We’re witnessing the end of an era

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If there’s one thing we learn over years of watching baseball it’s that no one is bigger than the game. It sounds cliche — and it certainly is — but it’s also the truth. No matter how great and how popular a player is, the sport will continue even in that player’s absence. It continued after Babe Ruth. It continued after Ted Williams. It continued after Ken Griffey, Jr. It will continue after Manny Machado, Bryce Harper, and Mike Trout. With that being said, certain players hold a special part of baseball history, and the game is losing a bunch of those guys in one fell swoop this year.

The latest name to join this list is arguably the saddest one. Prince Fielder is neither the best player in the retirement club, nor is he the most beloved either nationally or locally. However, his circumstances make this the hardest to endure, as he’s only 32 and is being forced to leave the game because of injury. He’s a bit younger than the likes of David Ortiz, Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixeira, but he’s still part of their era. When you think of the best hitters of the mid-to-late-2000’s through the early 2010’s, these are some of the names you think of.

Rodriguez and Ortiz are obviously the biggest names of this group of retirees, and we could call this the end of an era even if just these two were hanging it up. Adding in players like Teixeira and Fielder just add to the talent we are losing at the end of this season. For fans that were born in the early-'90s, they grew up watching these players dominate the game in fun and unique ways. Baseball will surely go on without them, but every day it seems as if we’re losing another piece of our childhood.

• The end of Rodriguez’s career bring with it a lot of reflection, including a look back at many, many weird moments. Like, arguably way too many weird moments.


• Boston was supposed to honor Ortiz with bobbleheads on Tuesday, but after seeing them they decided that was a bad idea. They ... uh ... they made the right choice.


• There is already a new era in Pittsburgh, one that now demands winning. The team hasn’t caught up with that urgency, though.


• Buster Posey is incredible at baseball, and an incredible athlete. He’s a better athlete than you. He’s certainly a better athlete than me. Is that enough caveats? Good. Let’s all laugh at him face planting during a slide.


• Yasiel Puig had some fun on Snapchat after a Triple-A game, and some controversy followed that. This is the new era in a nutshell.


• The White Sox have been disappointing for most of this season, but at least they have two arms who should figure into the Cy Young race.


• Cleveland, meanwhile, may have to continue their playoff chase without Michael Brantley.


• The Cardinals are over .500 and in the thick of the playoff race. That isn’t good enough in St. Louis, and it may be time for them to get rid of their manager.


• Oakland received Jharel Cotton in the Rich Hill/Josh Reddick deal, and he started his career in a new organization by losing a perfect game with two outs in the ninth. A’s won the trade.


• After spending the majority of his early career as a disappointment, Mike Zunino might finally be figuring things out.