Post by Boxing World Online on Oct 31, 2023 12:23:41 GMT -6
Our reporter steps into the Man In The Hat's office at Front Street as the latter is getting ready to head over to the Asylum for tonight's card.
Man In The Hat: "What's happenin', son? See you over there in a bit..."
Reporter: "I have a question, Wiz. About. You know. Did she hang on too long?"
Man In The Hat: "Son, every single top athlete in every sport walks this line. When is too long? When is not long enough? Jim Brown. He retired at 29 years old, at the peak of his abilities. He was the freakin' MVP of the LEAGUE in his last season. Barry Sanders was 30. He was All Pro his last season and MVP of the League the year before. Still at the peak of his powers. Calvin Johnson. 30. Peak of his powers. Twelve hundred receiving yards and a Pro Bowl his last year. Did those guys go at the right time? Fans didn't think so. They knew all three had a lot left. But, it was the right time for them. Willie Mays hit .211 his last year as a part-time player with the Mets. He was 42. Brooks Robinson retired mid-season at age 40 hitting .149. He'd hit .201 and .211 the previous two seasons. John Unitas retired at 40 playing in San Diego with a quarterback rating HALF his career number. Did those guys hang on too long? Some of the fans thought so, because they weren't the players they had been anymore...weren't even GOOD players anymore, let alone the first-ballot Hall of Famers they had been. But, it was the right time for them..."
Reporter: "I'm not sure where you're going with this..."
Man In The Hat: "Like I said, every single top athlete walks this line. Top. Because, for the average or below average ones, there's no line to walk. At some point, the phone just stops ringin'. Nobody calls. Nobody wants you. There's no ceremony, no press conference. You just STOP because you have to. But. For the top level athletes, well. They have to make the call. And, it ain't always easy to make. Remember back when, every year, Brett Favre would talk about retirin' at the end of the season? And, then, when training camp rolled around, he'd be back?"
Reporter (smiling): "Who could forget?"
Man In The Hat: "Let me break that down for you...psychologically. At the end of the season, you're spent, beaten up, disappointed, tired of it all. You've been grindin' since July and now it's January. You're just TIRED. So, you're thinkin' about the offseason and thinkin' that maybe you'll just make that permanent now. Maybe you don't wanna DO this anymore. But. Time passes. February and March and April and May and now it's June and it's the rhythm of your life. It's summer and when you hit the middle of summer, well, for your whole life, since you were a little kid, it was time to start gettin' ready for the new season. It's all you know. It's all you've ever done. And, you also know that if you don't do it this time, you'll NEVER DO IT AGAIN..."
Reporter (nodding): "Right..."
Man In The Hat: "You only GET so many years to play baseball or football or compete in ANY sport. You're lucky, you'll get DECADES to be retired from it. But, to actually play? It's not like so many other professions. You write books and you get tired of that grind and say, 'That's it. I'm not doin' this anymore.' And, for five years or so, you don't. Then, you think, 'Well, I had this idea...maybe I'll write another book.' You can DO that. But, you're 35 playin' in the NFL and you walk away, five years later, you're 40. The window has closed. You're done. So, it's a tough decision to make. And, for most athletes, they put it off as long as they can. The sport is what they DO, and, in a lot of cases, it's what they ARE."
Reporter: "So..."
Man In The Hat: "So. You keep going, because you love it and you know some day it will all end and you don't want to look back on it and say, 'I could have had four or five more years'. So. You keep goin'. And, one day, after you've HAD those four or five years, well. You make a decision. And, it's one of the hardest decisions you'll ever make. Who are WE to say it's right or wrong? Who are WE, mere mortals, son, to say Willie Mays should have retired earlier or Jim Brown should have played longer? Who are WE? Nobody. That's who. You're an athlete at that level, you've worked ridiculously hard to get there...and you've EARNED the right to make the call. Too soon? Too long? Not for the likes of US to say, son. Now. See you at Asylum."
Man In The Hat: "What's happenin', son? See you over there in a bit..."
Reporter: "I have a question, Wiz. About. You know. Did she hang on too long?"
Man In The Hat: "Son, every single top athlete in every sport walks this line. When is too long? When is not long enough? Jim Brown. He retired at 29 years old, at the peak of his abilities. He was the freakin' MVP of the LEAGUE in his last season. Barry Sanders was 30. He was All Pro his last season and MVP of the League the year before. Still at the peak of his powers. Calvin Johnson. 30. Peak of his powers. Twelve hundred receiving yards and a Pro Bowl his last year. Did those guys go at the right time? Fans didn't think so. They knew all three had a lot left. But, it was the right time for them. Willie Mays hit .211 his last year as a part-time player with the Mets. He was 42. Brooks Robinson retired mid-season at age 40 hitting .149. He'd hit .201 and .211 the previous two seasons. John Unitas retired at 40 playing in San Diego with a quarterback rating HALF his career number. Did those guys hang on too long? Some of the fans thought so, because they weren't the players they had been anymore...weren't even GOOD players anymore, let alone the first-ballot Hall of Famers they had been. But, it was the right time for them..."
Reporter: "I'm not sure where you're going with this..."
Man In The Hat: "Like I said, every single top athlete walks this line. Top. Because, for the average or below average ones, there's no line to walk. At some point, the phone just stops ringin'. Nobody calls. Nobody wants you. There's no ceremony, no press conference. You just STOP because you have to. But. For the top level athletes, well. They have to make the call. And, it ain't always easy to make. Remember back when, every year, Brett Favre would talk about retirin' at the end of the season? And, then, when training camp rolled around, he'd be back?"
Reporter (smiling): "Who could forget?"
Man In The Hat: "Let me break that down for you...psychologically. At the end of the season, you're spent, beaten up, disappointed, tired of it all. You've been grindin' since July and now it's January. You're just TIRED. So, you're thinkin' about the offseason and thinkin' that maybe you'll just make that permanent now. Maybe you don't wanna DO this anymore. But. Time passes. February and March and April and May and now it's June and it's the rhythm of your life. It's summer and when you hit the middle of summer, well, for your whole life, since you were a little kid, it was time to start gettin' ready for the new season. It's all you know. It's all you've ever done. And, you also know that if you don't do it this time, you'll NEVER DO IT AGAIN..."
Reporter (nodding): "Right..."
Man In The Hat: "You only GET so many years to play baseball or football or compete in ANY sport. You're lucky, you'll get DECADES to be retired from it. But, to actually play? It's not like so many other professions. You write books and you get tired of that grind and say, 'That's it. I'm not doin' this anymore.' And, for five years or so, you don't. Then, you think, 'Well, I had this idea...maybe I'll write another book.' You can DO that. But, you're 35 playin' in the NFL and you walk away, five years later, you're 40. The window has closed. You're done. So, it's a tough decision to make. And, for most athletes, they put it off as long as they can. The sport is what they DO, and, in a lot of cases, it's what they ARE."
Reporter: "So..."
Man In The Hat: "So. You keep going, because you love it and you know some day it will all end and you don't want to look back on it and say, 'I could have had four or five more years'. So. You keep goin'. And, one day, after you've HAD those four or five years, well. You make a decision. And, it's one of the hardest decisions you'll ever make. Who are WE to say it's right or wrong? Who are WE, mere mortals, son, to say Willie Mays should have retired earlier or Jim Brown should have played longer? Who are WE? Nobody. That's who. You're an athlete at that level, you've worked ridiculously hard to get there...and you've EARNED the right to make the call. Too soon? Too long? Not for the likes of US to say, son. Now. See you at Asylum."