An open letter to Barry Sanders

[yank dini]

Dear Mr. SandersYou are a quitter! You have a lot of nerve and guts to pull that crap that you did 5 years ago. It's not that you acutally did it, but how you did it. I respect a player that loses the desire to play but with that you have to realize that decisions like need to be made in a timely fashion. Why you would retire/quit what ever you wanna call it the very day before training camp bothers me. You didn't give the organization, the team or the coach time to prepare for your departure. you knew you were the best player on the team and probably the best player ever and leaving the team like that would have everyone in a panic. You let down the Detroit Lions, The Players and coaches, The fans in the State Of Michigan and the city of Detroit. Who continued to hope that you would change your mind and leave your downtown portait up until our denial faded......Now it's 5 years later and you have a book to sell...hmmm....What happended, you daddy got tired of being your mouthpiece? You agent dumped you since you're washed up and he wont speak for you either? Or did you realize that you screwed up and ran out of money and you have to find a way to bring in some more postive cash flow? What ever the case it smells like (you know what). I saw you on TV walking around Ford Field, Im surprized they let you in the door because if it were me you wouldn't come within 1000 ft of Ford Field. You would of had your Press Conference on Woodward instead of bring your Bull**** stinking up OUR! new football stadium.... Your games and essence were left back in Pontiac which is now a mere Drive In theater. You've done enough for us already Mr. Sanders. We have gotten over you and your way of dealing with situations. We have moved on.. We dont wanna hear a guy that should have said something 5 years only to wait 5 years to say a sentence.Thanks for nothing Mr. Sanders I hope you can live with your decision SignedA Billy Sims Fan

[dsegundo]

Ouch....still upset huh? It can't be that bad, can it? I'm looking forward for Kevin Jones to join us for next year

[yank dini]

i will never forgive him until he apologizes to the fans for what he did......I think the franchise is learning it's lesson still (5 years later) because they still haven't recovered from this and it will probably take another 2 years before they get back in the division raceIm not upset with his personality just the way he handle things

[dtownkid]

You sound like a bitter boyfriend who just got dumped by the girl of your dreams...How can you say "thanks for nothing" when it's so obvious that you're heart broken that you can't watch the greatest running back ever! I've gone to the silverdome and watched Barry play and I thank him for all the great runs and excitement that he brought for my $40 - $50 tickets. Now you have to pay $80 to watch Orlandis Gary or Shaun Bryson run for 45 yards combined! Don't kid youself and talk badly about Barry and say he did nothing for you. You wouldn't have started this forum if he didn't make you love watching the Lions during the 90's!

[yank dini]

Quote, originally posted by dtownkid »You sound like a bitter boyfriend who just got dumped by the girl of your dreams...How can you say "thanks for nothing" when it's so obvious that you're heart broken that you can't watch the greatest running back ever! I've gone to the silverdome and watched Barry play and I thank him for all the great runs and excitement that he brought for my $40 - $50 tickets. Now you have to pay $80 to watch Orlandis Gary or Shaun Bryson run for 45 yards combined! Don't kid youself and talk badly about Barry and say he did nothing for you. You wouldn't have started this forum if he didn't make you love watching the Lions during the 90's!That may be true but look at it this way... Say you are play a basketball with your freinds and say the owner of the ball doesn't like how the game is being played so he takes his ball and walks off the court leaving his teammates... basically quitting....Well this is the same thing only thing is that he's got paid and plays on the professional level in which he did not treat in a "professional manner" So does that mean people will forgive OJ now since he was found innocent I think not even though those same people used to love watching OJ play right? True comparing a murder charge to this is odd but at least on a sports level it was just as shocking wouldn't you agree?

[dsegundo]

He did admit to retiring kinda clumsily. hey Yank, you install for a living?

[rasermon]

I'm with you (yank dini) on this one. I sure do miss him though.

[Kangaroooski]

I agree with Yank, I wish Barry would just stay away from my Lions. You can't just burn your fans and then come back and have everyone be happy. Just ask Sergei Federov.

[yank dini]

Quote, originally posted by dsegundo » you install for a living? Install what....?

