Champagne moment v One drink too many

[Lillian Thomson]

A simple idea based on the current World Athletic Championships to discuss how great sportsmen/women have ended their careers. Mo Farrarh bowed out of track athletics with a silver which wasn't ideal but it wasn't a case of a sportsman going on going too long. He was a contender but just got beaten on the day. Usain Bolt was not in good shape and knew he might not have the fairy-tale ending unless things went his way. A bronze and failing to finish wasn't a good way to finish in major championships but wasn't the worst story ever.
Muhamad Ali of course is a perfect example of going on way too long. Neither of the Spinx fights should have happened but at least retiring after the second one would have been good ending. Instead he had the wretched fights with Holmes and Berbick.
You have the likes of Jimmy Connors who played on way past the time he was a contender. But it was because he enjoyed playing and he wasn't in any way delusional the way some boxers or other sportsman can be.
It's actually quite difficult to think of many perfect endings. Pete Sampras won the US Open in what turned out to be his last professional match. That wasn't specifically a plan. He started training again to prepare for one last Wimbledon having had a terrible 2nd Round defeat in the previous year but after half an hour decided he couldn't be bothered.

Only one rule. Bradman's last innings and Joe Calzaghe's nonsense of a career are not allowed to be mentioned.

 

[ripper868]

Bradman's Last Innings.

Thread broken.

 

[ripper868]

I don't buy into the 'going out on top' argument, my mum used to say that Hingis should just retire altoghether while she is winning...she was like 23 at the time. I think sportsfolks should play on as long as they feel able/bothered to.

Jaromir Jagr is a great example. Dude is 46, been playing in NHL for 27 years (28 pending being signed for the 17-18 season). He's nowhere near the peak of his powers anymore, but is still a contributer at the elite level. Why the **** should people have to step down just because they've 'won the lot'.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Zidane. Although depending on how you look at it it was also the best way to finish a career.

 

[social]

Adam Voges #bestsinceBradman

 

[Burgey]

Pricey and Crow. 86 GF.

 

[BoyBrumby]

To take the "one drink too many" all too literally I suppose the latter careers of Paul Gascoigne and Georgie Best are both cautionary tales. Both finished at the top level by their late twenties.

&, whilst not strictly a player at the time, the last season of Cloughie's tenure at Forest ended in relegation and the great man in somewhat reduced circumstances almost entirely due to the demon drink. As one wag remarked, "For Clough a double wasn't so much am ambition as a breakfast".

 

[Howe_zat]

Imran Khan won the world cup in his final pro game

 

[GIMH]

Steven Gerrard's final year at Liverpool goes into the several drinks too many and now hungover category.

From that slip, to a disastrous league season, a group stage exit from the CL, all culminating in a 6-1 defeat at Stoke to wrap his time at Liverpool up.

Granted he went to play for LA Galaxy but that barely counts.

 

[Burgey]

Yeah but I think this will be Liverpool's year.

 

[vcs]

Kallis made a hundred in his last Test.

McGrath lifted the WC Trophy in his last game.

 

[Furball]

Steven Gerrard's final year at Liverpool goes into the several drinks too many and now hungover category.

From that slip, to a disastrous league season, a group stage exit from the CL, all culminating in a 6-1 defeat at Stoke to wrap his time at Liverpool up.

Granted he went to play for LA Galaxy but that barely counts.

His final game against Man Utd was hilarious though.

 

[S.Kennedy]

Chris Read just this season, with the (LO) 'double' and promotion back up to division one for Notts.