It is always sad to see a talented player leaving his respective sport, and after seeing Mariano Rivera announce his retirement earlier this year, I don’t know if I can take the loss of the Rockies’ Todd Helton.
After playing all 17 years of his career with the Rockies, Helton is easily one of the most dangerous players with a bat in his hand and is the real deal at first base.
The man is 40 years old with a lifetime average over .310, which speaks for itself. No one has the calm but determined demeanor of Helton at the plate or at first base, where he earned three gold gloves and was one of the most dominate first basemen to play the game.
It's players like this who we need to see more of in baseball; quality players who do not need performance enhancers to be a respected, talented athlete.
I would have loved to see Helton achieve 3,000 hits before he retired, but he won't, and I still think it would be a travesty if he does not end up in the hall of fame.
It is not common to see such an extraordinary player come into the game, and seeing him leave this season will be tough for any baseball fan.
Reach the columnist at nkwit@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @nolankwit
