First it was Fidel Castro, then Bobby Knight, now Ric Flair? Who will be the next to leave?

I may not be much of a wrestling fan anymore, but I gotta pay respects upon hearing the news of Ric Flair retiring. I remember watching him hide under the ring in the 1992 Royal Rumble before winning it all, I hadn’t even reached my 10th birthday yet, but Ric was at least 87 years old at the moment. Seeing someone who is so old, flabby, and decrepit and still remain so damned entertaining is brilliant. Not to mention the life expectancy of wrestlers is like 40 years old.

Without Ric Flair, I wouldn’t be able to grab someone, slap them as hard as I can across the chest and scream “WOOOOOOOOOOOO” without being arrested.

Is this the year that all the all the old bastards finally move on to greener pastures? We know Brett Favre is considering retirement, but here are a few folks we wouldn’t mind seeing take a hike as well.

1. Dick Vitale - I was going to say that Dick Vitale’s best contribution to the world of sports was his voice overs for NBA Jam, but I researched it and it was just a guy who sounds like Dick Vitale. So basically Dicky V. is useless… hang it up buddy.

2. Pat Summerall - Pat is like…. in the Al Davis territory of old. When I watch (or listen) to him do play by play for NFL games, I worry that he’s literally going to pass away in the 2nd quarter. I actually like Pat Summerall, but how frightening would it be for someone to kick the bucket on air?

3. Evander Holyfield – I know Evander has been in the news lately, for his potential fight with Mike Tyson, but he really just needs to hit the golf course. Getting punched in the face for a living is NOT something you should do for 20 years straight. I know Evander feels like he can’t retire, because he has like eight kids or something… but at this rate he won’t be alive to see his grandkids.

[thanks to SbB for the tip]