About the Off-Season: And Now, the End is Near

About the Off-Season: And Now, the End is Near

By Tim Kabel

January 25, 2024

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As I have noted a few times over the recent weeks, I am in the process of moving out of the home where I have lived for the past 20 years. Simultaneously, my career in child protective services is also coming to an end after 30 years. Oddly, it seems as if these events will occur within days of each other. I am fortunate in that I have only moved my home a handful of times in my life. I have also enjoyed great stability in my career. My career is wrapping up in a perfectly acceptable manner that will provide me with many unexpected benefits. I also have a clear path for my future. All of these changes happening at once got me to thinking about the way professional athletes, and baseball players in particular, end their careers. 

In life, we are often defined by the way we walk out the door, whether it be a personal or professional situation. Let's say you have worked at a job for 25 years with an exemplary record and excellent performance appraisals, but on your last day, you shove your supervisor, and you are walked out by security. Guess what people will remember? No one will ever talk about your 25 years of excellence. They will talk about the day you lost your marbles and pushed your boss. They will talk about the look on your face when security dragged you through the lobby.

Conversely, if you were a slightly above average worker who leaves the job after a long career that wasn't especially noteworthy but also, not problematic to anyone in any way, you will probably get a party or at the very least, a cake. 

In many instances, people in the regular workforce have careers that last thirty or many more years. That is completely unheard of in sports, unless the player in question goes into coaching or managing a team, or even working in the front office. Don Zimmer did not end his career playing second base. He was a bench coach. Most players have careers that last much less than twenty years. Some players clearly go out on their own terms. Mariano Rivera, Derek Jeter, and Albert Pujols are three players who leap to mind. There are others who fade from the limelight and become mere shadows of their former selves. 

Babe Ruth did not end his career as a Yankee. Babe Ruth did not end his career as a great player. The Yankees owner, Jacob Ruppert, did not want Ruth to return to the Yankees in any capacity in 1935. In 1934, Rurh hit his 700th home run. At that time, only two other players had more than 300 home runs - Rogers Hornsby and Lou Gehrig. Ruth wound up the season with a .288 batting average. Ruppert worked out a secret deal with the owner of the Boston Braves, who offered Ruth a contract to be a player and assistant manager. Rupert told Ruth that he would not stand in his way. Ruth later found out that in spring training, Yankees' uniform number 3 had been assigned to George Selkirk and they were using Ruth's old locker to store firewood. 

Think about that. Babe Ruth was arguably the greatest player ever to play baseball. He hit more home runs than entire teams at different points in his career. He retired with almost 400 more home runs than his closest competitor. Many would say he saved the game after the Black Sox scandal. Yet, within minutes of him leaving the team, he was forgotten. All of his accomplishments and everything he had done as a Yankee was swept under the rug. His uniform number was given away and they used his locker to store firewood. I don't care how cold it was. That act was a thousand times colder. 

Many times, fans complain about the massive salaries that baseball players and other athletes earn.True, many of these athletes earn astronomical salaries and become millionaires playing baseball. However, they are paid that amount of money because they have talent that the rest of us don't have. If I wandered out onto the baseball field, even at my utmost peak, no one would have paid a nickel to watch me fumbling around in the outfield. My mother wouldn't have even paid a nickel to watch such a thing. Nor should she have. The careers of these athletes are over in the blink of an eye. I still remember the day Derek Jeter made his Major League debut. I remember his tremendous rookie season. I also remember the last game he ever played. All of those things happened within the boundaries of my own professional career.  

We have to remember that baseball players have very short careers. In many instances, they do not go out on top. There is not always or even usually a farewell tour for players. In many cases, they are released in the middle of a season. Sometimes, they are just not offered a contract for the next year. In many cases, their uniform numbers are given away, as are their lockers. Teams and fans move on. The Yankees do have Old-Timers Day when they remember and honor players of the past, which is wonderful. I always enjoy that day because it brings back a lot of great memories for the fans and the players.  

As much as we love watching young players like Anthony Volpe, Austin Wells, and Jasson Dominguez come up to the Major Leagues, just remember tomorrow is promised to no one.

Success and a long major league career are rare things. As fans, we should enjoy and embrace great players when we see them because they don't come along very often.Their careers do not last forever.

Also remember, if Babe Ruth could be pushed out the door and see his number given away to someone else, and have his locker used to store firewood, it could happen to anybody. So, enjoy watching your favorite players, enjoy watching your team, and enjoy your life. As I heard the comedian Steven Wright say the other night, "The present is a past factory."