Should Michael Jordan return to the NBA? This is a question that he seems to be toying with, even though he has said publicly that there is a 99.99 percent chance that he won't return.
I think that from a personal standpoint, there is no way MJ can lose. He is the greatest individual basketball player ever. The only time I ever saw him utterly fail on the basketball court was during the playoffs of the season he returned from his retirement-he had the ball stolen from him in the final minute when the Bulls were trailing. But every other time he has had to make a play to win the game it seems like he has. In today's game, Jordan would be as dominant as ever.
Also, a return to the game would fuel his competitive fire. On the SportsCentury that chronicled his career and life, there was an anecdote from one of Jordan's college teammates. Buzz Peterson, his mother and Jordan were playing a game of go fish, and Buzz caught Jordan cheating. Jordan had to win everything, not just basketball, but everything. There are stories of the gambling that took place in the Bulls locker room and team planes, and in every situation Jordan did whatever was necessary to win. Right now the team that he owns, the Washington Wizards, is terrible, and clearly it disturbs him to have such a bad team. His desire to win would only be satiated by returning to the game.
There is also speculation that Charles Barkley will make a return to the league and that he will play with Jordan on the Wizards. This would allow Barkley to leave the league on his own terms-his retirement was largely due to a knee injury in his final season. He would relish the opportunity to play with his good friend Jordan, and this would give him a shot at his first NBA Championship.
On the other hand, Jordan's return would have a negative impact on the league. Since he left the game the NBA has suffered because of the marketing strategy that they took during his time in the league. In the '80s and early '90s the NBA focused attention on players, not teams. Magic, Michael and Larry were the three big stars, and when the three of them retired, the league suffered.
While at first glance it seems like the NBA would receive a huge boost from the return of Jordan, I think that it would have a negative effect. The NBA needs to remove itself from the shadow of Jordan, and his return would not let them do so. Instantly, he would be one of the game's best players, and the league would again latch onto him and his success. When Jordan then left the game for a third time, the league would have to undergo another rebuilding process much like the one they are in now. It does not need that.
Ultimately, Jordan will return if it is in his best interests. He knows that he can be one of the best players in the game again-really, who could challenge him?-so the decision will not necessarily be based on the level of skill that he brings to the game. Jordan lives to win, and if this is the way that he can guarantee winning, he will return.
Rocket Roger rises to the top
As much as I despise Roger Clemens for turning his back on the Red Sox, I must acknowledge the level of excellence he has reached during his career.
In his last start, Clemens struck out five Athletics to move into the sixth spot on the all-time strikeout list. While he has no shot at breaking Nolan Ryan's record-he has approximately 2,000 more to go until he catches Ryan-he has already set the mark for the American League, and by the end of the year, it is likely that he will move into the fourth spot on the all-time list.
Clemens is also approaching the magical 300-win mark. With 263 wins in his career, it will take Clemens at least two more years to reach this goal, but he has not shown any signs of slowing down as he gets older. Clemens has always been one of the most talented pitchers in baseball, but it has been his work ethic that sets him apart. To put it mildly, Clemens is a nut when working out. Some of the drills that he does in the offseason are torturous, but he has clearly reaped the rewards of following such a rigorous program.
Clemens is a surefire first-ballot hall of famer. He has won more Cy Young awards, five, than any other player, has two World Series rings and has dominated all sorts of statistical categories. The only lapse in his career came in his last four years with the Red Sox-he went 40-39 over that stretch-but he has since returned to dominance. Clemens first came to prominence as a young gun on the Red Sox, but it is only now that he has joined the Yankees that he is reaching his career goals.
Life takes over
Sports often take disproportionately large roles in people's lives, and it is always a reality check when sports must be put on the back burner in someone's life. In the life of Marcus Camby, there are more important issues.
Last week, Camby received a phone call early in the morning telling him that his mother and sisters were being held hostage. Camby and the New York Knicks are in the midst of their first-round playoff series against the Toronto Raptors, and a situation like this is a major distraction-if it can be lightly shrugged off like that.
Camby has led a troubled life and is certainly no angel. He grew up in the projects of Hartford and went to the University of Massachusetts. At UMass, he led the basketball team to the Final Four and was named Player of the Year by most national publications. But after he left for the NBA it was discovered that he had received illegal benefits when he was being recruited and when he was at UMass, and the school was stripped of its Final Four finish-and the money that it had received for the finish. In the NBA, Camby has been a key player for the Knicks, but he hasn't approached the level of stardom that was expected of him.
Camby bought his mother and sister a house in posh western Connecticut, making a valiant attempt to take his family out of the ghetto and into a "safer" life. Unfortunately, a move like this couldn't provide protection for the Camby family.
Now, Camby must prepare for more playoff games, knowing that his family may not be safe and that his sister was sexually assaulted. This burden makes the task of preparing to play a basketball team look trivial, as it should.
Safety first
This past weekend a very strange twist occurred at a sporting event, and I applaud the decision-makers for making the right choice.
CART racing is one of two open-wheel racing leagues in the United States, and they are having trouble competing with the Indy Racing League. Last weekend the CART series was supposed to hold the Firehawk 600 at the Texas Motor Speedway, but it ended up canceling the race.
In practice runs, many of the drivers experienced dizziness due to excessive g-forces generated by the drivers on the track. The track in Texas has turns that are banked at 24 degrees, and when the drivers ride in excess of 230 miles per hour, as the CART cars are capable of, it put tremendous stress on the driver. Blood flow to the brain is impaired, and of the 25 drivers in the field for the race, only four of them did not report any side effects on their practice runs.
As it is, the CART series will walk away from this with a black eye, but it is much better than what could have happened. By canceling the race, the CART series not only saved themselves the possible embarrassment and ruin that a disastrous wreck would have caused them, they also stood up for the safety of their drivers. Financially, they will take a big hit if they do not end up rescheduling the race, but by protecting their drivers the CART series made the right choice.