The retooling of the Seattle Mariners continued as the team added four minor leaguers to its 40-man roster, took two others off and lost left-handed reliever Eric O’Flaherty on waivers to the Atlanta Braves

Right-handed pitchers Stephen Kahn, Marwin Vegas and Gabby Hernandez and outfielder Greg Halman were added to the Mariners roster, and right-handers Luis Munoz and Tracy Thorpe cleared waivers and were reassigned to the minors.

In O’Flaherty, the team lost a 23-year-old who lost most of the 2008 season to a back injury after pitching for the Mariners much of 2007. Last year, he was hit hard in 6 2/3 April innings with Seattle, was sent down and never returned to the big leagues.

A team re-evaluating its minor league talent, the Mariners are deciding who to protect from next month’s Rule V minor league draft and, clearly, felt O’Flaherty was not a part of their future.

A few months after the 1965 season, Sandy Koufax was visiting with Dr. Robert Kerlan in his office, talking about the pitchers ailing left elbow.

“If it were you, how much longer would you pitch?” Koufax said he asked Kerlan.

“If it were me, one more year,” Kerlan said.

Koufax – 29 years old at the time – nodded.

On his way out of the office, Koufax ran into the Dodgers general manager, Buzzie Bavasi, who was waiting for Kerlan because the two men were going to play bridge later that evening.

“Next year will be my last,” Koufax told Bavasi.

And Bavasi, stunned, found Kerlan and asked “What the hell did you tell Sandy?”

All three men laughed when they'd retell that story, and it comes to mind today because Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina has announced his retirement, and becomes the first man since Koufax to retire after a 20-win season.

That tells you how rare it is for a pitcher, whatever his reason, to willingly leave while on top.

For Mussina, the act is especially notable – he retires 30 wins short of 300 career victrories.

This is an age where great pitchers gut their reputations by sticking around too long for a payday or a milestone, and yes, Randy Johnson does come to mind.

Mussina leaves with class, and it’s telling that the last man to go out in similar fashion was Koufax – 33 years ago.

This is not a political blog and isn’t about to become one, not when some of us - we won’t name names here - hadn’t voted in a presidential election since 1972.

And baseball, a sport that produces passion and angst on a daily basis almost year-round these days, isn’t quite as important as what goes on in the real world.

Still, it’s fascinating to look at the parallels between new administrations in Washington and Seattle.

Barrack Obama had the audacity to campaign on a platform anchored by change and hope – the kinds of things we cynics long for but have a difficult time expecting from a President.

And the Mariners, with their hires of general manager Jack Zduriencik and now manager Don Wakamatsu, are asking frustrated, angry, doubting fans to believe tangible change is at hand.

We sometimes have trouble believing anything we love – this nation or a baseball team – can be remade. We fight the human desire to believe what is said about the future, in part because of what we have seen in the past.

In a country so thoroughly divided politically, this election offers an opportunity to doubt the President-elect or to put aside our cynicism, let drop our suspicion, and wish him Godspeed.

Why not believe that men of integrity and passion with a willingness to change the way things are can accomplish something like greatness?

Whether we’re talking about this team or this nation, genuine hope is a commodity worth embracing.

Mr. Obama, Godspeed.

Mr. Zduriencik, good luck.