Farewell Ichiro

Ichiro is still pretty damn athletic at 45, but with his bat speed severely diminished and his ability to contribute on a day-to-day basis not something to be seriously considered - he finally walked away from the big leagues for good, getting an opportunity take the field as a player when his longtime Mariners played in Japan to start the 2019 season early.

I liked him just like everyone else seemed to - mainly it was because he was all about infield singles, stealing bases, showing off his arm and his defensive skills as a fast-paced contrast to the plodding all-or-nothing players who had one skill [slugging a lot of home runs], but offered little else.

Maybe for years, the media couldn't pin a narrative to Ichiro's career - part of the appeal was the quirkiness and mystery of this far east hit machine who crashed the major leagues at 27, yet was a year-to-year threat to reach the 200-hit plateau that he made up for 'lost years' to reach the 3,000 hit milestone.

Jered Weaver - a tribute to a franchise ace

Weaver was a starting pitcher who to put his heart and soul for the Angels, winning 150 games for the franchise - he was a hot shot rookie posted an 11-2 W-L mark with the Angels in 2006 and established himself as an No. 1 guy several seasons later.

In his prime, Weaver chose to stay with the franchise on a 'hometown' discount - he won 20 games and threw a no-hitter in 2012.

There might have been a natural inclination to compare Jered with older brother Jeff, who was already a veteran MLB pitcher - when Jered was starring at Long Beach State.

However, Jered seemed so much better than his older brother - even if Jered's last couple of years in an Angels uniform were tough, especially as his velocity had drastically declined.

The last time I saw Weaver in-person was when he was with the San Diego Padres in spring training - he was participating in a bunting drill with the other Padres starting pitchers.

No one is going to remember Weaver's final MLB season with the Padres, where he was 0-5 and allowed 16 home runs in 42 innings - it would have been nice for him to enjoy some kind of bounce back season, though that never did materialize and after 12 big league seasons, the 34-year-old made the decision to retire.

Farewell Mark Teixeira - a pro all the way

Though Teixeira has had a fine career, it looks like his body is beat up and is apparently retiring at the end of the 2016 season - his year-to-year numbers have generally been in decline for the past five years.

A one-time Angel in 2008, Teixeira hit .358 with 13 home runs and 43 RBI in 193 at-bats in a 54-game stint after being acquired from the Atlanta Braves near the trade deadline - he provided such a boost with a bat, that it was disappointing [even if any sort of long-term deal wasn't really meant to be] not to see him back with the Angels.

Losing Teixeira through free agency meant the Angels were compensated with a 2009 first-round draft pick - the team used the pick to select Mike Trout, who at 25, continues to build on a monumental career.

The circumstances that gifted the Angels with Trout was something that happened because Teixeira bolted for New York - so there maybe indifference but no real ill will towards 'Tex' after the fact.

After leaving the Angels, I probably hoped Teixeira would be more of an albatross as the years passed by - but in his first season with the Yankees, Teixeira got what he came for when he had another big season and helped the team win a World Series championship in 2009.

Teixeira was a polished college player when the Texas Rangers drafted him in 2001 and was a ready made big leaguer when he made his big league debut in 2003 - he really had some big seasons with the Texas Rangers and I thought he was going to be a superstar for years to come.

2012-13 Panini Threads Tim Duncan

As the most casual fan of professional basketball, I've gravitated towards the flashier, electric players in the NBA - I do have to give the retiring Tim Duncan his due praise because at times, I admire the pros that have gone about their business in a metronomically, consistent way while being the face of their franchise for nearly 20 seasons.

A shout-out to an outgoing great - Kobe

With Kobe Bryant's career spanning through the entirety of my adult life up through this point, he was a pretty big deal - when he was making improbable shots on the court a reality, when he was winning championships with the Los Angeles Lakers and had built up this persona of a world beater who was relentless in his chosen profession.

Because Kobe's Laker teams had decayed over the last 4-5 years as his health had deteriorated - maybe it's easier for him to leave the game now, instead of struggling to hang on for a little bit longer with no apparent pathway to a championship, much less winning, competitive seasons.

Farewell Torii Hunter

He really battled and fought on the baseball field - he had a fantastic MLB career and also starred for five years with the Angels.

Maybe a gripe about Hunter was he was not always PC when it came to things like Latin players and also gays - though I doubt he is the only professional player to have those beliefs, I think writers and bloggers will always try to exploit apparent faults with 'athletes' who end up talking too much for their own good.

Derek Jeter to be out to pasture after 2014

Supposedly this upcoming season will be Derek Jeter's last as a MLB player - while I have no particularly affinity for any of his particular individual accomplishments or 'team achievements' i.e. five championships rings, what I'll miss most about Jeter is the idea that this guy played to win and nothing else mattered.

Jeter was built up as a guy who was great competitor and even though his year-to-year numbers were not quite as dominant as the stat monsters of his era - he had the ability to focus and be in the moment, a guy who came through at the most opportune moments.

He generated hit after hit and made highlight reel plays on defense - even though that part of his game has been derided for years by a collective group of people smarter than everyone else.

Among the other things I'll miss about Jeter are the little clips that might capture his personality, his mannerisms perhaps - the fist pump, and maybe a 'loose, confident smirk' here and there.

Unlike his notable teammate who went on a 162-game sabbatical recently - as 'polished' and maybe as 'made up' as Jeter might be, you'll never catch Jeter talking out of both sides of his mouth.

