I actually lost a good deal of work on this cartoon and had to redo much of the lines on the sneaker.  Not an ideal situation to be in on the morning of a deadline!  This was the first “true” Geoff the Ref because it incorporated the cartoon, column, logo, and formating.
Geoff the Ref
Monday, October 30, 2006
"Geoff the Ref"

Turning off the Tiki Torch
By Geoff Walter / SNY.tv


Tiki Barber ignited Giants fans' hearts and minds in 1997. Now, 10 years later, he's blowing out the pilot light before it's snuffed out with injuries or the ravages of time set in. Here's your chance to see my take on the arguments for and against the man for whom Giants fans carry a torch and respond with some of your own.
Tiki wants to go out on top.
No doubt Tiki's there already, as he is a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame. The stats he's amassed over his 10-year career are amazing. He has gained 9,434 rushing yards, setting a team-record in 2005 with 1,860 (he was second in the NFL, 20 yards behind Seattle's Shaun Alexander). Barber was 30 during the 2005 season, making him the oldest player in history to rush for 1,800 yards. Tiki also had 530 receiving yards, making him the only player in NFL history with at least 1,800 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards in the same season. His 2,390 total yards were second most in NFL history.
Tiki's bowing out, abandoning the team!
Running backs take a lot of abuse, just ask Curtis Martin. And if you read the papers and the internet sites this past week, so has Tiki. Would you rather see Tiki retire at the height of his career or witness a long, drawn out decline that would just make you pity the guy if he was playing for a team that was at the tail end of the conference? Think of it as 1990s Chicago Bulls Michael Jordan vs. 2000s Washington Wizards Michael Jordan. The point is, if Jordan retired twice at the top of his game, why can't Tiki go out on his own terms?
Barber's retirement might provide inspiration - a "lets win for Tiki" attitude.
This could go either way. The rest of the team could see it as Tiki leaving them in the lurch, but that attitude hasn't been festering. The Giants squad has repeatedly stated that Tiki's retirement will not have an impact on them. They backed that statement up with a 17-3 win over Tampa Bay Sunday. The other side of the coin is that if they take a can-do, "win one for the Gipper" position to get a ring for Tiki in his last year, that approach usually sets up for a big fall late in the year. No Giants fan wants that to happen.
TV? Tiki's gonna be in the booth?
Maybe, maybe not. Tiki has expressed an interest in TV, but he has more journalistic ambitions than being in a booth on gameday doing running commentary. He's already got a sports show that he does with his brother Ronde on satellite radio, and many believe that Tiki has a bright future in either news or sports broadcasting. The question is, can he get enough people to tune in to hear what he has to say? Can you imagine Tiki Barber on the 10 o'clock news or on daytime TV doing the sports or reporting and would you watch?
Final Whistle
Everybody knew this day would come eventually. Every athlete knows that each game is one game closer to retirement. Accept it and plan accordingly. Groom Brandon Jacobs as best you can to succeed Barber, or find someone else to (partially) fill those spikes. If anything, this provides an opportunity for Barber and the Giants to really let loose. Eli Manning summed it up perfectly saying that now Tiki can go all out as he goes out: "Now, we know we can really wear him out this season. We don't have to save anything for next season."
Wanna argue with the Ref? Don't like the call? Go ahead and make your own!