After saying that he's 75-percent leaning toward not retiring and playing hockey again next season, all-time star of the Dallas Stars Mike Modano is now thinking the unthinkable - putting on the sweater of another team.
Mike Modano, Detroit Red Wings? Criiiiiiiiiiinge.
It's still a situation of if he plays and if the Stars can't fit him into their plans, but it's a real possibility. And a real awkward, bothersome possibility. Right?
I grew up in an era where Roger Staubach would've had his left leg amputated before playing for the hated Washington Redskins. But with free agency and agents and marketing conglomerations and players' unions and cross-pollination and "I" before "team," these days there is no brand loyalty other than the fans to their teams.
Think about it.
We're experiencing a little of this in the radio world, where 105.3 The Fan is attracting some old 1310 AM The Ticket listeners because of Greg Williams switching teams (before you start in, yeah, I know it ain't me.)
Was it a better sports world when the player you love today had no chance of being the one you hate tomorrow? Or, like Jerry Seinfeld surmises, does it really even matter because all sports fans do anyway is cheer laundry?
Tony Dorsett was a Denver Bronco, Emmitt Smith an Arizona Cardinal, Pudge Rodriguez a Detroit Tiger, Calvin Hill actually was a Washington Redskin and Troy Aikman was almost - almost, I said - a San Diego Charger.
And, of course, Brett Favre is a Minnesota Viking.
It goes both ways, as we've been grudgingly forced to treat as our own arch enemies from other teams like Vladimir Guerrero (Angels), Avery Johnson (Spurs), Devean George (Lakers), Terrell Owens (49ers, Eagles), Deion Sanders (49ers) and Brett Hull (Blues).
Still, it's just uncomfortable to ponder the unponderable:
Dirk Nowitzki as a San Antonio Spur, Michael Young as an New York Yankee or Mike Modano as, well, anything but a Dallas Star.
