A Last Hurrah

The news that Iván Rodríguez has probably played his last game as a Washington National should have been that he has played his last game. Period. Arguably, the best catcher that has ever played the game, Iván should have let this last ovation in Washington be his "last hurrah." But, like so many other great athletes before him, the roar of the crowd has drowned out that little voice that, surely, tells him that he should retire now and stop embarrassing himself, especially at the batter box. Though he is still capable of throwing out almost half of those who dare run against him, his eye-hand coordination, the essential capability to hit consistently, is not there anymore. He has played very few games this year, hit even less, and the idea that he can play three more years, as he has said, is just a fantasy of his. Wanting to reach the 3,000 hit-milestone, being so close, is understandable, but unrealistic, given his diminished capacity to swing the bat properly. In spite of not reaching it, Iván is a sure Hall of Famer, so he doesn't need the aggravation that will surely come his way, should he insist in continuing to play.

My son, the sportswriter, will probably disagree with me on this, but I think that, this time, it's "safe" to say that Iván should go "out" gracefully.