The words made it official, but it was the face that confirmed what was coming before David Wright even opened his mouth. He was always a powerful presence. When he was young, Cliff Floyd once called him a “brick-bodied SOB” and wondered if he was bulletproof or made of iron.
Now the face — and the body — looks like any other fit 35-year-old who makes regular trips to the gym and the salad bar. It no longer belongs to a professional athlete. The back did this to him, and the shoulder, and the neck. Time is undefeated anyway, but sometimes it takes a couple of extra swings at you.