Mixed messages.

What we got here is... failure to communicate.
Quote from the movie Cool Hand Luke.



Upon breaking the ring finger on his right hand Sunday night, Dallas Cowboys WR Terrell Owens figured he’d miss a few games as a result. In fact, during a post game interview after the Cowboys 27-10 win over the Washington Redskins, Owens seemed certain he’d be out “2-4 weeks.”

However, Cowboys coach Bill Parcells had a rather different outlook. Parcells said he's optimistic that Owens will be back at work next week and catching passes a week from Sunday against Tennessee.


Meanwhile, in Major League baseball this past week:


Detroit Tigers second baseman Placido Polanco said Monday he hopes to play this weekend at Kansas City, contradicting his assessment a day earlier when he stated he was finished for the season because of a separated left shoulder.

"I was very confused yesterday," Polanco said. "I said it because I was really frustrated about a lot of things. We had just lost the game that we should have won, I'm not able to do anything and my arm is extremely hurting."

A contrite Polanco said a cortisone shot he got Saturday, the first of his career, had initially caused him pain that was similar to the discomfort he felt in the days following the injury. That's one factor he blamed in his premature season-ending declaration. He was also upset by the Tigers' 10-inning loss to the Baltimore Orioles.


To quote character Crash Davis in the 1988 baseball tale Bull Durham:

“Don’t think. It could only hurt the ball club.”

It would seem apropos to apply that philosophy to all professional athletes.