After 19 seasons in the NBA Shaquille O'Neal has announced that he is retiring. He made he announcement via Twitter with a video
Later he spoke with Jackie MacMullan of ESPN and said: "I really, really thought about coming back, but this achilles is very damaged and if I had it done the recovery would be so long we'd have same outcome as this last year -- everyone sitting around and waiting for me. I didn't want to let people down two years in a row. I didn't want to hold Boston hostage again. I'm letting everybody know now so Danny (Ainge) and the organization can try to get younger talent. I would love to come back, but they say once the Achilles is damaged it's never the same. I don't want to take that chance."
Shaq will be remembered for his stature, of course, his board shattering dunks along with his amazing stats. He compiled four Championship rings, three Finals MVP Awards, one NBA MVP Award, was named to the All-Star team 15 times and was awarded the 1993 NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He is currently fifth on the NBA all-time scoring list with 28,596 points (728 ahead of Bryant). His 58.2 field goal percentage is second-best in NBA history only to Artis Gilmore's 59.9 percent. He also stands at seventh on the all-time blocks list with 2,732 and thirteenth on the all-time rebounds list with 13,099. Can we say future Hall of Famer? Maybe he will come back in a year or two, but I highly doubt it. He can get married now and live happily doing whatever he wants...law enforcement, reality TV star, etc. I am giving this news a Digit Up because he has had a great career and will have an great post NBA career for sure.
Regis Philbin is leaving "Live! With Regis and Kelly" later this year, he is officially retiring. I am not loving this move. I grew up watching Regis in the morning, and although I do not watch every morning, I catch it when I can...remember. He has been doing "Live!" for 28 years. At age 79 he thinks it is time to leave. I remember when he and Kathy Lee used to host it together and how fun it was. Then when Kathy Lee left and Kelly came in it was just a totally different show, a better show. Now Regis will be leaving. It is a happy and sad moment because he seems generally healthy and in the right frame of mind. He could probably dot he show another decade if he and his body wanted to. Next month will mark the 10th year Kelly has been on the show and in August Regis will celebrate his 80th birthday. The show is super popular. It averages about 4 million viewers a day, that is second only to Oprah in the day time talk show world. He will be leaving this summer, probably around his birthday time. Who will replace him? That is a good question, I am not sure you can actually replace Regis, no one will have what he has. He is leaving at a time when Larry King retired from his show and when Oprah is about to leave her show as well. There will be a void in daytime television, maybe I should fill it? Possibly, but not now. I am considering this sad news thus I will give it a Digit Down.
Larry King ended his show "Larry King Live" after 25 years on the air. He did so with a slew of guest; Barbra Walters, Ryan Seacrest, Dr. Phil, Bill Clinton, Tony Bennett, etc. Speaking of Bill Clinton he had an unexpected funny moment with him. He said that he and Bill were apart of the zipper club, talking about their open heart surgeries, and both chuckled. Then I guess one of the producers wanted him to explain it, so he did and that is when Bill chimed in and said that he was glad Larry explained that to everyone. At 1st no one got what Bill was hinting at and then about 6 seconds later there was a laughter like oh you slick Willy. His wife and 2 sons joined him as well. His son and Fred Armisen did a great impression of Larry and everyone enjoyed that as well. All in all it was good. I still cannot believe he is leaving, actually I can. I believe he was forced to retire after a mixture of low ratings and a few missteps on the show. He will still be doing a few specials here and there like Barbra Walters so we will not have to forget about him fully. I am giving Larry King a Digit Up for going out the way he wanted to and pretty much on his own terms.
Brett Favre, my favorite football player, my football hero, the living football legend, has decided to call it quits...for the 3rd time. It is being reported that Brett Favre is going to retire form the game of football after 20 years of service. The only problem is, no one has heard it from Brett. It has been reported that late Monday night Favre called the Minnesota Vikings and some of his teammates and let them know that he was not returning. When asked about it it head coach Brad Childress said he would not believe it until he heard it from Brett's mouth, and that has yet to happen. Brett nor his agent have given said that he was retiring, so many are wondering if this news is true. I sort of think it is true, although I do not want to. He had ankle surgery over the Summer to repair his damaged ankle and it has been reported that he is not pleased with the progress his ankle has made. Also he is almost 41 and he took some pretty major hits last season, especially against the Carolina Panthers. But there are doubts, and rightfully so. He "retired" from the Green Bay Packers, but came back with the Jets. He retired from the Jets, and then came back with the Vikings and now we are here again 3 years after his 1st retirement for number 3. Some are saying that maybe he will come back during the middle of the season. I do not know if that is likely. Brett holds the record for most consecutive starts at 285, I doubt he would want to miss out on adding to that record. I know that Brett wants to continue playing the game, it is in his heart and soul to play. I could see him possibly sitting out a season and maybe coming back for one last shot a year later, but I think that would make him so rusty that you would actually see him play like a man of his age. I do want him, to come back though and of course I would love to see him win a Super Bowl, but if that is too much then maybe he could just not go out with an interception, the way he has done for every team he left, but that is kind of what makes Favre Favre. So if this really is his real retirement, all I can hope fore is that h becomes an announcer or a coach of some sort, I never want to not see Brett Favre away from football for too long. I am giving this possible sad news 2 Digits Down.
