One final farewell

By Kurt Wagner

There are no guarantees in major league athletics. But like the inevitability of death and taxes, there comes a time in every competitor's life to hang up the cleats once and for all. Unlike most professions, where a retiree may receive a card or a party from colleagues, athletes have the luxury – if they are good enough – of that one final farewell: the retirement speech.

On July 4, 1939, a sick yet optimistic Lou Gehrig spoke in front of a sold-out Yankee Stadium crowd, reciting one the most heart-felt and famous retirement speeches known in the world of sports.

In his final season in 2001, Cal Ripken Jr. not only gave a speech at his home park in Baltimore, but was honored in every opposing ballpark around the major leagues on his unofficial "farewell tour." In Seattle, he was given free salmon for life.

And finally, Brett Favre got to give his teary-eyed retirement speech on national television. Twice. Three times. Four times...

I sadly realized in sixth grade that I would never be the Hall of Fame athlete like those mentioned above, but one of the many things right with America's world of athletics is the opportunity for retirees to say goodbye. So as my two year stint as Editor-in-Chief of The Santa Clara began nearing the end of regulation, I started thinking about my own retirement speech, or in this case, retirement column.

So here goes nothing.

For the last two years, I never attended a Wednesday night Santa Clara party. I missed out on weekend trips, I received angry emails and voicemails from people I had never met and I never once went to a Thursday class fully prepared – sorry professors.

I Facebook stalked people for proper name spellings, and I heard more gossip than a high school volleyball team. I met some very interesting and important people including Leon Panetta, Brandi Chastain, Mia Hamm, Janet Napolitano and about 200 students and faculty I would have otherwise never had the privilege of speaking with.

But most importantly, I had the opportunity to help produce 48 individual issues of The Santa Clara with some of the most wonderful friends and co-workers I could have ever asked for.

Looking back on my two years in charge at The Santa Clara, I can confidently say I have made many mistakes. But I can also say with confidence that I have no regrets.

So thank you to those of you who pick up the newspaper every week. Thank you to the faculty and staff who work with us to become better journalists, designers and photographers. And thank you to The Santa Clara staff for making the Wednesday nights so much better than any Santa Clara party.

I may not be headed to the Hall of Fame, but I definitely consider myself one of the luckiest men to have ever played the game.