Wayne Gretzky called it a career last week when, after 20 years, it became obvious his body, and his psyche, had had enough. Now it's nearly official that John Elway will retire from the Denver Broncos because there are no more mountains left to climb, no guarantees of a third straight Super Bowl title and no magic elixirs to heal the pain of 16 hard seasons. Even Cal Ripken, baseball's indestructible man, is looking frail and beaten by a bad back that could force his retirement as well. No one is immune. No matter at what level they play, no matter how they thoroughly dominate the game, no matter how many championship trophies end up on the mantel.
Time always wins.
It may take longer for some than others, but it always wins. With a deck stacked like that, it has to win. We remember Jordan with hair, flying through the air and playing a game few of us recognized. We remember Gretzky, a baby-faced kid who handled a hockey stick as though it was an extension of his arm. We remember Elway and that horsy grin of his, throwing passes in places where passes should not be thrown.