When I think of Phil Niekro, two things come to mind. I don’t think of his knuckleball. I don’t think of his 318 wins. I don’t think of his Hall of Fame plaque.
No, when I think of Phil Niekro, who died Saturday at age 81, I think of how he pitched successfully after he'd been labeled a has-been by his own team, and how, after it became clear several years later that he was no longer a major league-quality pitcher, he returned to that team for one last game because he couldn’t bring himself to retire in any other uniform.