Instead, he agreed this past spring to the four-year extension and said all the right things about being part of the team's latest rebuilding plan. It just didn't look for a while as if he believed it.
Now, we know there was more to it than that. The whole first half of the season was an uphill battle to get completely healthy. He came out of training camp with a sore left oblique and an upper-respiratory infection that returned and dogged him for a month at midseason. He also struggled with back spasms at one point and suffered a bruised shin in a May collision at second base with Toronto Blue Jays catcher Rod Barajas.
It was one thing after another, which might or might not explain a number of uncharacteristic on-field mistakes over the course of the season, but it should tell you that the guy didn't quit on his team - another popular theory rattling around the blogosphere. Even during his most difficult days, he put up solid numbers, and - trust me - he wouldn't be on his way to one of the highest all-time single-season doubles totals if he didn't put it all out there day after day.
