Ripken said he did not want people to be sad, but I have to be, both because The Streak is over and because of the way it ended.

That said, would Ripken's motivation, even if it were impure, diminish his accomplishment? Probably not. Ultimately, the guy still played in 2,632 consecutive games. If I were an employer and had a worker who did not miss a day of work in 17 years, I don't think I would care why he showed up, especially if he were one of the best in the business. Perhaps that makes me a hypocrite.

Ironically, however, Lou Gehrig--the man who held the record for most consecutive games played until Ripken broke it in 1995--also ended his streak by pulling himself out of the starting lineup on May 2, 1939. But Gehrig, a career .340 hitter, was batting .143 in 1939 and suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the illness that would eventually take his life and bear his name. Gehrig took the day off because he wanted to help his team.

Ripken, however, is a career .276 hitter who was batting .275 this season--hardly a slump. In fact, Ripken has been on fire for the past two months. He is batting .358 in his last 52 games, and his .978 fielding percentage leads all American League third basemen this year. The Iron Man apparently had different motivations than the Iron Horse, but perhaps these facts also provide an explanation of another sort.

Throughout this season, Baltimore columnists have called for Orioles manager Ray Miller to bench Ripken, saying that he was contributing to the Orioles' underachievement. The numbers seem to indicate otherwise, so perhaps those columnists should seek alternate employment.

But maybe Ripken decided that now that his team's season was effectively over, he would end The Streak so that it would not be an issue next year. That would have been a noble motive, but Ripken didn't mention it.

All Cal had to say was, "I didn't want Ray Miller to have to sweat during the offseason about playing me next year." That would have been fine. "I was just tired and wanted a day off," would have been perfectly acceptable also. But Ripken didn't say that either. Then again, maybe he didn't have to.

The bottom line is that Cal Ripken, Jr. has set a standard for dedication, consistency and excellence that will probably never be equaled. And the truth of the matter is that the nature of a record such as The Streak makes it difficult to ignore during its existence--it would have been unrealistic to expect Ripken to endure The Streak without ever allowing it to influence him to some degree.

Still, part of me wishes that it had ended differently. Maybe I am just bitter that it's over. After all, is there any ending that would have really pleased me?

Maybe it is because of the enormous amount of respect I hold for Ripken that I now question his action. Maybe, like Anaheim Angels' outfielder Tim Salmon, I am just bothered by the fact that I cannot figure out what Ripken was thinking.

Salmon said of the end of The Streak, "I just don't understand. To sit out just to break it does not make sense."

It does not make sense to me, either. But does it really have to? No.

The reality is that after 17 years and 2,632 games, Cal Ripken, Jr. has earned the right to end The Streak as he sees fit. Even Salmon realizes that.

"Maybe he just wanted to break it on his own terms instead of missing a game because of injury," Salmon said.

Maybe he did. Maybe he earned the right to. But he should have said that. But maybe he earned the right not to.