These Dodgers veterans deserved a better ending

The greatest pitcher of his generation was a mop-up man. The two-time batting champion entered the game as a pinch-hitter. The all-time home run leader among second basemen played two innings at second base, preceded by a third baseman and followed by a third baseman.

This might have been a retirement party for Greg Maddux, for Nomar Garciaparra, for Jeff Kent, without the streamers and balloons and happy faces. As the Dodgers went home for the winter, losers in the National League Championship Series, three of the greatest players of our time might have gone home for good.

We won't remember them this way.

We'll block out the image of Maddux as a long man, cleaning up the mess left by a twenty-something starting pitcher.

We'll forget that Kent watched the first inning from the bench and the final inning in the clubhouse, with rookie Blake DeWitt starting at second base and Casey Blake finishing there.

We'll erase the memory of Garciaparra striking out as a pinch-hitter, then fouling out for the Dodgers' final out of the season.

As the Philadelphia Phillies celebrated wildly on the field, Garciaparra walked ever so slowly toward the dugout, savoring every moment, pointing to his parents in the stands and tapping his heart.

He fulfilled a dream by playing for his hometown team. The three years were filled more by injury than by stardom, but the seasons bonded him to his parents in a special way.

"It's been a thrill to see my parents here watching batting practice every day," he said. "Now, being a parent myself, I can imagine what they must feel like.

"This is the team they cheered for growing up, and having their son put on that uniform and getting to watch him play? What a thrill for them."

Garciaparra, 35, would not take off his uniform even as he packed up his locker, even as teammates headed for the showers and filed out of the clubhouse. He had played for the Boston Red Sox, and for the Chicago Cubs, and for the Dodgers.

"I've been lucky," he said, "very fortunate and blessed. Look at the three uniforms I've gotten to put on -- probably three of the four most storied franchises in baseball."

It sounded like a retirement speech, but Garciaparra said he had not decided whether he wanted to play next season.