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I know this isn't a sports forum, but I figure, this being a forum primarily about the greatness of America ... the Astros retired #5 yesterday in honor of a player that dedicated himself to the greatness of the American passtime.

In an era in sports where the headlines are dominated by Michael Vick's dogfighting, Berry Bond's steroids, Terrell Owens' big mouth, the entire Cincinnati Bengals being arrested, and a dozen or so NBA referees in a gambling scandal ... it is nice to be able to honor a true sports hero every once in a while.

Jeff Bagwell epitomized what it should mean to be an athlete these days. He quietly played the game. Along with teammate Craig Biggio, he turned down more money as a display of loyalty to the team that gave him his trip to the big leagues. He took the blame when times were tough, and deflected the credit when times were good. He played through excruciating shoulder arthritis toward the end of his career, and finally helped get his team to a World Series in 2005.

Players like Biggio and Bagwell deserve to be honored for their contribution to the game of baseball - and as a few of the all-too-infrequent ACTUAL role models in sports.