[yank dini]

Quote, originally posted by Kangaroooski »I agree with Yank, I wish Barry would just stay away from my Lions. You can't just burn your fans and then come back and have everyone be happy. Just ask Sergei Federov.yeah so I've heard Im totally in the dark on that Federov situation

[yank dini]

Quote, originally posted by rasermon » I sure do miss him though. No doubt I miss him but It's been time to move on. him waiting 5 years only opens wounds from the past and In my opinion instead of healing, he only made it worst for me... The time for him to change things has come and gone.

[yank dini]

thanks for fillin me in that. Did he show up last night.

[dsegundo]

There's more information with the Fedorov situation than you think, and I'll leave it at that. Yank: I was asking if you install car audio for a living because your vibe is smooth and I might need some help w/ mine

[yank dini]

Quote, originally posted by dsegundo »There's more information with the Fedorov situation than you think, and I'll leave it at that. Yank: I was asking if you install car audio for a living because your vibe is smooth and I might need some help w/ mineThanks but no I dont install...I go to Circuit CityHA!

[dsegundo]

Oh...what do they charge for installation?

[FusionVGT]

I don't understand why people are so hurt by Sanders retiring. It was his choice, he made it and life goes on. As for his timing, does anyone feel bad for the guy who gets traded/waived the day before training camp? Even though he's one of the best ever, the Detroit Lions wouldn't have been much better with him because it's a team sport. Matt Millen and William Clay Ford Sr. are the people fans shold be mad at. They are the reason the team's a laughing stock.

[yank dini]

Quote, originally posted by dsegundo »Oh...what do they charge for installation?oh man I can't remember because I've been there so many times for different installs but it's anywhere from $40-$80 depending on what you want installed

[yank dini]

Quote, originally posted by FusionVGT »I don't understand why people are so hurt by Sanders retiring. It was his choice, he made it and life goes on. As for his timing, does anyone feel bad for the guy who gets traded/waived the day before training camp? Even though he's one of the best ever, the Detroit Lions wouldn't have been much better with him because it's a team sport. Matt Millen and William Clay Ford Sr. are the people fans shold be mad at. They are the reason the team's a laughing stock.It's not that he retired, it's how he retired. You dont walk away the day before training camp especially when you knew you weren't gonna comeback at the end of the previous season. Teams dont cut players the day before training camp, especially the Lions and if a player is cut that early then he wasn't football cailber to begin with.As far as the front office Matt Millen was still a FOX broadcaster back then but William Clay Ford is another story. If Barry was so dedicated (so he says) and wanted to be a winner or wanted to make decisions for this team he could have done that. For Many Many years Detroit Franchise Players at their wishes and can have the front office make moves if he feels it would better the team. Isiah Thomas: Got rid of AD Adrian Dantley and brought Mark Aguirre (on of his friends) on the Pistons and won two championships.Steve Yzerman: The man has played his entire carrer with Detroit and if you think he had nothing to do in the front office with all the Stanley Cups the Wings have won over the years you're kidding yourself..

[rasermon]

Quote, originally posted by yank dini »Isiah Thomas: Got rid of AD Adrian Dantley and brought Mark Aguirre (on of his friends) on the Pistons and won two championships.Getting rid of AD was a big mistake. Mark Aguirre got a free ride for both championships. Yank, sorry for the rant on Mark. I was a AD fan.Some info on AD:Anyone wanting to get a line on Adrian Dantley the basketball star need only look at his career statistics: 23,177 points, ninth on the NBA career scoring list at time of retirement; a .540 field-goal percentage, one of the highest ever recorded by an NBA noncenter; and 30-plus points per game for four straight seasons. He was a smart, fundamentally sound player who relied on both strength and finesse. http://www.nba.com/history/pla....html

[yank dini]

Quote, originally posted by rasermon »Getting rid of AD was a big mistake. Mark Aguirre got a free ride for both championships. Yank, sorry for the rant on Mark. I was a AD fan.Some info on AD:Anyone wanting to get a line on Adrian Dantley the basketball star need only look at his career statistics: 23,177 points, ninth on the NBA career scoring list at time of retirement; a .540 field-goal percentage, one of the highest ever recorded by an NBA noncenter; and 30-plus points per game for four straight seasons. He was a smart, fundamentally sound player who relied on both strength and finesse. http://www.nba.com/history/pla....html Dont get me wrong I was an AD fan too. He would have had a ring if they would have pulled it out in the final secs in 88 out at the Forum. But my point was that being a franchise player goes a long way in the what ever league that you are in....... They can do a lot more than score or prevent points.