The heading for this post comes from the movie "The Sandlot Kids" of all places, but appropriately describes how Shane Warne will be remembered in the world of cricket.
This won't be a long dissection of Warne's career, his achievements or whether his personal life somewhat marred his onfield work. Simply put, Warne needs to be mentioned in the same breath as Don Bradman when discussing the greatest cricketer of all time. He has re-defined the leg spin craft, making it a much more popular discipline among young players (myself included, as I have been known to weave the odd leggie and wrong'un). He has won every possible individual accolade and been crucial in the dominance of the Australian cricket team over the last decade.
Warne is one of the best characters in world sport, and as shown by his performance in his retirement conference today, is surprisingly eloquent for a man who has been attacked so much for his persona and public profile. He will stay involved in the game for years after this, likely making large sums from commentating and his various endorsements, but more than anything his intense competitive spirit and creative means of winning a match will be remembered by the masses for a long time to come.
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