BINGO! NOt only is she the keeper, but up until about 2002, she was the keeper for a team that surrendered about two shots on goal per game and beat nearly everyone 7-0. Scurry for most of that time has had the most boring career on the planet. Hell, *I* could have been the keeper for the USWNT (except for the gender thing of course) and they would have won everything. NO, the others really contributed to making them successful, Scurry just got to watch from a very good seat in the house. Of course, more recently the other teams have caught up so now she gets to shine. >D
What an amusing thread. Monster, DW, Kenn, Flannigan and others....thanks for the chuckle this morning. Hats off to the couple of folks who have actually tried to keep this thread on-topic. Few mentions, however, of Scurry in the last several pages. Of course, I'd be disappointed if this wasn't hotly debated in the posts to follow. Allow me to contribute to the "off-topic" topic: I think the best way to find out if Mia's REALLY retired or not....is she receiving her Social Security checks?? Surely there's an article....
The unintentional comedy of Tommy making claims his own links don't make is just about the funniest thing I've seen in a while. I think you were better off making arguments before you learned how to post links. At least that way you weren't immediately self-contradictory. I'm a member of the Gang of Seven and I approved this message.
Kenn is having trouble grasping this. The USSF release announced the tour at about 10 PM Chicago time. That ended the prtevious story that is was the LAST GAME prior to RETIREMENT. Mia was retired for about 6 hours before the tour was announced in that press release. Hope this clears things up...
Maybe it was Jay Mariotti who had trouble grasping it? Or maybe it's you? We've apparently narrowed the window of retirement down to 6 hours. Unless they had the press release written and ready to go before that, in which case even that argument falls apart. You don't think they arranged the Rochester date and wrote the press release in the 6 hours between the end of the gold medal game and the time the release was sent out, do you? Tom is having trouble grasping how the media works.
I know you have trouble linking (and trouble confronting people who actually deal in facts), but where is this release that said she had retired and would never play another game again. I have yet to see it. Just because some jackhole wrote that she had retired, doesn't mean she had said she would never play another game. You're having difficulty grasping the fact that you need to consult multiple sources to get the truth, not just hang your hat on one guy who was confused.
How about this one? Mia Hamm's exit strategy: Retirement after Olympics (Port St. Lucie/Fort Pierce, FL Tribune) dated 8/15/04, or 11 days before the gold medal game. The headline is misleading (headlines tend to need to be shorter and punchier), but sometimes you have to read a little deeper into the story: Vahe Gregorian didn't have any trouble grasping it. It's time - Mia Hamm seems at ease with plans for post-Olympic retirement (San Diego Union Tribune) - dated 7/28/04, or nearly a month before the gold medal game. Again, a misleading headline, but sometimes you have to read a little deeper into the story: Mark Ziegler didn't have any problem grasping it. He had Chastain and Scurry hanging 'em up, which I don't think he got right. But he understood more than a month before the end of the Olympics not only that Hamm would be retiring from major tournaments, but also that there was a good chance there would be games played after the Olympics in which she would participate. So at least a couple of journalists understood the deal. Jay Mariotti may not have. You surely didn't.
http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Mia-Hamm As of 2004, Hamm, who loves to meet and greet fans and sign autographs for them, is still a member of the USA women's national soccer team. On May 14, she announced her retirement as a player, effective at the end of the 2004 Summer Olympics. The USOC official site tells us this: Mia Hamm's exit strategy: Retirement after Olympics By Vahe Gregorian // The Tribune (Port St. Lucie/Fort Pierce, FL) // August 15, 2004 Copyright 2004 Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service http://www.usolympicteam.com/11723_23664.htm But that is only a sliver of why Hamm will retire from international competition after the 2004 Athens Games, which formally commence with Opening Ceremonies on Friday but begin for the U.S. women's soccer team today against Greece. * * * Yet even the other veterans defer to Hamm, whose 150 goals in international competition are the most for any woman _ or man, for that matter. Her profile became more prominent than others with the help of a heavy Nike advertising campaign, but her combination of intensity and dignity made it all the more meaningful
OK, let's say that Mia did say she would never play another soccer game as long as she lived. That's not what happened, Tom, this is just a hypothetical. Follow closely. If she said that, what is so horrible about her wanting to play a few exhibitions for people who supported her? What's so morally reprehensible about having a few kickarounds to try and give a boost to the future? But, more importantly, does this mean that you now think Mia is hotter than Julie Foudy?
