The ugly truth about sports goodbyes is they are so often, well, ugly.
The same strengths that forge greats– their drive to keep trying, their urge to prove doubters wrong, their belief they can and will prevail despite Father Time’s undefeated record – can and often do become weaknesses toward the end.
Careers end in injury. They end in slumps that make contracts untenable. They end in sudden retirements meant to save face, or returns from retirements that flop, Tom Brady style.
But every once in a while, a nearly perfect sports ending does occur, and it will be hard to find a better example than the one Albert Pujols and the Cardinals shared in 2022.