Actually won 110 games. But, really, we don't hear a lot about them.

Yes, passing ability is important in a quarterback, but that's not all that is important. And no, Kordell Stewart is not on my list of greats. He's a jack of all trades. Greats are people like Montana, Young, Favre, Starr, Unitas, Tittle, Namath and though I hate to say it, Bradshaw. Of course, the only reason I don't like Brashaw is his insufferable on-air persona.

Marino was great at 2 things. Passing and self-promotion. Of course, the converse is true too. There are people who won superbowls as quarterbacks that are good, but not great. And that's the same category I put Marino in. For an example of that category, look at Troy Aikman. He was a good QB with a great Offensive Line and a great running back. He also had a flair for self-promotion. Look at him at the Pro Bowl this past weekend. When he was interviewed with Harry Carson on the sidelines, Aikman said "Being elected to the hall of fame is a great individual achievement". Carson said right after that "I couldn't have done it without lots of help. There are so many people I have to thank" and then he went on and did that. Which one was really about his team?

*above quotes are paraphrases as I don't have a transcript of the Pro Bowl Sideline Interviews.

Sorry King, but you are out of your league here. 9 US titles (tying the all-time record), 5 world titles, and a total of 43 victories by age 25 -- that's absrudly successful by any measure. Your point seems to be that without her Olympic gold medal, she won't be remembered by people who are only aware of her sport at the Olympics. Why on earth would she care about being remembered by people who are that clueless about her sport? Plus, the comparison with downhill skiing isn't very apt because figure skating has a much higher profile that skiing. Michelle Kwan has made $20 million before even turning "professional" -- in what other sport would that be possible?

Hey King - I hope someone corrects me if I'm wrong here... no, really. I think that the entire national press is missing part of the story on this Kwan/Hughes thing. Everyone is acting like Hughes got bumped by Kwan (who has now bowed out, bla, blah...) but unless I'm mistaken only the winner (sasha cohen) is an automatic olympic team member. Spots two and three are ALWAYS chosen by the committee. Do they almost always choose the skaters who placed second and third? Of course they do. Except when they don't... like this year and the frequently mentioned incident when Kwan herself was left off the team. I'm making no comment here except that the vast majority of writers seem to think that Hughes would have had an automatic bid by virtue of her finish in qualifying - while that's almost true, it ain't really. There's only one automatic spot.

In your story about Michelle Kwan, you ignore the fact that she is a 9 time national champion who also won the World Championship figure skating title numerous times. She played on the world stage - and won. That she did not win Olympic gold is something she will most likely regret, but it should not at all diminish her impact on the sport. She has made a mark on figure skating for more than a decade. Tara Lipinsky and Sara Hughes were one-shot wonders. I'm sorry she was not up for the games this time...but I will always remember what a lovely, graceful skater she was.

gp- You may be right. I honestly do not know how the second and third selections are made and they may be allowed to pick anyone to go, regardless of where that person finished in qualifying. Of course, I don't think that Tonya Harding won in qualifying back when her husband had Nancy Kerrigan attacked (again, I could be wrong) and it was pretty clear that the US Figure Skating Association and USOC didn't want her on the team and she went anyway. So maybe they have some "flexibility" in the selection process and maybe they don't.

All of that being said, there is still certain amount of unfairness in the whole process. Kwan knew she had an injury during her attempt at qualifying. That injury was why she finished behind Hughes. Or at least it was part of the reason. From what I've read, it became apparent that Kwan was not going to make the team and that's why she had to petition for a secret skating chance in front of the people making the selections, a chance Hughes didn't have. So, whether it was within their authority to pick anyone they wanted, it certainly seems that they abused their discretion in picking someone who was injured to the point of not being able to qualify (or, as time would prove, even compete in the Olympics when the time came).

This was a case of all animals being equal but some being more equal than others. Kwan got chances other skaters didn't and if she had not availed herself of these unequal opportunities, there seems little question that Hughes WOULD have gone, even if the choice was technically discretionary.

Just a case of what comes around, goes around. Kwan got bumped once and she bumped someone herself once. At least Kwan had the class to bow out with plenty of time for Hughes to get there and get acclimated. All she really missed was the opening ceremonies -no small thing to a 16 year old, but not a tragedy by any means. Hell, some athletes skip them intentionally. If Kwan had known 100% that she wouldn't be able to go she wouldn't have taken the spot in the first place. Her prior titles gave her the right to try in my opinion. And before you gte upset about that statement, no other sketer has won as many titles so it's unfair to compare her to someone who didn't excel as she has. Was it motivated by money, etc.? Sure it was. On the part of the sponsors, not Kwan who disappointed by the turn of events turned down the TV gig immediately. It's the sponsors who pay for these things in the first place. And judging by the ratings thus far, we won't have to worry about it next time. The teams will be cut in half and the results will be shown on espn2 after midnight. I doubt another network will pay big bucks for the next Olympics. Somebody will sign up, sure - but the dollars will be reduced and so will the coverage.