Byline: JUAN A. LOZANO
By Juan A. Lozano
The Associated Press
HOUSTON
Craig Biggio feels he has nothing left to prove on a baseball field.
After a 20-year career in which he stayed with just one franchise, played multiple positions at an All-Star level and joined the very elite 3,000-hit club, the Houston Astros infielder said Tuesday he will retire at the end of this season.
'There are a lot of guys that have the game taken away from them by injury,' he said. 'For me to be able to walk away now, on top, on my own accord, I'm very happy with that. I'm in a good place. I think I've done everything that I was supposed to do on a baseball field. I have nothing to be disappointed about.'
During a news conference in which he reminisced about his accomplished career, Biggio said his favorite baseball memory always will be from June 28 of this year.
'The 3,000th-hit night was the best. I'll never forget that,' he said. 'I just can't believe it's over. It's gone by fast. I have no regrets. I played the game the right way.'
Biggio is batting .250 with 24 doubles, six homers and 35 RBIs this season. He has 3,016 hits, four shy of tying Rafael Palmeiro for 23rd place.
A teary-eyed Biggio, the longest-tenured player in Astros history, said he will miss putting on his uniform every day and also will miss the fans.
'I just didn't want families bringing their kids to the game and saying, 'He's just not the same guy we used to watch or the guy we really love and respect.' I didn't want that,' he said. 'I didn't want to be a player that played the game too long.'
Along with teammate and friend Jeff Bagwell, who retired before the start of this season, Biggio led the Astros to four division titles, the team's first NL pennant and trip to the World Series in 2005.
Biggio's 3,000th hit came one day shy of the 19th anniversary of his first career hit, a single off Orel Hershiser on June 29, 1988.
Biggio is the only player in major league history with 600 doubles, 250 homers, 3,000 hits and 400 steals. Biggio is a career .282 hitter. He has already been inducted into the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.
A seven-time All-Star, Biggio starred at Seton Hall and was the 22nd player selected in the 1987 amateur draft. He caught his first four seasons.
He made his first All-Star Game in 1991, but the Astros moved him to second base in 1992, a position he had never played. But he made the All-Star team again, ranking among the NL's top 10 in runs, walks and stolen bases.
After the Astros acquired Jeff Kent in 2002, Biggio moved to the outfield. When Kent left in 2004, Biggio returned to second.
Biggio considered leaving Houston when he became a free agent in 1995 and had an offer from Colorado. Astros owner Drayton McLane said he called Biggio every day for three weeks to persuade him to stay.
McLane said Biggio and Bagwell were the heartbeat of the Astros franchise. He commended Biggio for his intensity, his thrill to win and his desire to reach out to the fans.
'Craig, thanks for the thousands and thousands of memories,' he said. 'We'll be a better franchise because of the years that you were here.'
Biggio, his wife, Patty, and their three children live in Houston .
Biggio said he will be a part of the Astros organization, but his first priority will be to spend time with his family and help coach his two sons.
'A final message to my fans?' he said. 'Thank you. Thank you for opening up your living rooms and letting me in your lives for 20 years, and I love you guys.'
CAPTION(S):
David J. Phillip [bar] the associated press file photo
Houston's Craig Biggio connects for his 3,000th career hit as Colorado catcher Chris Iannetta, left, watches during the seventh inning June 28. 'The 3,000th-hit night was the best,' Biggio said at his retirement announcement Tuesday. 'I'll never forget that.'
