Two items from the world of Major League Baseball caught my eye this past week.

One was the retirement of former-player-turned-legendary Hall-of-Fame announcer Joe Garagiola,

The 87-year-old has been involved in broadcasting for almost six decades — WOW! — but was a part-timer for the Diamondbacks for the last few years.

I thought he already WAS retired from the booth!

I remember him partnering with Tony Kubek on NBC’s “Game of the Week” in the 1970s.

He retired from the playing field after an unremarkable career in 1954 at the age of 28 and has been in the booth in one form or another since. Another one of the great characters from baseball’s past is growing older.

He has also been married for 63 years to his one and only, Audrey.

Good for him!

Now, when will Vin Scully hang up the microphone? And when will the late Reds’ player-announcer Joe Nuxhall join these two legends in Cooperstown?

The second is this one, where no arbitration hearings were needed amongst the 133 players who filed for arbitration in mid-January.

I don’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth but either that is a great sign that there really is labor peace in MLB — I shudder to think! — or the other shoe is ready to drop.

In other words, it’s almost too good to be true and you KNOW what that old saying is …

You think this action may have gotten the attention of the International Olympic Committee last week?

It seems that during a wrestling match amongst the world’s wrestling powers in Tehran, Iran — yes, THAT Iran! — laid down on their mats instead of wrestling as a protest against the IOC’s recent decision to boot the sport out of the Games in 2020.

If that doesn’t get their attention — as well as the growing chorus of voices that are asking if the IOC has lost its collective mind! — then they either must have assumed room temperature or are just … brainless!

The case of Lance Armstrong just seems to be on a never-ending spiral downward.