riddance. Take your bloated contract and body back to Texas and get off my TV screen.”

Don’t get me wrong, taking a new job or retiring is a huge decision, and one that shouldn’t be taken lightly. So then don’t — talk about it with your family, make the decision together … and once you’ve made it, and here’s the really important part, and I can’t emphasize it enough: DON’T LOOK BACK.

See, that’s where Donovan made his mistake. He took what seemed to be a sweet job in Orlando, with a huge contract ($27.5 million over five years), and an up-and-coming team with a future superstar in Dwight Howard; he and his family could stay in Florida, and it seemed like he was leaving Gainesville right at the perfect time — when the key players of his two-time national championship team left for the NBA.

But Donovan looked back, and that was his slip-up.

That’s when we find problems: people try to move on, but they can’t let go of the past; they can’t stop comparing their new school or new job to their old one, their new boyfriend or girlfriend to their old one, and no matter what it was like at the time, as you get further and further away, it always seems like your past was better than it was.

Donovan’s time at Florida was spectacular, turning a program around, winning two national championships, and making basketball matter at a football school.

But Donovan will never be Urban Meyer — he’ll always be second fiddle to the Gators football coach. With the Magic, it would have just been him, he would have been “the man.”

Maybe he didn’t want that. The more he thought about it, the better he had it in the NCAA ranks. He could build a dynasty, be to Florida basketball what Joe Paterno is to Penn State football.

Sure, the money was better up in the NBA, but the whole not-having-job-security thing probably wore on a guy used to winning, and winning big.

But here’s the thing — now he’ll never know. He’ll never know if he could have made it as an NBA coach, or if he would have followed in his mentor Rick Pitino’s footsteps. He’ll stay safe, the second-biggest fish in a small pond, and he’ll be happy I’m sure.

Maybe staying at Florida, in the end, will be the best move for Donovan. But he made a commitment, signed a contract even, and he should stick to his word.

Now he’ll always wonder how he would have done. He couldn’t have asked for a much better opportunity than Orlando was asking him. Heck, 500 people bought season tickets when Donovan was announced as head coach, how often does that happen? Not very,

I can tell you that.

As for Kobe Bryant, he needs to keep his mouth shut to the public before he has an adult conversation with the Lakers management to decide where his future lies, with a trade to another team like he said he wanted last week on Stephen A. Smith’s radio show, then took back three hours later after actually talking with the Lakers. But I think that’s the problem with Kobe — he isn’t an adult, and his actions throughout his career have shown that.

Clemens, he just makes me mad. And not because he is on the Yankees, that really isn’t it — because he keeps teams in suspense until June, says he doesn’t have to show up on days he’s not pitching and doesn’t have to travel with the team if he isn’t scheduled to be on the mound ...  and this is the guy New York is paying $28 million for this season and saying will add much-needed “fire” to the clubhouse? What kind of fire can he light when he’s there twice a week?

He kept Houston willowing in the wind for two seasons, last year coming back and this year going to what he thought were “greener pastures.”

Retire already Roger, if you and your “tired groin” can’t make it through a month in the minors, how do you expect to go four months in the majors, against actual hitters?

Don’t get me started on Brett Favre. I know he’s beloved in Green Bay, and I know he was a great quarterback and didn’t want to retire after a horrible season. OK, so he played the 2006 season, and he played better. Hang ‘em up Brett, for the good of the franchise. Let Aaron Rodgers take over the job that is now his to take. You time is up, move on.

But most of all, to Favre, Kobe, Donovan and Clemens, just make up your mind, I’m begging you. Think long and hard about your decision, and then stick with it. You’re giving me whiplash from all the back-and-forth movement.’