"At quarter to three on Tuesday, more than four hours before game time, Trevor Hoffman emerged from a loading dock underneath Miller Park and bolted into the sunshine. He wore mesh shorts, sunglasses and no shirt, and after a 15-minute jog he was back inside, tossing a football - left-handed - with teammates on the field. Then he ran a few pass patterns.

This is how Hoffman began his first workday after the 1,000th appearance of his probable Hall of Fame career. He did not know how he would finish the day, but he knew it would not be as the Milwaukee Brewers' closer.

"You kind of have to recreate it a little bit," Hoffman said later, by his locker. "I haven't had to worry about that for about 16 years.""