Ricky Williams Retiring!!!

[Nors]

Originally Posted by Doomsday101

As a UT fans I admit I have always liked Ricky Williams but this was a pretty shatty thing to do to the Dolphins. If he wanted to walk away from the game I certainly don't blame him, but to do it a week before training camp starts that is a pretty shatty thing to do.

Told them in February and held off filing retirement papers until after June 1 to help team cap wise.

[Nors]

Originally Posted by Doomsday101

As a UT fans I admit I have always liked Ricky Williams but this was a pretty shatty thing to do to the Dolphins. If he wanted to walk away from the game I certainly don't blame him, but to do it a week before training camp starts that is a pretty shatty thing to do.

Totally would have changed who Miami took at 19. Jackson/K Jones? Might have started a RB run earlier.


2004 1 1 19 19 Vernon Carey G Miami (FL)
2 4 6 102 Will Poole DB USC
3 5 28 160 Tony Bua DB Arkansas
4 6 9 174 Rex Hadnot C Houston
5 7 20 221 Tony Pape G Michigan
6 7 21 222 Derrick Pope LB Alabama

[Doomsday101]

Originally Posted by Nors

Told them in February and held off filing retirement papers until after June 1 to help team cap wise.

I never heard that but if that is the case and he did tell Miami of what his plans where then it should comes as no suprise to the organization and they should have went out and found a replacement for Williams. Williams choosing to play or not is clearly his choice and I would never hold that aginst any player but I was under the assumption that this came out of the blue and was not something that had been talked about back in Feb.

[Doomsday101]

Originally Posted by Nors

Totally would have changed who Miami took at 19. Jackson/K Jones? Might have started a RB run earlier.


2004 1 1 19 19 Vernon Carey G Miami (FL)
2 4 6 102 Will Poole DB USC
3 5 28 160 Tony Bua DB Arkansas
4 6 9 174 Rex Hadnot C Houston
5 7 20 221 Tony Pape G Michigan
6 7 21 222 Derrick Pope LB Alabama

Now you have me confused, you just said Williams told the club of this back in Feb but stayed on for Cap reasons until June 1st and now you indicating that had Miami known they would have drafted differently. Which is it? Did Miami know and just choose not to draft a back or did they not know and this is coming as a total suprise?

[junk]

Originally Posted by Doomsday101

Now you have me confused, you just said Williams told the club of this back in Feb but stayed on for Cap reasons until June 1st and now you indicating that had Miami known they would have drafted differently. Which is it? Did Miami know and just choose not to draft a back or did they not know and this is coming as a total suprise?

I think Nors was speaking of Robert Smith, Minnesota.

[ABQCOWBOY]

You know, it's interesting how everybody views things. I agree that it puts the team in a difficult situation but then again, nobody here knows what exactly the team new or what might have been said going back to last year. Nobody knows.

My personal opinion is that I liked watching Ricky Williams play. I have always though that he was a marvouls talent. I enjoyed watching Ricky Williams play while at Texas as well. In fact, I can never really remember a game that I didn't enjoy watching Ricky play. It is unfortunate that the light of what is the NFL and Ricky Williams did not mix well. I suspect that if Ricky Williams would have been a bit more suited to the press etc., he would have been much more celebrated by them and us really. For purely selfish reasons, I am sorry to see him retire. For purely selfish reasons, I am happy for Ricky Williams and hope that as he move on to other things, he is happy with all that he has done.

I wish him him well.

[Doomsday101]

Originally Posted by junk

I think Nors was speaking of Robert Smith, Minnesota.

I should have known better!!!

[Tony D]

Originally Posted by jterrell

Actually if you compare Young's first half numbers with ARods; Young was far, far better.

AROD sucked with runners in scoring position. AROD is a great player but he was vastly overrated. He is no where near Barry Bonds as the games best. The Rangers had 10 guys bet a higher percentage with runners in scoring position this first half than AROD did last first half which is the biggest reason they are not 10 games below .500. The pitching is obviously better but the hitting has been way more productive. AROD was the king of the solo home run when we were down 5 runs.

Salary has to equate production because teams are ona budget(except the yanks). AROD is more expensive than the Rangers entire infield which is probably the games 2nd best(behind only STL.

