Decisions, Decisions

Once upon a time, before the revolution wrought by Marvin Miller, most athletes, no matter how great, ended up where the teams that held their contracts decided.  Think Willie Mays and Eddie Mathews, for example, or Johnny Unitas.  The Brooklyn Dodgers even traded Jackie Robinson after the 1956 season.  Robinson retired rather than report to his new team, the still-crosstown Giants.

But now, with the advent of free agency, athletes control their own destinies, depending on injury and the level of talent left in the tank come time to look for a new home.  Take future HOF guard Dwayne Wade, who spent the first 13 years of his career with Miami before signing with his hometown Bulls at the age of 34 (and now 35).  Wade probably would’ve stayed with the Heat, but they wanted to shed salary, so the veteran signed a two-year deal with Chicago worth $47 million.  The contract includes a player option for the second year.

This week, Wade gave notice that he may walk away from the remaining $23.8 million if his new team doesn’t start playing better.  “Some nights, we take the approach where we’ll do anything to try to get a win.  And some nights, we just go through the motions,” Wade was quoted in today’s Tribune.  How nice to be able to walk into the sunset, or anyplace else, if things don’t work out.