Ah yes.... I can clearly see the quote fo Mia when she says "That was my last game". Thanks for pointing that out.
That's funny. I post something that refutes your claim, and not long thereafter, you post it as if it bolsters your claim. "But that is only a sliver of why Hamm will retire from international competition after the 2004 Athens Games..." What's implied there is that there is a difference between a major tournament and a freaking kickabout in Rochester against Denmark or something, even if it is a big, bad "FIFA-sanctioned event."
this whole debate is over something that the media produced. mia said it was her last international tournament, not her last game. the media did the rest so more people would be interested.....and even if she did 'unretire' as you all are calling it, look at what michael jordan did.....now that was ridiculous...mia will retire after these farewell games and be done......
this seems clear to everyone here except for one bitter person who's keeping this rediculous thread going.
Kenn, please be serious. The article claims that she got 150 goals in INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS. Doesn't that include friendlies? If so, then the 10 game tour is really 10 MORE FRIENDLIES, more INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION. You can't have it both ways. The friendlies where she got the 150 goals were international competitions. So are the games in the victory tour. Hope this clears things up for you.
Yeah, crap friendlies. Even by friendly standards. These games aren't meaningful. She's retired from meaningful games. There's never been any confusion about that in my mind. If there's confusion about that in the minds of people like Jay Mariotti who don't cover soccer, that's unfortunate. As for the other question someone asked - so what? So you're the smartest person in the room because you saw through their ruse, their cunning attempt to trick you? She's retired from meaningful competition. If she changes her mind, that's not only a woman's perogative, it's a human being's right. And it's not like the ruse of "their last game" helped sell a lot more tickets to the freaking final in Athens, so if it was a conspiracy, it was a pretty piss-poor one.
I read the inital articles to mean that she was not going to play in the World Cup in 2007, which suggested further that she was not going to play in meaningful international games later on. Had WUSA survivied, I am sure she would have played in it. Maybe she did mean she was not playing any more, and changed her mind to play in a fairwell tour. In either case, so what. Hamm will probably play in this victory tour then play for the Chicago W-League team. It is not like she is retiring, announcing she is joining a WNBA team, coming back 18 months later and playing some more. Then retiring again and buying the Mexican women's national team. Then after they play awful, unretiring to play for Mexico, they quiting under bad circumstances. We are not talking about Michael Jordan here.
I think it's highly unlikely she'll play in the W-League. Remember, Nomar is a free agent after the season, there's no guarantee he'll be in Chicago next summer, much less her. You know what? Seriously? She's, what, 32? I think they'll be having kids, and I don't think she'll be back.
Kenn, none of the articles I posted talked about "meaningful" games. They talked about international games. Mia retired and then unretired. Like I said. As previously stated, the Eternals were retiring for 4 years, from 2000 to 2004. Now we will have at least 3 years of more "Last Chance to see Them" press releases. Just like I predicted all along.
No, she didn't. And if she did, so what? You kinda had to pay attention to figure out what was going on. Unlikely. Highly unlikely. I'd say you'll get a few more months of "last chance to see them press releases," and if they do more than that, you win. But where were the "we're retiring every year for the next four years" press releases? I must have missed those. I've seen where they've been saying the Olympics were their last hurrah.
Kenn, this is the 5th time I have posted this link. http://espn.go.com/oly/summer00/news/2000/0927/784173.html Sure sounds like a last hurrah to me...at the 2000 Olympics. Many sports figures retire and change their minds, but Michael Jordan was not doing it to get publicity or more TV time. Hoosierfan The media has always treated the Eternals with kid gloves and will basically print anything they want them to print. There is no real criticism ever aired about them, unlike how the media treats male athletes.