It looks like Frank Thomas has finally realized the obvious and will be officially announcing his retirement from Major League Baseball later today.  Considering that he didn't play at all last year and he's 42 years-old, the announcement comes as neither a shock nor a surprise to anyone except maybe the Big Hurt himself.

Thomas has a lot to be proud of. A  .301 career batting average.  521 career home runs.  1,704 RBI.  1667 walks.  An on base percentage of  .419 and a slugging percentage of .555

If the numbers don't dazzle you, realize the most important thing about Frank Thomas: He did it without juice.  In all the conversations and all the lists, the name Frank Thomas doesn't come up.  He's clean.  And those numbers make Frank one of the most feared right-handed hitters of all-time.

In an era of cheaters, Frank played it straight. 

Surely, he's a first ballot hall of famer.  So, he played more games at DH then he did at first, but he did have injuries late in his career.  But to deny him the hall on his first shot would be a travesty, simply by virtue of the fact that in the steroid era, he was clean. 

My fondest Frank memory?  The 1994 home run hitting contest in Pittsburgh when he hit bomb after bomb after bomb.  And I mean BOMB.

With any luck, the White Sox will embrace the Big Hurt again, retire his number and make him a minor league hitting instructor.  He would surely be able to teach youngsters how to hit and to do it without chemical help.