It stung a little to read this morning that Mike Cameron had decided to retire after a 17-year career. I covered Mike from his first day as a Mariner to his last and without a doubt he was one the players I most looked forward to seeing every day on this job. While he wasn't one of the longest tenured Mariners, he was one of the best.

I will never forget the wonder in his eyes as he breathlessly tried to put into words the feeling of replacing Ken Griffey Jr. and roaming the same center field that Junior did. We all worried about the pressure of trying to replace Junior and how Mike would handle it. There is no doubt he felt that pressure early on but his play would take over and he would settle in.

Mike Cameron is one of 15 players in MLB history to hit four home runs in the same game. (AP)

Cammy was real. He told stories of being raised by his grandmother in Georgia. She did an incredible job. I remember hearing stories of fans running into Mike at the grocery store with his two young kids after a game, picking up cereal and milk like the rest of us. Taking a second to listen to what the fan said and thanking them and telling them that he had to get the kids home to sleep. I remember Cammy on the dugout before so many games signing autograph after autograph. I think we all remember the smile. What joy he had he always shared with others around him.

He was an incredible athlete. There is no player I would rather watch show his numbers and head for the center field wall. He was an absolutely beautiful runner. He could track down any ball that wasn't in the seats and some of those weren't out of the question.

There was a picture from the paper after one of the playoff games in 2001 that hung in the clubhouse for a long time that I marveled at for years. The picture shows Cammy leaping high in the air at the top of the ramp to the clubhouse. The clubhouse is a level above the dugout and there are stairs and that ramp that connect it. Cammy sprinted the length of the ramp and then was still able to jump high in the air in celebration at the top. Incredible.

Personally, I owe a big one to Mike. While I was there his first couple of years I wasn't an everyday reporter and to tell the truth I was a little intimidated at times. I tried to fly under the radar and not get in the way as much as I could. In 2002, the last year before I went full time and started traveling with the team, I was sent to spring training for the first time. I didn't know what to expect and was nervous about walking into the clubhouse for the first time. It is one thing to walk through a clubhouse in the regular season when there are 25 guys that you know, and another thing in spring training where the clubhouse is less than half the size and housing 60 players that you don't know.

The first person I saw when I stepped through the door was Cammy. "Hey little lady!" he exclaimed. He then put an arm around me and walked me through the clubhouse. This may seem like a little thing but other players who didn't know me saw that Cammy was OK with me. It gave me a little bit of credibility in that clubhouse and without a doubt settled my nerves.

Cammy was always a favorite interview. He wore his heart on his sleeve and wasn't afraid to be honest. He also had a way with words that couldn't help but put a smile on your face. You may remember his "I am just going to enjoy my enjoyment" quote. Things like that came out of his mouth all of the time. I think his best day on the field led to some of his best quotes.

On May 2, 2002 against the White Sox, the team that brought him up, he hit four home runs, a feat that only 12 other players had accomplished at that point. He was stunned at the names on the list that he had just become a part of.

"I wish everyone in the world could have a day like that, not just in sports, but in life," he said the next day.

"I was chillin', I was like a willow tree in South Georgia, just hanging out in the wind," he said. "At the park that night I was like a kid going out to play baseball. Kids have no future and no past. They just live for the day's game."

Perhaps he is retiring in part is to help one of his kids live for the day's game. Last year in Boston I saw Mike out on the field hours before a Sunday game throwing batting practice to his son Dazmon. A few days ago on Twitter Mike said that making the Nationals was not a sure thing and if he didn't he would be happy coaching his son. That day has come and I wish Mike and his family all the best.

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