Aged to Perfection

In the sports world 40 has become the new 30. In a profession where 30 means over the hill and 40 means it is time to go many athletes are not willing to accept that rocking chair and retirement home just yet. Others want to prove that after many years in retirement they can still be an important part of any team.

Doing this caused many fans to think that these athletes are tarnishing their legacy by holding on to long. The Brett Favre saga for the past two years is perfect example. Bouncing back and forth between never wanting to play again, and coming out of retirement to play with a new team put a sour taste in the mouths of many who worshipped the ground that Favre used to walk on.

Fans now are replacing memories of great accomplishments Favre made with the headaches cause by Favre retiring every other month. The only thing Favre has been sure about in the past two years is that he is comfortable in his Wrangler jeans.

Another elderly quarterback talking comeback is Jeff George. The number one overall pick of 1990 announced wanting to return despite not playing in an NFL game since 2001. It seems tough to believe that the 41 year old can make a team now, but could do nothing better then be cut from a practice squad for the past eight years. Perhaps an eight year vacation will give him a fresh arm. If George is smart he will stay on the couch because only he and journalist Jason Whitlock believe he has a chance back in the NFL.

Over on the diamond another retiree has been on a mission to prove not only he can come out of retirement, but be as effective as ever. Pedro Martinez wants to show the baseball world that just because he has not been able to stay healthy for an entire season this decade does not mean that he should call it quits.

Despite shoulder and elbow problems Pedro still wants to prove that he can do it, and is getting a chance with the Phillies because of his decent stint with the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. The only problem for Pedro this year has not been father time, but Mother Nature, with two games rain delayed so far.

One of the more interesting stories involving a crafty veteran is Theo Fleury. Now 41 years old Fleury announced that he is clean, sober, and looking to play in the NHL for the first time since the 2002-2003 season. As if a 41 year old hockey player is not tough to sell, it did not get any easier when Claude Lemieux made the same attempt last year with the San Jose Sharks and scored one point in 19 games. It is also tough to believe Fleury is sober seeing how he made this announcement several times during his career.

Fleury has shown success as an owner of a concrete sealing business, and the partial owner of the Calgary Hitmen with Brett Hart and Joe Sakic. Fleury would be better off to follow the recent steps of Assistant General Manager Mark Messier and look into hockey from the executive standpoint.

Give them credit, these old athletes are tough, and are not just willing to be cast aside. But sometimes desire is just not enough to make any veteran athlete the same as they were in their prime. Just wait until Charles Barkley decides he wants to play basketball again.