So Michael Young is better than A-Rod? His numbers were the first half, alot of guys were. If you want to judge guys on half a season, go ahead. Doesn't make them better ball players than A-Rod. You judge players over the long haul. A-Rod struggled the first half of the season with RISP, no doubt, but he's about to explode. He did hit .366 with RISP in 2002. You don't put up those kind of career RBI totals w/o hitting with RISP. His numbers are comparable to where he was last year at the mid-way point, then he took off and won MVP. It's not his fault that most of the Rangers games were meaningless(see pitching) last season. So do you honestly think Young, Texiera, Blaylock et al are having great years because A-Rod isn't there? Gimme a break.

And comparing A-Rod to Bonds is a little premature. Look at their numbers at the same stage in their careers and it's not even close. Bonds became a freak of nature in the latter parts of his career. I doubt anyone will duplicate that. But I'll say this, Bonds better put that career HR number way up there, cause A-Rod will chase it down.

In case you've forgotten.

YEAR HR RBI
1998 42 124
1999 42 111
2000 41 132
2001 52 135
2002 57 142
2003 47 118

All those HR's couldn't of been meaningless solo shots.

Career in postseason. .340 3 HR 8RBI
Not too shabby either. Some clutch hits there as well, don't you think so? Obviously nobody is worth what A-Rod's gettting paid, but he's not overrated.

[Tony D]

Originally Posted by Nors

They are a better team today. Team and not the highest paid "individuals" The price the Dolphins invested in Ricky is eerily similar.

The Rangers are a better team. Not becasue A-Rod isn't there. But because of Showalter, the pitching is better and their young hitters are having great years. And because they switched to a 3-4.

[LaTunaNostra]

Originally Posted by Nors

For buying tickets, watching TV and making them all rich. A commodity? Poor football players. Rest of their lives? Tell that to all the average blue collar workers toiling their whole life living paycheck to paycheck.

Poor Ricky.
He owes the fans nothing. I sense how he handled this matter is symptomatic on how he handles all facets of his life. He has issues! But its great that he can tell his boss to take this job and shove it! The "game" made him a wealthy 27 year old. He's free and we shall see the ending to this story. I sense the book is not closed on this one!

Nors, sorry if I sounded like I was busting your chops. Which I was.

Yeah. commodity. I will stand by that. Maybe the sentiment stems from my own "blue collar" background, as the child of a construction worker who never saw the inside of a college classroom in his life. My dad passed on when I was in my teens and I worked factory jobs and waitressing to augment academic scholarships right on thru. That gave me a certain perspective on labor the middle and upper classes rarely get, or want to get. So it's the working class ethos behind my defense of players, regardless of how highly paid they are.

Those "blue collar workers toiling their whole life living paycheck to paycheck" btw, aren't buying the season tickets anymore. Those went way too high and it's the professional classes we two are now a part of who have both the leisure time and disposable income to raise player salaries and owner revenue to record highs. We created the monster, not the players. I think we have a tendency to sit in judgment of players, but usually are unwilling to look at the part we ourselves play in the football phenomenon. And what I see is something of a dehumanization process of the player. A product, a commodity, an 'owned' thing. I don't know how that perspective can be overcome, or if it is inevitable, but it troubles me.

I really do see pro football players as highly paid blue collar workers, a commodity that has planned obsolescence built into it physiologically, and increasingly psychologically, as the pressures of fame and the gladiator mentality grow.

At heart, the game IS the players, and nothing but the players.

I'm for them, and whatever's best for them.

[Sarge]

Originally Posted by Tony D

And because they switched to a 3-4.

..................

[Tio]

Ricky williams screwed the fans that made him. He is a bum for all i am concerned. Had he told miami he was muling this decision a while back, wed most likely see steven jackson in a miami uniform...

[Sarge]

Originally Posted by RW31

Ricky williams screwed the fans that made him. He is a bum for all i am concerned. Had he told miami he was muling this decision a while back, wed most likely see steven jackson in a miami uniform...

Why do we , as Dallas fans, care if Miami drafted S. Jackson?

[Juke99]

Originally Posted by Sarge

Why do we , as Dallas fans, care if Miami drafted S. Jackson?

Because it's July 25th.

[Nors]

Originally Posted by Sarge

Why do we , as Dallas fans, care if Miami drafted S. Jackson?

but yes - it means nothing. Just interesting what/if