Scorecard

Cowens also wrote, "My whole reputation has been one of giving maximum effort, and I want to be remembered as just such a player. Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not perfect. I've dogged it in practices, performed extremely poorly in games and done my share of complaining. But I've always had the desire to work hard and do my part, more, if necessary. I think every one of my teammates enjoyed playing ball with me. I think one of the basic characteristics of a quality player is being able to complement his teammates, increasing their worth along with his."

We can't say for certain whether Cowens will stick by his decision to quit. But we're sure that he was justified in asking, at the start of his statement, "Why is it that athletes who retire always allow other people to write their career obituary?"