Of course, there are only so many of these so called "perfect endings" to go around. Most of the greatest competitors of our time have gone out on unscripted and sullied terms. No matter how thoroughly they dominated their peers in their prime, absolute brilliance at anything is ususally a fleeting occurrence. Young up and comers inevitably lurk around corners waiting for their turn to be acknowledged as the best. As for those whose best days have passed them by, many end up robbed of the peak of their skills by Father Time. Even when the diminishment of their talent is painfully obvious to everyone else, they plod on as if oblivious to the abandonment of their prowess until finally being mercifully told that their services are no longer needed. Other athletes are unable to remain healthy enough during the tail end of their careers to sustain the level of excellence effortlessly achieved in youth. Betrayed by the same bodies that once accomplished what scarce others could duplicate, they have no choice but to limp off into the sunset. Then there are others still who possess considerable game and cooperative limbs as retirement nears, but are not blessed with strong enough of a supporting cast to reach the pinnacle of their profession down the stretch run of their careers.
Every now and then, however, things work out just right for a superstar. In certain fortuitous instances, an athlete maintains enough skill from his glory days to remain rated amongst the elite; his body holds up well enough to continue performing admirably; and lastly, he happens to be on a team with sufficient complementary talent. In the case of individual sports such as tennis or boxing, only the first two scenarios need apply. The strictness of this criteria (whether two or all three of these conditions must be met) narrows the list of candidates for flawless finales down to a precious few. Such departures are therefore indelibly stamped in our memories.
