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While reading this week that two very good players - Lance Berkman and Michael Young - had decided to retire, I started to wonder about the perfect way to go out. Justin Upton Jersey . Berkman and Young both could have kept on playing, but decided the time was right. Ive alway been fascinated by Ted Williams final at-bat for the Red Sox. He homered off Jack Fisher of the Orioles in the bottom of the 8th at Fenway Park on September 28, 1960. "The Spendid Splinter" trotted out to left field for the start of the 9th, whereby his manager Mike Higgins took him out of the game so he could get one last ovation from the fans in the Bosox final home game of the season. Boston rallied for two in the bottom of the 9th to win 5-4. Williams opted to retire immediately and did not go to New York for the final series of the season against the pennant-winning Yankees. So Williams, arguably the best hitter of all time, ended his career with a home run. What I was surprised to discover is this isnt nearly as rare as I thought it would be. Twenty-three American League players have homered in their final at-bat and 22 have done it in the National League. The last to do it was Jim Edmonds on September 21, 2010. A couple of others who accomplished the feat had Blue Jays connections. Wille Mays Aikens slugged his final homer in a Jays uniform on April 27, 1985, and Tony Kubek, star shortstop with the Yankees who later worked on Blue Jays telecasts, homered in his final big league at-bat on October 3, 1965. The saddest of all though was the home run hit by Hall of Fame catcher Mickey Cochrane on May 25, 1937 off the Yankees Bump Hadley. Next time up in the game, Hadley nailed the Tigers player-manager in the head with a pitch. His skull was fractured, and it was weeks before Cochrane recovered. He never played again so for the record, his final official at-bat was also a home run. Mickey - for whom Mickey Mantle was named - returned and finished out the 1937 season as manager only of the Tigers before calling it quits at the end of that season. Cochranes .320 career batting average for a catcher was the all-time record, until the Twins Joe Mauer broke it in 2009. Hitting a home run in your first Major League at-bat is far more common. It has been accomplished 113 times - 47 in the American League and 66 in the National. Twenty-eight were hit on the very first pitch the batter saw. Four were grand slams and 19 of those who homered in their first Major League at-bats never hit another one in their entire careers. Three Blue Jays homered in their first at-bats. Al Woods hit a pinch homer in the Blue Jays first-ever game on April 7, 1977. Junior Felix followed that up nearly a dozen years later on May 4, 1989. J.P. Arencibia, the last in the trio, did it more than 11 years after Felix on August 7, 2010. All three homered on the first pitches they saw. This is the real rarity though, and I didnt even realize it had ever happened before. There are actually two players in Major League history who slugged homers in their first and last Major League at-bats. John Miller, a journeyman first baseman who later played five years in Japan, played parts of two seasons in the Majors back in the 60s. His first was with the Yankees where he hit a homer in his first Major League at-bat and then on September 23, 1969, he connected in his final Major League at-bat for the Dodgers. Oddly enough these were also his only two Major League homers. The first to accomplish the feat was a catcher by the name of Paul Gillespie who was a back-up catcher with the Chicago Cubs during the Second World War in 1942, 44 and 45. He connected for his first in 1942 and then belted his final home run in his final regular season at-bat on September 29, 1945. If you want to add a caveat to Gillespies mark, he did play in the World Series for the Cubs in 1945 - their last World Series appearance - and went hitless in the three games he played. I started with Ted Williams, so let me add this personal footnote. Im not old enough to have seen Ted Williams play in person, however there is a bit of a connection. The first Major League game(s) I ever saw was a doubleheader at old Tiger Stadium in August of 1968 against the Chicago White Sox. Pitching for Chicago in that first game was the man who gave up that final home run to Williams, Jack Fisher. He was nearing the end of his career which would wind up the following season in Cincinnati. This particular night in Detroit wasnt good for Fisher. He only lasted four innings and wound up taking the loss. Strangely enough he gave up a home run to the Tigers Gates Brown. Brown, a veteran by this time, is one of the 47 American Leaguers to homer in their first bat and so it comes full circle. Dud of a Deal Michael Youngs retirement re-ignites the debate over the worst trade in Blue Jays history. This one just might be it. The Jays sent third base prospect Young to Texas along with swing reliever Darwin Cubillan for right-hander Esteban Loaiza. Esteban was supposed to help round out the rotation when he was picked up on July 17, 2000 for a Blue Jays playoff push under manager Jim Fregosi. Instead Loaiza went 5-7 the rest of the way and was basically a non-factor. Adding on the next two seasons