As predicted by this earlier post, first baseman Jeff Bagwell — the greatest player in the 46-year history of the Houston Astros franchise — announced today that he would begin the 2007 season the disabled list and that his arthritic right shoulder probably will not allow him to resume his certain Hall-of-Fame career.
While some consider it sad that Bags’ baseball career is drawing to a close, I prefer to appreciate the opportunity that I had to watch this extraordinary player on a daily basis over the past 15 years. Fearsome slugger, superb defensive player, excellent baserunner — Jeff Bagwell was the entire package. A job well done, sir.

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