@Jeruba, I feel for you. My knees are damaged from injuries as a boy and young man. Baseball can be a killer—especially playing in the (paved) road (in shorts) and actually sliding into bases. What was I thinking? (The answer is: I wasn’t, but I was young and determined to make the base so the winning run could score. Winning was everything then.)
But the worse one came at a company softball game twenty years ago. I slipped starting out of the batter’s box on a ground ball that was destined to be an out anyway, and, with legs still driving (picture a cartoon character with legs windmilling and trying to get traction), I slammed my right knee hard into the ground.
Got up, rubbed some dirt on it, walked it off… hey, I’m a man, there’s no tears in baseball, etc. ... and stayed in the damn game, just because I could. Reinjured the same knee later in the game and decided I didn’t need that to happen in threes.
I’ve had a trick knee ever since. If I squat or kneel—sometimes (only at the most inconvenient times)—the whole joint will lock in the folded position. Then no matter what I’m doing, the only way to straighten it is to sit on the ground / floor where I am (I have no choice on this) and push my foot out with my hands to straighten the leg. That brings tears. And then limp for days.
There may be no tears in baseball, but there are definitely tears in baseball retirement.