with the Jays, he went 25-28 with a 4.96 ERA. Then in 1993, he had the best year of career after signing with the White Sox, winning 21 games and coming close to winning the Cy Young Award. Young, meanwhile, played 14 seasons, was versatile enough to play all four infield positions and wound up with a career .300 batting average. Hes not a Hall of Famer by any means but was a classy talented player who would have been of far greater value to the Blue Jays than Loaiza was. Michael Youngs best friend in his early years in the Jays organiztion was Vernon Wells. Still not sure yet if Vernon is going to try to play out the final year of his contract or like Young, call it a career. Cameron Maybin Blue Jersey . The fourth-year guard from Carleton University kicked off his varsity career with rookie of the year honours in 2011, before racking up three straight Mike Moser Memorial Trophies for outstanding player. Justin Verlander Jersey . The 2005 Paris champion won five straight games in the first set to rally from a 3-1 deficit, hitting 12 winners to only three for Verdasco. Berdych then broke the Spaniard twice for a 5-2 lead in the second set but wasted four match points to let Verdasco level at 5-5.EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Eli Manning participated with the first-team offence Thursday at the New York Giants organized team activity, showing no signs of the ankle surgery he underwent nearly two months ago. "I feel like I can do almost anything football related," said Manning, who took most of the snaps during the workout. "Im not going to take any time off. This is the second day, and I want to see how its responding. There is no swelling, no discomfort, no issues. Im able to go about my business." Manning had ankle surgery in early April after enduring the worst season of his 10-year NFL career. He threw 27 interceptions with just 18 TDs and was sacked a career-high 39 times. The Giants finished 7-9. The ankle bothered Manning for most of the season and knocked him out of the final game against the Washington Redskins, the first time Manning went to the sideline because of an injury in his career. "My goal was always to be back for the OTAs," Manning said. "The doctors said that I needed seven weeks after surgery. They didnt tell me that I wouldnt be ready, but I had it in my mind that I should be ready. After three weeks, I knew I was feeling pretty good." The Giants are installing a new version of the West Coast offence under the guidance of new offensive co-ordinator Ben McAdoo. "It has been a learning experience for me and for everyone, learning the new offence," Manning said. "I like it. Everything about it makes sense. Weve made some good plays over the last two days. Its still the early stages, but I like where were headed." Giants coach Tom Coughlin isnt surprised by Mannings progress. "When he first started, we tried to slow him down," Coughlin said. "But he wants to go. We thought the progress would be slow, but hes so far ahead. There may be a day where hes a little sore, but he hasnt shown it yet. " Manning believes that he made the right decision having the surgery. "It feels a lot better than it did," Manning said. "Its why we went ahead and hhad the surgery. Daniel Norris Tigers Jersey. Theres no discomfort. Im running and doing drills. I dont want to have to worry about the ankle. I thought I might miss some time, but I didnt want to. "After a while, I was able to do certain things without pain. After three weeks, I was able to do about 15 to 20 drops and I felt good. I thought I could be here. I wanted to be smart and not rush it if I wasnt ready. The goal now is not to have any setbacks. Ill continue to monitor it, rehab it. I still have some work to do." Hes not the only Giant player making a comeback from surgery. Defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul spent the off-season rehabbing a shoulder injury after back surgery last June. Having lost 20 pounds down to 275, Pierre-Paul feels fit and ready to return to his All-Pro status. "I feel great," said Pierre-Paul, who had only two sacks in 11 games last season. "Nothing is bothering me. Its all behind me. I know I wasnt at 100 per cent last year. Its a new season, a team with a lot of new faces. Im ready to go out there and show everyone what I can do." Running back David Wilson had neck surgery after the first-round pick out of West Virginia played five games in 2013, collecting only 146 yards. Doctors said at the time that his surgery was possibly career-threatening. "The doctors are worried about me bumping into someone or falling down," said Wilson, who is still prohibited from enduring any contact until his next MRI on Wednesday. "I feel great, but its out of my hands. I just have to rest." Wilson participated in some light drills Thursday. "Hes out there running and hes looking good," Coughlin said of Wilson. Safety Stevie Brown, who had left knee surgery last fall after tearing it in preseason, wore no brace. "One of the first things I did when I first started rehab was not having to rely on any brace," said Brown, who was second in the NFL in interceptions with eight in 2012, before missing all of last season. "I did things slowly without a brace." 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