Nothing is permanent, especially sports 'retirements'

As Brett Favre is reminding us, retirement doesn't really mean retirement anymore. It's just a brief break before you make your comeback. Here are some other greats we'd like to see "un-retire."

Michael Jordan: The king of comebacks is overdue for another one. Besides, couldn't he still start for the Clippers?

Dick Butkus: Another Chicagoan who's still got game. Bad wheels? Just prop him up behind the line of scrimmage and let him gnaw the heads off rookie running backs. I'd watch that.

Cal Ripken Jr.: Have the Baltimore Orioles had a hit since?

Babe Ruth: Dead, you say? Here's what we do: Take some of his DNA, put it in a petri dish, add a splash of Jameson's and stand back. Waaaaaaaay back.

Harry Caray: See above. Holy Cow!

Chick Hearn: In fact, bring back all the old-school announcers, who make the current crop of broadcasters seem like a bunch of soap opera stiffs.

Sid Luckman: The legendary QB is no longer with us either. But even a dead man completes more passes than Rex Grossman.

Jim Brown: Just long enough to see an atomic collision between him and Butkus. I'd watch that.

The Green Hornet: So much cooler than Batman. And "Black Beauty" always got better gas mileage than the Batmobile.

Judith Light: TV just hasn't been the same since this leggy sitcom actress ended her "Who's the Boss?" reign. Besides, couldn't she still start for the Clippers?

chris.erskine@latimes.com