It's been a fun ride. In 1987, you were drafted number one overall as the boy-wonder. It was the same year I was introduced to baseball -- sort of. As a kid, I replayed my That's A Winner! tape over and over and over to the point that I knew everything about the 1987 Cardinals.

Just as I got into my rookie season of card collecting, you entered the Major Leagues and finished 3rd in rookie of the year honors. A .264 average with 16 homers and 61 RBI doesn't get you far nowadays, but back then, those numbers were worthy of praise -- especially for a 20 year old kid. Naturally, I was awe-struck by the up arrow next to your $5.00 Donruss Rated Rookie. Likewise for your Score and Fleer rookie cards.

Then there was the Holy Grail. I never could afford it, and always hoped Santa Clause might bring it to me in December, but as the days and weeks and months went by, the up arrow continued ascending. Santa Clause acted like a cheap, fat bastard and made owning the card a pipe dream, and that was okay because I still owned five rookie cards. Don West got a boner on an old episode of Shop at Home when I DIALED DIALED DIALED and told him about my collection. Ditto for when I won the 1990 Upper Deck consolation prize.





As you were mashing homers off the warehouse beyond Camden Yards, I was sharpening my baseball knowledge and harvesting all things Griffey that I could -- I still have the SI season preview with you and Piazza on the dual cover, you with your hat on backwards, Piazza with his hands tightly wrapped around the wood shaft (no shock there). You were always so much cooler and hipper than the rest of the players and somehow remained grounded. Even when a few zealots hounded you about wearing your hat backwards, you didn't change a thing.  Baseball is a game intended to be fun and you never lost site of that. At least, that's what I want to believe.



Here we are in August 2009. You've returned to Seattle to hit .223 with 11 home runs and 33 RBI. The numbers and your choice to return home suggest it's time to start a new chapter in your life. It pains me to say this, Ken, but you need to retire after this season. I think you know this (at least that's what I want to believe) which is why I will be keeping a close eye on the final two months of the season. I'm going to enjoy it in the same way I enjoyed going to the card shop to purchase your cardboard portraits back in the day. Come October, you'll probably retire quietly and drift off into baseball lore.

At least that's what I want to believe.

-- Patrick

Ps: I never realized that you and Stan Musial were born in the same town on the same day. Congrats.