While Jeter is a pretty private guarded guy off the field with a reputation to uphold - he's also been matter of fact in the interviews I've seen and has always maintained the aura of being this down to earth guy with a responsibility towards the game.

Farewell Vladdy Daddy - a tribute to a great, imperfect ballplayer

Vladimir Guerrero who maybe my favorite player because of his ability to hit the crap out of the baseball with no supposed plate discipline - has apparently has officially retired, according to this news story in Spanish.

He put up fantastic numbers that makes him a legitimate Hall of Fame candidate - his accomplishments speak for themselves and I want to describe Guerrero as 100 percent ballplayer, zero percent BS like Bill James once noted about Don Mattingly.

Still there maybe there were issues left to be desired even with a great ballplayer like Guerrero - the Vlad for public consumption as a Major Leaguer seemed a little self-absorbed in his own world, where perhaps he was more laid back and loose when he came back home to the Dominican Republic.

Guerrero supposedly didn't want to speak English and the language barrier prevented Vlad from being a guy that can step in front of the camera and say some things without an interpreter - as an autograph collector, I found him cold and oblivious when approached unless he was at some paid public appearance.

He wouldn't normally sign autographs unless you were a two-bit autograph dealer paying off his driver at the ballpark - whether or not he signed autographs shouldn't matter, but if a guy isn't approachable under normal circumstances, it's kind of weird cheering him on or collecting his cards.

Did I mention he was a bit older than originally listed, has fathered at least 8 kids and played in the Steroid Era - who knows what he could have been taking, but to his credit, at no period of time has his numbers ever been scrutinized to be suspect.

Featured autograph - Brandon Webb

I got this autograph card through the mail when I wrote to the former ace and recently retired pitcher of the Arizona Diamondbacks back in the mid 2000's - I don't think Webb was a guy who wasn't heralded nationally as the next big thing but stuck around and quietly proved himself to be a very good pitcher.

After Webb won the 2006 National League Cy Young and built upon that with a couple more great years - I thought this guy was living the charmed life, part of a core of young DBacks in the late 2000's that included Conor Jackson, Stephen Drew, Justin Upton, Chris Young, Chris Snyder and Mark Reynolds in the mix.

Those core of Diamondbacks players never really developed as their individual careers sort of went all over the place - in the middle of his prime, Webb's once consistent career was derailed in 2009 and he was never able to throw a MLB pitch again.

I don't know if I followed Webb's career in-depth, but I find it perhaps morbidly fascinating when certain MLB players have enjoyed so much success - but are now 'has beens' or 'what could have beens' or have fans wondering, 'whatever happened to that guy?'

Featured autograph - Kevin Millwood

I was hoping the veteran starting pitcher would be back for his 17th season in the Major Leagues, but it looks like he has decided to retire for now - I was aware of Millwood's status as a rising star in the early 2000's and hoped to get his autograph before he blew up and became a full fledged star.

However, despite some early MLB success, Millwood was never able to emerge as a dominant starting pitcher - he was more of a No. 3 starter at his best and a No. 4 starter as he bounced around several teams during the latter part of his career.

As an autograph signer, Millwood was dependable about signing a couple of cards at a time when approached in-person - even though the novelty of him being more than a serviceable journeyman had faded over the years.

So long Junior - a comeback scenario already being spun?

With his bat speed severely diminished and his ability to contribute to a floundering Seattle Mariners squad seemingly shot - it was time for Ken Griffey Jr. to 'man up' and retire. 

However, it seems harder for professional superstars in all sports to walk away and don't be surprised if there is a buzz of him attempting a potential comeback - even if everyone is paying their tributes and digesting the fact 'The Kid' may no longer roam the Major Leagues as this once happy-go-lucky superstar that had devolved into a shell of himself as he fought through numerous injuries through the 2000s.  

Perhaps Junior thinks he does have something left - just couldn't get his mojo going, with not being able to play every day and had this recent run of bad luck. 

It wasn't going to end up pretty with Junior in Seattle and at least Griffey Jr. did not leave the responsibility to the Mariners - of officially parting ways with what has been a sporting icon in the Northwest.

Officially retired - Frank Thomas was considered one of the best in his era

Frank Thomas announced his retirement on Friday - I remember him going neck-and-neck with Ken Griffey Jr. as the two players considered the biggest hobby stars through much of the 1990s.

A possible blemishes holding 'The Big Hurt' back from first-ballot Hall of Fame status is the designated hitter issue, which should be a somewhat relevant issue for evaluating Thomas as a player - but shouldn't otherwise overshadow his accomplishments [including being two-time MVP in 1993 and 1994, hitting 521 home runs, having .301 lifetime batting average while generating a .419 on-base percentage ].

In his career, 'The Big Hurt' was always selfish about his stats and outspoken about his contract and his perceived value in the early 2000s - he kind of soured on people as his all-world hitting skills somewhat declined.

However, when he was hitting the ball in his peak during the 1990s - the man was considered to be what Albert Pujols is today and every baseball fan / baseball card collector wanted a piece of him. 

His best mainstream rookie card was probably from the 1990 Leaf set [card #300] - as Thomas' popularity waned over the last part of his career and the Leaf's value decreased [maybe around $10 these days, a little more if professionally graded], his 1990 Topps 'no-name on front' was still a well sought-after card by dedicated Thomas collectors.