But before preparing for the ultimate series of a grueling season, the Knicks simply wanted to spend Sunday night celebrating what they had done.

It must be galling to have gone through a grueling primary season stretched over months and win the nomination, only to end up losing the election.

Jordan certainly did sacrifice six weeks of his summer vacation after a grueling regular season and two-month playoff run.

At 30 years old and after eight grueling seasons, the 6-9 forward said it was time to change his summer regimen.

It's great to see after a grueling season.

For six grueling seasons, their storied franchise went without a playoff berth, without consistently raucous crowds, without a realistic shot at being good.

Or that Syracuse lost one thriller to Tennessee and won another against Virginia Tech over the course of a grueling season.

But when listeners to WIOD radio here are reminded that Shula's work should be appreciated even more in this grueling season, the people understand.

Most Mets players concede that, despite a grueling 162-game regular season, the finish line appears a lot closer now than it did at this time last year.

"Remember that we went through a grueling season and some guys made plans for trips they couldn't cancel."