Well, it looks like we won't have Casey Blake to kick around any more. Blake, 38, who played for the Dodgers last season and went to camp this spring with the Rockies but didn't win a roster spot, has made it official: He's not looking to come back. From The Des Moines Register:

My wife (Abbie) has been telling people I’m retired, but I’ve kind of been giving her a look, said Blake, 38, who has played parts of 13 seasons in the majors with five teams before attempting to make the roster this season with Colorado.

But I think I knew in my heart that I am (retiring), but I just haven’t announced it.

--snip--

I just decided to shut it down. And I’m OK with the decision.

Seemed like Blake played forever, and I was surprised to find that he finished with only 613 RBI. I was surprised, too, upon discovering that he initially came up with the Blue Jays. But he got hardly a chance with them, or the Twins, or the Orioles, or the Twins again before finally winning an every-day job with the Indians, when he was 29.

In retrospect, it's obvious that Blake is just one of those guys who proves baseball is not a strict meritocracy; if you believe his triple-A stats, he should have been playing regularly in the majors three or four years before he actually did.

Still, he was an every-day third baseman in seven seasons, and in his peak years, 2003 through 2009, he posted a fine .267/.339/.453 batting line. He did struggle in October, but so did Willie Mays.