Now you will not swell the rout; of lads that wore their honours out; Runners whom renown outran; And the name died before the man. – A.E. Housman
John Feinstein has an interesting piece in Tuesday’s WSJ on Michael Jordan’s return to playing basketball this season: It’s So Hard to Say Good-Bye (subscription required).
“Leaving the stage is never easy for those who have spent years awash in applause. In New York right now, Mayor Rudy Giuliani is a hero because of his superb handling of Sept. 11 and its aftermath. Mr. Giuliani doesn’t want the lights turned out while the standing ovation is still continuing. Mr. Jordan has heard the ovation for his career begin to fade. Clearly, the quiet bothers him.”
It doesn’t surprise me that Jordan can’t move on. But I had hopes for Giuliani. He evidently hasn’t seemed to learn from his handling of the crisis, as I wondered about a couple weeks ago.