Can We Get an Encore?

Fifteen minutes. That’s the infamously arbitrary amount of time Andy Warhol established as the measure for our exposure to the masses. We have a quarter of an hour to be remembered for a few moments longer. You can dance, sing, or act your way into our hearts like Shaquille O’Neal. Or, if you’re daring, you can lie, cheat, and homer your way into our asterisk-filled record books just like Barry Bonds. But chances are that the time will come when we stop paying attention. Half an hour later, we’ll replace the person who replaced you. After an hour, we can’t even remember why we knew your name in the first place.

But what happens to those who get shafted during their fifteen minutes? They don’t get fan mail any longer. We don’t throw parades for them. Some of them may be lucky enough to have a spot in the team record books for an obscure statistic. But most of them are forgotten. Most of them gave us hours of memories and we have chosen to repay them by showing them our backs.

I’d like to take this time to borrow Jimmy James’ “Way Back Machine” (of News Radio fame) and give a few athletes the remaining time on their fame clocks. This could end up being hours of regurgitating the names of players we hated to love or loved to hate, so instead our “Way Back Machine” will provide us a forgotten star from each major sport and two wild-card selections to give us a super 6-pack of short-changed stars.

Leading off is the representative from America’s favorite past time. Robin Yount never saw his last five minutes in the sun and that includes the extra two minutes he got for his Hall of Fame induction. A complete player who played the game the way we love to see it played, he spent all 20 of his major league seasons in Milwaukee. Yount was an everyday major leaguer at the age of 18 and began his career playing shortstop before later moving to centerfield. Some have argued that he (not Cal Ripken) was the torchbearer for shortstops such as Jeter, Rodriquez, and Tejada. Yount collected two MVP awards, led the Brewers to their only World Series appearance, and managed to hammer out over 3,000 hits. This curly-haired chap reminds us all that the Brewers were indeed a major league team at one-time.

Next is the selection from the favorite sport of our friends to the North. Ron Hextall beats his way back into the spotlight for his remaining acknowledgment. Hextall was the first NHL goaltender to ever score a goal by shooting the puck from his end into the opposing team’s net (an important distinction because former goalie Billy Smith had been credited with scoring a goal before him by being the last player from his team to touch the puck before it ended up in the opponent’s net). “Hexy” will always be remembered for his passion and the reckless abandon he had for opponent’s limbs. Every piece of equipment was a weapon in his eyes and he still holds the NHL record for penalty minutes by a goalie with 113. Aside from these obvious distinctions, Hextall won the Vezina Trophy (Best Goaltender) and the Conn Smythe Trophy (Playoff MVP) in his rookie season with Philadelphia. The Conn Smythe Trophy is even more impressive considering the Flyers lost in the finals to an Edmonton Oilers' team that was loaded with talented players with names like Kurri, Coffey, Messier, and Gretzky.

The next choice brings us back to the Land of the Free and the sport started by James Naismith. Tim Hardaway played in the NBA for 15 seasons with 5 different teams and he has a few more minutes to burn. Hardaway first burst onto the scene as a point guard with the Golden State Warriors as the “T” in “Run TMC” (with Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin). It’s very rare that someone comes along with a move that gets garnished with a nickname of its own, but Timmy found a way to do it. In fact, it had two nicknames. The “UTEP Two-Step” or “Killer Crossover” was the creation of Tim Hardaway. He froze defenders consistently and knifed his way into the lane for the easy score or quick dish. He also spawned a legion of teenage imitators who probably broke their own ankles more than their opponents’ while trying to duplicate the maneuver. Statistically, Hardaway quietly averaged over 17points and 8 assists as one of the most consistent point guards of his era.

Finally, the Pigskin Deities have blessed us with enough fabulous stars to fill up every day of the year. However, one particular member of Sunday’s finest needs to be recognized for his remarkable accomplishments. Now this was not meant to be a platform for campaigning, but Art Monk deserves to be enshrined in Canton. Monk was a running back as a college player and ended his career as one of the greatest wide receivers of all time. Monk’s numbers are astonishing. He finished his career with 940 career receptions, a record which was broken by Jerry Rice in the final week of Monk’s final season (1995). A member of a fantastic receiving trio in Washington, Monk also had the single season record in receptions (106) and a record 183 consecutive games with a reception at the time of his retirement. A member of the NFL’s 1980s All-Decade Team, it’s time for Monk to finally have a chance to be remembered with the greatest to ever play the game.

Since this happens to be the start of Super Bowl weekend, it’s only fitting that the two wild card selections come from the world of football. First, we have the guy who made the 1985 Chicago Bears tick. Joe Montana may have been “Joe Cool,” but Jim McMahon was “Mr. Cool.” McMahon had those dark glasses only he could pull off and made the headband an “It” accessory long before most NBA ballers were out of diapers. McMahon lived his time in the sun to the fullest and rumor has it he’ll be back at it this weekend. McMahon briefly returned to our attention in 1991 while winning the Comeback Player of the Year award as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. But that was 15 years ago and it is time for another comeback of epic proportions for Jim. Here’s to hoping it happens this weekend.

Lastly, the second wild card selection has been to this weekend’s big game a few times before. Unfortunately, his Buffalo Bills always came out on the wrong end. Thurman Thomas is another bona fide Hall of Fame candidate who deserves to have a bust in Canton. Despite forgetting about his helmet in Super Bowl XXVI, Thomas always remembered to bring his A game to the field. A college teammate of Barry Sanders, Thomas made his own star in the NFL by becoming the only player in NFL history to lead the league in yards from scrimmage in four consecutive seasons. The catalyst for the dynamic Bills offense of the early 90s, Thomas revolutionized the running back position and paved the way for players like Marshall Faulk and LaDainian Tomlinson. A member of the NFL’s 1990s All-Decade team, it is time for the “Thurminator” to finally have his spot next to all the other greats.

Warhol just said we each get fifteen minutes, he didn’t say it all had to come in one shot. This weekend, when you’re hanging out with your friends, throw your lighters in the sky and ask for one more. Take a few minutes to bring these former greats back to life for a bit, because fifteen minutes is a bit too fleeting.


Disclaimer
In lieu of recent remarks made by Tim Hardaway, I would like state that Hardaway no longer deserves to be on this list. His remarks were extremely inappropriate and I no longer consider myself a Hardaway fan. I really hope that he is prepared for the extra 15 minutes he bought himself and the backlash that will go along with it.