Last fall, I wrote arguably my most serious blog post. It was titled A Christian Warrior, and it outlined Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz’s faith, his competitive nature, and the way I have followed his career since I was a child. I ended the post by writing:

Now 38, Smoltz’s time in baseball is winding down. He’s still a great player, but sooner rather than later his time will come. His retirement or – worse – his leaving the Braves to go to another team will be one of my saddest days. His career has spanned the childhood, teenage, and early adult years of my life. To me, he is the Atlanta Braves. I’ll never look at them the same way once he’s gone.

A free agent after the 2007 season, Smoltz signed a contract extension with the Braves today that could keep him with the team until 2010.

If I could dance, I’d be going Michael Flatley, Lord of the Dance on my kitchen floor.