Fred Bowen's "The Score" column,
April 13, 2001, Washington Post

No Driving Past Father Time

Every game has its rules. Three strikes and you're out. No one but the goalie can touch the ball with his hands. Ten yards for a first down.

Life has its rules, too. Look both ways before you cross the street. Cover your mouth when you sneeze. And the biggest rule of all: You can't go back in time.

I have been thinking about that rule because of all the talk among hoops fans that Michael Jordan may come back and play professional basketball. Jordan says that he is "99.9 percent sure" that he will never play pro ball again. That doesn't seem to stop fans from wishing and hoping for Jordan's return.

If Jordan ever does come back he will, in a sense, be trying to go back in time. Back to a time when he was the best basketball player on the face of the Earth. Back to when he was the undisputed king of the National Basketball Association. Back to when everyone wanted to be like Mike.

Comeback stories are great and Michael Jordan coming back would be the biggest comeback story yet. But maybe Jordan does not want to come back because he knows that most comebacks do not have storybook endings.

Muhammad Ali was the greatest boxer of his age. Maybe the greatest ever. But his fighting career ended with Ali bloody and beaten, unable to block the punches of Larry Holmes.

Mark Spitz won seven gold medals in swimming at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. Years later, Spitz could not even make the Olympic team.

Even the great Babe Ruth batted just .181 in a last sad season with the Boston Braves.

Still there is the hope that Michael Jordan would be different. After all, Mario Lemieux came back this year from injury and illness and is playing hockey for the Pittsburgh Penguins almost like Super Mario again. And goodness knows that Michael Jordan could help the woeful Washington Wizards.

But I am not so sure. Oh, maybe Jordan could come back and play, but I doubt he could ever be Michael Jordan again. I doubt he would ever be that amazing player who could score 30, 40, even 50 points in a night and win games through the sheer force of his competitive will.

Because you can't go back in time. That's the rule.

Even for Michael Jordan.

FRED BOWEN is the author of sports novels for kids. Write to him at KidsPost, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, DC 20071. Or e-mail (with "The Score" in the subject field): kidspost@washpost.com.

© 2001 The Washington Post Company