ARLINGTON - Retirement press conferences are the worst.
They are stilted and manufactured and, these days, often feature a player who already retired signing a meaningless one-day contract to retire all over again. The retiree usually reads something prepared that sounds nothing like himself. At some point, there is a pause during which the athlete either chokes up or breaks down.
When questions come, they are often tinged with pity for a broken-down player trying to place his just-ended career in context.
And then there is Adrian Beltre.
On Friday morning, at precisely 11 a.