I’ve been on a bit of a hiatus from blogging recently (only 3 of the last ten blogs have been by me and one was rushed with capitalization errors that Max didn’t fix). So that got me thinking about the best hiatuses in sports. The top 10 or so breaks by players who then returned to play… I think that’s about the definition of hiatus.
Ricky Williams: Good old Ricky took a year off from the NFL after failing a few drug tests because of his marijuana problem. Williams took the time to study Ayurveda, the ancient Indian system of holistic medicine, at University of Cal, and spent some time in Austrailia. He then came back, played a year, and was suspended again (for his fourth failed drug test). He then played in the CFL all of 2006. Eventually he was reinstated and has had a few successful years. Williams is on the list because how totally awesome his hiatus from football was.
Pete Rose: Rose was banned from baseball in 1989. He then came back and watched a few baseball games. Not the hiatus he was looking for, and he really shouldn’t even be on this list.
Michael Jordan: After MJ’s dad was killed in 1993, Jordan decided to take up his childhood love of baseball. After struggling through much of the early season (In AA after not having played baseball in 15 years), Jordan went on to hit .250 in the Arizona Fall League. Some (including Terry Francona) say he could have been one of the best players in the game if he had stuck with it. Everyone should watch the ESPN 30 for 30 Jordan Rides the Bus. It’s awesome and so is Air Jordan’s decision to retire at the peak of his career then come back and win two more NBA championships.
Brett Favre does not belong on this list.
Sandy Koufax: Koufax’s little hiatus for Game 1 of the 1965 World Series because it fell on Yom Kippur signifies the deep personal faith that Koufax played with throughout his career. The importance of Koufax’s decision, example, and courage cannot be understated. His team desperately needed him to pitch as he had just won the CY Young and he chose personal religion over team. Cojones.
Minnie Minoso: Minnie holds the distinction of playing in 5 different decades. He’s the only modern era baseball player to have done so. He accomplished this… feat…. because he took a few hiatusi (or hiatuses, I’ve heard it both ways). Minnie played in 1949 at the age of 23, took two years off, then played 16 years in the Majors finishing with 4 fourth places in the MVP voting. Minoso returned in 1976 (some 12 years later) after playing many years in the Mexican leagues for three games. He got a hit in 8 ABs. Minoso then came back in 1980, for a single game and went 0 for two at age 54. Minoso gets on the list because he took 12 years off between appearances. Awesome.
Stat of the Day: Jose Reyes has a .340 batting average.
-Sean Morash
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