Bill Simmons:
One of the biggest differences between sports and real life is that when athletes retire, they still have half a lifetime ahead of them. They feel sad because their careers are over, but also because they have no idea what to do next. This is why they come back — in Favre’s case, over and over.
When real people retire, ideally, they have accomplished everything they wanted to. My father was lucky in this respect. Like Billy Beane, he put up Moneyball numbers in a middle-class town, essentially winning 95 games a year with a small-market club. He lasted 16 years in a job in which people rarely last five.
Of course, we never read tributes about someone like my father for obvious reasons. We pay homage to athletes, entertainers and politicians. Real people don’t get victory laps. So here’s one for Dr. Bill Simmons. Congratulations, Pops. You made it.
A very personal, heartfelt goodbye by Bill Simmons from his Page 2 column in ESPN the Magazine. Godspeed.
(Via Kottke)