Of course, not everything that ends is good, evident by the above sentence -- and the often incoherent ramblings in the two-year run of this column.

So in the words of J. Peterman, we're giving ourselves a resounding "Congratulations on a job ... done."

Whether you've enjoyed the Peanut Gallery, laughing at the occasional witty remark, or you've avoided it like Uncle Earl after a batch of bad egg salad, it is coming to an end. We'd like to think that we're going out on top, like John Elway winning consecutive Super Bowls, though there's the distinct possibility that we're doing it more like Eddie LeBec from "Cheers" -- hanging on far longer than we should have.

But legacy isn't something you get to determine for yourself, so we're going to leave it up to our readers, which probably amounts to mom, dad and some dude in Pilot Mound, Iowa, who accidentally stumbled upon this column once while surfing for Planters company art.

So in honor of our last hurrah, we're going to look at some athletes who went out the right way, at the pinnacle; and a few a who stuck around long enough to get the don't-let-the-door-hit-you-on-the-way-out treatment.

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HAPPY ENDINGS

_ John Elway, NFL quarterback -- After years of hearing he couldn't win the big one, Elway had what may be the perfect ending to a career: winning consecutive Super Bowl titles. He could've besmirched it with a try at a third, but didn't. It doesn't get much better than that.

_ Barry Sanders, NFL running back -- One of the most exciting running backs in history, Sanders announced his retirement at the age of 30 by faxing a letter to his hometown newspaper. OK, so he was a lot better with a ball than public relations. Still, he finished with more than 15,000 yards and surely would have broken the all-time rushing mark had he stuck around for a few more years.

_ Byron Nelson, golfer -- Lord Byron was at the top of the golf world in 1945, winning a record 18 tournaments, including 11 in a row, another record. A year later, he walked away at age 33 with 63 titles, including five majors, under his belt, leaving us wondering what more he could have done.

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YOU'RE STILL HERE?

Muhammad Ali, boxer -- One of the most difficult sights to watch for boxing fans was seeing "The Greatest" get pushed around by fighters he would have easily handled earlier in his career. The first boxer to win the heavyweight title three times stuck around far too long and ended up paying for it with his health.

Michael Jordan, NBA player -- Like Elway, could have gone out on top: hand in the air, swishing a jumper for his third straight NBA title and sixth overall. Instead, he came back as a hobbling shell of his former self with the Washington Wizards, tarnishing what had been one of the best images in sports.

Gordie Howe, NHL player -- No doubt this guy was one of the two or three greatest hockey players of all-time. Problem is, dude just couldn't hang up the skates. When you're almost 70 and playing a shift for some team called the Detroit Vipers just to play in a sixth decade, you've stuck around a little too long.

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Whether we fall into one of those two categories is up to you. We know it's a tough decision, and there'll likely be a split vote between mom and dad, leaving the guy in Iowa to break the tie.

We'd like to think that we're running off the field signaling to the world that we're No. 1.

The more likely case is that we've thrust the wrong finger.

So in the words of Bruce Almighty: "Back to you, -------!"

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John Marshall is asap's sports reporter, based in Denver.

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