There now is hope for all the journeymen in sports.

For any player who has changed teams more than Todd Zeile, for any athlete who has been on the road more thanJack Kerouac, immortality is just a jersey retirement ceremony away.

Kevin Durant, who spent one season on the Texas Longhorns basketball team because, well, the NBA made him, had his No. 35 jersey retired by the university recently.

Sure, Durant was dominant in his lone season in the Lone Star State, but it was only one season, after all.

The moment he was permitted to bolt to the NBA, he was gone. Davy Crockett had a longer stand in Texas.

Was five months on the basketball court worth an honor that had been reserved for the likes of EarlCampbell, RickyWilliams,Roger Clemens and T.J. Ford?

The administrators at Texas thought so.

This establishes a dangerous precedent. Imagine the hoards of one-year-wonders who will demand their digits be hung from the rafters.

Here are a few frightening possibilities:

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Ramon Martinez's No. 38, Pittsburgh Pirates. Pedro's older brother made a big impact on the Buccos in 2001. His 8.62 ERA and 16 walks in 15X\c innings pitched got him jettisoned in May.Jason Bay last wore the number until a trade sent him to the Red Sox in July, thus making the retirement of No. 38 fitting because the swap retired any hope the Pirates had of notching a winning season.•

Jeromy Burnitz's No. 3, Pittsburgh Pirates. Well, maybe not. If the Pirates retired the number of every washed up, way-past-his-prime veteran who spent one year setting the club back five more, they wouldn't have enough jerseys to dole out.•

Brett Favre's No. 4, New York Jets. Probably a waste of time. The number would just come out of retirement in August.•

Keith Hernandez's No. 17, Cleveland Indians. Rarely has a player been so loathed by a city as Hernandez was inCleveland.That deserves a jersey retirement ceremony, no?Hernandez hit .200 with one homer and eight RBI in 130 at-bats with the Indians before a back injury mercifully ended his season.He did have a special place in the hearts of Tribe fans, though. Hanging below the seats in the upper deck down the left-field line was a banner that read: "Keith Hernandez Fan Club."The seats always were empty.•

Scoop Gillespie's No. 26, Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers don't formally retire jersey numbers. They simply stop handing them out. Numbers 12, 32, 52, 58 and 75 were last worn by the legends who made them famous.Gillespie belongs in that group, not because he was a great player, but because he had a great name.What's a better name for a football player than Scoop Gillespie, who played just one fleeting season with the Black and Gold?If Durant can get his number retired after one year, why not Scoop — Gillespie that is, not the Butler Eagle mascot.Mike Kilroy is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.