"Baseball is played without a clock. But you don't need a watch to tell it's almost time for Todd Helton to go.

The bat in his strong hands has betrayed him.

This is destined to be the toughest goodbye in Rockies history.

Deep in his heart, however, Helton must know: The greatest player ever to wear purple pinstripes needs to hang up his No. 17 Colorado uniform and retire.

The truth has become so obvious, you can see Helton is done with your eyes closed.

Why? The sound of the bat never lies. And the sound of the Helton's once-splendid bat connecting with a pitch is now a dull thud. Baseballs that once happily skipped to the outfield wall, launched from a beautiful swing by Helton, now go to die meekly in the glove of a shortstop.

In recent years, Helton has tried everything to get his groove back. He has spent countless hours in the batting cage. Checked in with the doctor to fix his bad back. Traveled to Casper and back, searching for lost youth.

Nothing has provided more than temporary relief from the nagging suspicion Helton will never again hit .300 and we should savor his next home run trot as if it might be the last one.

Has Dan O'Dowd ever faced a more delicate task in all his years on the job as Colorado's general manager?

As we all know, the Rockies don't have the luxury of an unlimited payroll. They cannot afford a first baseman no longer capable of blasting even 10 homers or driving home 50 runs during a 162-game campaign.

A major-league team on a budget won't be able to get on with its future until Helton is in its past."