Breaking from Politics for a Sports Story

If Kevin Drum of The Washington Monthly can spend several days at a science fiction convention, I can take five minutes to write on one of my favorite football players: Jerry Rice. Here's the story from AP by way of MSNBC:

Receiver Jerry Rice will retire as a member of the San Francisco 49ers next week.

Rice, who holds most of the significant NFL receiving records, won three Super Bowls during 16 years with the 49ers. He will sign a contract Thursday at the 49ers’ training complex before making his retirement official, the club officially announced Saturday. The wideout will be honored again during halftime of the 49ers’ game against the Seattle Seahawks on Nov. 19.

Gary Radnich, a local TV sportscaster, once ran a tape of most of Rice's touchdown catches to that point in his career. Jerry caught the passes low, he caught them high, he caught them all alone, he caught them in crowds: it was amazing footage to watch. He's a player many of us will long remember.