The Good, Bad, Ugly on Comebacks

A look at several successful returns...

Lance Armstrong: Beats cancer, goes on to win third consecutive Tour de France.

Tony Bennett: Credit Generation Xers for making crooner a legend once again.

Jennifer Capriati: Troubled teen years behind her, she wins Australian and French opens.

Grover Cleveland: Won the popular vote in 1888 but lost the electoral vote. Four years later, he returns to take back the White House.

Bill Clinton: The Comeback Kid.

George Foreman: At 45, he became the oldest heavyweight champion, regaining the title 20 years after he lost it.

John Glenn: The first American to orbit the Earth, at 77 he became the world’s oldest astronaut when he returned to space.

Tommy John: Dodger pitcher undergoes experimental ligament transplant surgery in 1974, and continued to pitch until 1989. Groundbreaking procedure is now named after him.

Michael Jordan: Left the NBA after his father was slain by thieves in 1993, made his minor league baseball debut in 1994 and returned to the Chicago Bulls in 1995.

Mario Lemieux: Penguin owner returned from retirement to help propel his team to the NHL playoffs.

Gen. Douglas MacArthur: Fulfilled his 1942 vow to the war-ravaged Philippines: “I shall return.”

Richard M. Nixon: The 1960 loss to John F. Kennedy was followed by a 1962 failure to win the California governorship. But in 1968, he emerged to claim the White House.

“Nutty Professor”: The 1996 remake of the 1963 Jerry Lewis vehicle grosses more than $250 million worldwide.

Carlos Santana: A Woodstock veteran largely written off by the music industry wins eight Grammys with “Supernatural.”

John Travolta: Remember “Perfect”? “Urban Cowboy”? “Two of a Kind”? How about “Pulp Fiction”?

Volkswagen Beetle: Like bell bottoms, Apple computers and disco, the beloved bug was embraced by sentimental fans.

...And several sports figures who tried and failed:

Bjorn Borg: Accompanied by a wooden racket, he makes a brief, unsuccessful attempt in 1991.

Jim Bouton: He wins few friends with a tell-all book, “Ball Four,” then stages a short-lived comeback with the Atlanta Braves.

Jim Palmer: Abandons effort after exhibition start early in spring training in 1991, eight years after his last major-league start.

Mark Spitz: Considered one of the greatest swimmers in history, his fame in the 1970s has been likened to Jordan’s. Tarnished when he tries to make the U.S. Olympic team in 1992 after a 17-year-retirement.