Not to see them win one more batting title. Or earn one more gold glove. Just to see them out there playing baseball. If these two great players, my contemporaries, are on the field, then they're not old - and, by extension, I'm not old either. After all, sports are a young man's game.
Nobody wants to see a ballplayer using a bat as a walking cane.
Or, handing the first base coach his batting gloves, shin protector and teeth after a hit. So, it seems best to say good-bye, good luck and thank you to these two great players, these two fine gentlemen as they enter the last week of their Hall of Fame careers. One of the many, many things that Americans do better than anyone else is laugh. I hope this week's column gives you cause to laugh - if even for just a moment. And thanks, Kevin, for reminding me of the importance of laughter and the role of this column.