It’s been a tough week for my sports heros.

First came the death of the Thoroughbred Chinook Pass. I spent many a glorious afternoon as a teen watching the ninth and 10th races at Longacres. Entry to the track was free after the eighth race, so I’d either go with one of my uncles or appropriate my mom’s car and park for free next to a cow pasture a few blocks away from the track.

Chinook Pass would have to be the best horse I ever saw race in person. He set the world record for the five furlongs on dirt and was an Ecplipse Award winner. I saw him win the 1983 Longacres Mile and actually won a couple bucks on him.

He died at age 31, a pretty good age for a Thoroughbred. He was euthanized after suffering from a high heart rate and showing signs of distress.

Of course, on Wednesday Ken Griffey, Jr., retired. Griffey is the best player I ever saw play in person, and I did see Barry Bonds play in person. As much as I enjoyed Griffey’s return, I wish he had retired after the end of last season. Seeing his teammates carry him around the field at the conclusion of the final game just felt like a fitting end. But he deserved the right to come back and try to extend his career.

Being older than both Chinook Pass and Griffey, I watched their exits with interest and an eye toward picking up tips. Here are the important things I’ve learned:

1. I need to lose a little more weight if my co-workers are to carry me around the newsroom on my last day. I’m not overweight but newsroom employees aren’t known for their feats of physical exertion.

2. If I show up one morning showing “signs of distress,” I don’t want to be taken into the alley and shot. Give me until lunch to make that call.

These two stories also emphasis that it’s better to be an aging baseball star with a multi-million dollar home in Orlando, Fla., awaiting retirement, then it is to be an elderly race horse.

But I already knew that.