Michael Cera Quotes

I think there's nothing sadder than a pro athlete who plays past his prime.

You don't see too many attacking flair players continuing until their mid-30s at a high level.

Some guys go to different teams and as they get older, they just want to ride the coattail of the younger guys. I don't want to do that.

My athleticism will go away some day. I'm gonna be old one of these days, so I'm going to be able to use those post moves.

You've got to remember, the older you get the slower you get. I've seen a lot of players get old ... if I can have a good season in 1972 and come back with another good one, well, that's different. I might not quit. But two bad ones back to back and staying home would be written on the wall.

Derek Jeter is one who played for such a long time, and David Ortiz in Boston is doing it right now.

I retired at 35 in '98 and thought, 'There's only one place to go, and that's downward.' I retired at a good level. I was at peace after 15 years - I was lucky to play that long.

I always think of it in terms of music. You're not always going to be a huge rock star in music, but musicians can play until the day they die. With sports, it's different. You can't always do it until the very end, and that's a hard reality of sports.

I can't see myself playing as a 36-year-old.

Being in the league six years, things have kind of slowed down for me.

I'd love to be a Giant for the rest of my career.

Boxing does not favor boxers over 35 who rely on reflexes.

I have seen a lot of top players being forced to retire in not very pleasant circumstances, and I don't want that happening to me.

For me, I just focus on playing, playing at a high level. And when you can't do that any longer, you've got to get off the train.

To say a player is past it at 29, 30 isn't right.

I can play until I'm 40. But I won't.

Sometimes guys peak early. They get drafted higher, and they make it to the NFL, and they don't have a lot of growth.

I find it quite sad to see the likes of Evander Holyfield carrying on past their sell-by date.

Obviously, I want to be a Steeler for my whole life.

That's the thing: You'll lose your legs, your athleticism, but if you can shoot - definitely from 3 - you can play into your high thirties.

It's hard to know when to call it a day as a footballer.

Wives of ballplayers, when they teach their children their prayers, should instruct them to say: God bless mommy, God bless daddy, and God bless Babe Ruth! He's upped daddy's paycheck by 15 to 40 percent!

The reality is that players can't play forever.

I managed 26 years and found out when I retired I didn't own the game. I thought I owned it when I was managing all those years. You can climb to the top of the mountain, get down on your knees and kiss the ground, because you'll never own that mountain. That mountain is only owned by one single person, and he'll never give it up. That's the way baseball is.

Retirement wasn't a reward at the end of a well-run career ... it was a void surrounded by endless dull hours, haunted by memories of work.