Warren Spahn

The road out of Hartshorne follows the potholes and wanders in the shadows of aspen. The snow along the way to the Diamond Star Ranch is melting now, and in the first flush of a false spring, the hard, dead earth has turned spongy underfoot, as though to promise that the cold nights will soon be gone and that in the sunshine of summer days anything is possible. But the owner of the Diamond Star could never be patient in February.

EDITOR'S NOTE Laker center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will retire after this season at 42, ending a remarkable career in the National Basketball Assn. He was planning to retire at 40 but changed his mind and returned for two more seasons. Those two seasons have generated a great deal of comment, positive and negative, on his decision, an indication that fans are deeply interested in when, and how, great athletes retire. In this story, Bob Oates explores how some famous athletes feel about it. As his Oklahoma friends observed the other day, cattle rancher Warren Spahn was a National League diamond star when he bought this place, the Diamond Star ranch here in Pittsburg County, 40 years ago. A left-handed pitcher, he was then in the midst of a Hall of Fame career.

Pitchers with no-hitters after age 40: Nolan Ryan: 44 years, 3 months Nolan Ryan: 43 years, 4 months Cy Young: 41 years, 3 months Warren Spahn: 40 years, 5 days Since 1901 there have been 200 no-hitters, including postseason play * Source: World Features Syndicate

Congratulations, Warren Spahn, Don Drysdale, Duke Snider, Harmon Killebrew, Willie Stargell and Brooks Robinson. The class you showed during your baseball playing days has carried over into retirement by not putting a dollar value on your autograph and signing your name for free at last weekend's National Sports Collectors Convention. FRANK H. LIEBERMAN Tarzana

How whimsical to applaud the batting prowess of such pitching stalwarts (Oct. 1) as Lew Burdette (.183), Don Drysdale (.186), Tony Cloninger (.192) and Warren Spahn (.194), while completely ignoring Tommy Byrne (.238), Don Larsen (.242), Mickey McDermott (.252), Freddie Hutchinson (.263), Carl Mays (.268) and the incredible Red Ruffing, who from 1924 to 1947 batted .269 with 521 hits in 1937 times at bat. HENRY COPELAND San Diego

Notable sports accomplishments after 40: 1. Warren Spahn: went 23-7, age 42 2. Pancho Gonzalez: Wimbledon finals, age 41 3. Jacques Plante: 1.88 goals-against average, age 43 4. Nolan Ryan: pitched a no-hitter, age 44 5. Charlie Sifford: first PGA Tour victory, age 45 6. Gordie Howe: 100 points in World Hockey Assn., age 45 7. Stan Musial: batted .330, age 42 8. Ted Williams: batted .316, age 42 Source: World Features Syndicate

A look at pitchers who have hit home runs in the most consecutive seasons. The current pitcher with the longest home-run streak is Atlanta's Mike Hampton, who has one home run this season and has hit at least one since 2001: * Warren Spahn...17 consecutive seasons (1948-64) * Bob Lemon...12 consecutive seasons (1946-57) * Dizzy Trout...11 consecutive seasons (1942-52) * Gary Peters...Nine consecutive seasons (1963-71) * Red Ruffing...Nine consecutive seasons (1928-36) * Wes Ferrell...