Longevity loses

Sporting heroes rarely make perfect exits. They may walk away too soon, leaving the fans wanting more and wishing for one last special performance. When Lions Running Back Barry Sanders retired, many questioned why he left so early and pondered whether he ever truly loved the game of football. Other legends, don’t know when to call it quits and our last memories of them are those we’d prefer to forget. It’s Michael Jordan missing a wide open dunk in a Washington Wizards uniform, Willie Mays stumbling around the outfield for the New York Mets and Brett Farve enduring a career ending sack. We wish Jordan could have walked away following his game winning shot that buried the Utah Jazz. While we admire the tenacity of these stars, we also would prefer that they leave on our terms. College coaching legends often deal with the same issues. There are annual calls for Joe Paterno to finally retire and constant speculation about when he’ll pass along the program to a successor.

Coaches in professional sports rarely have to worry about overstaying their welcome. Teams change coaches so frequently, it’s often hard to keep track of who’s coaching which franchise. Maybe it’s the negativity that festers on blogs and sports radio. Maybe it’s the unfair expectations of fans thinking that teams can turn things around overnight. Maybe it’s athletes that want to flex their muscles by having more input in who coaches their team. When turmoil hits, firing the coach is the easy way out. With star athletes making humongous salaries, owners can changes coaches far more cheaply than finding new players.

For the last 23 years, Jerry Sloan was the exception to the rule. He didn’t wear flashy Armani suits like Pat Riley and he never utilized meditation like Phil Jackson. The hardnosed Sloan brought the same intensity and ferocity to the bench that carried him during his playing career. He stayed true to his offensive principles of ball movement and defensive philosophy of tough man to man defense. He coached hall of famers like Stockton and Malone while overseeing the development of Deron Williams in recent years. Speculation has already begun that Williams and Sloan clashed this season which may be the cause of the divorce. In the end, there was no farewell tour for Sloan. There was no final speech to the Utah fans at center court in Salt Lake City. Sloan held a short, emotional press conference announcing his resignation. Sloan never was a quitter and to walk away in mid season had to be a bitter pill to swallow. This couldn’t be the exit that fans, media or Sloan had envisioned. But, for sports legends, perfect exits seemingly don’t exist.