Sacramone BALONEY!!

I'm sure that I'll be blasted by fans of Alicia Sacramone, but I could care less!!

Sacramone: 'Unfinished business' ends retirement

Beijing Olympian Alicia Sacramone, who had announced her retirement from competitive gymnastics, told NBC Sports she plans to return to the gym with a goal of competing in the 2012 Olympic Games.

Sacramone’s 2008 Summer Games didn’t go as planned -- the former world floor champion failed to advance to the individual final, and she fell twice during the team final (beam and floor), in which the U.S. finished second to China.

Sacramone, 21, cites "unfinished business" as her primary reason for returning. "I obviously didn’t have the best showing at the Olympics," she said, “and I want to prove to myself and to others that I can do better."

Sacramone, who will be 24 in London, has spent the last year making appearances, recuperating from shoulder and knee injuries and exploring her options in fashion and acting. Sacramone expects to return to the Boston area, where she is from, to train, and plans to transfer from Brown University to another school.

The 2009 Visa (U.S.) Championships begin Thursday for the women in Dallas. While Sacramone will not be competing, Olympic all-around champion Nastia Liukin is expected to compete on bars and beam. This is a home meet of sorts for Liukin, who lives and trains in the Dallas area. She has said she plans on competing through the London Games.

Contenders for the U.S. all-around title include Olympic silver medalist (team) Bridget Sloan and alternate Ivana Hong, who has recently relocated to the Dallas area to train alongside Liukin. Shawn Johnson, who won four medals in Beijing, including beam gold, will also be a spectator in Dallas. Johnson has not made a decision regarding her future in the sport, but says she plans to return to the gym to evaluate whether she still has the desire to compete at the elite level.

She retired, and now she wants back in to "prove" to the world that she's worthy!! Give me a break!!

First of all, perhaps someone should point out to her that she must EARN a spot on the team for the 2012 Olympics. When the time comes, we'll see if she's good enough to go to London. If she's not good enough and others are, she better not be given a spot on the team just so that she can attempt to "redeem" herself.

Second of all, why do these athletes all talk about coming out of retirement to "prove" something. If she wants to compete, fine!! But compete because you really want to be there, not because you have something to PROVE!!

She reminds me of Michelle Kwan. She didn't like the medal that she got so she kept coming back, and in the end she never got what she wanted.

So the question must be asked. If she EARNS a spot for London and doesn't win there, is she going to retire and then come back to "prove" something in 2016? What about 2020 and beyond?

When does it end?