Embroidered gloves, Trev? Hey, stitch in mine saves 500 times

He only told me this under duress when I pressed him as to what memorabilia he's saving from his historical run. And he quickly said he would only explain it if I wouldn't write it until the appropriate time, because he's uncomfortable with the idea because it could be perceived as arrogant.

And for a guy whose motto is "self praise stinks," the last thing he wanted was for opponents or the public to think of him as arrogant.

Also, he normally uses only one glove all season. And now that he's changing gloves following each save, the gloves are stiffer and not broken in as well as he would like. And he's nervous that he'll muff a comebacker or a throw to first because he can't quite squeeze the glove shut.

Be it fate or extra concentration, that so far hasn't happened.

It was Moores who convinced him of the importance of archiving some of his equipment because of its historical significance. The Hall of Fame would be wanting some things along his journey, and he certainly would want to keep some of it himself as gifts for his children and friends.

This was what finally swayed Hoffman, a strong family man whose three children -- sons Brody (10), Quinn (9) and Wyatt (7) -- often are on the field before and after games.

Others had begun noticing that he was squirreling away a glove here or spikes there and so, late last week, he finally gave me the thumbs-up to write it.

So now his latest glove will be archived for use as a future trophy, and the ball from save No. 500 will be shipped off to Cooperstown.

"If they want it," Hoffman said.

Like they won't.

"It's a special moment from an individual standpoint to be at a number that's a little different than a lot of other guys who have accrued saves," Hoffman said. "But it's a game that takes a lot more than one person to win a championship."

All in all, quite a night, with no potential jinx being able to stop Hoffman from going where no reliever has ever gone before, and with two likely Hall of Famers -- Greg Maddux and Hoffman -- scooping up the win and the save in the 5-2 victory over the Dodgers.

Of course, Hoffman must first overcome the Hall voters' bias against closers. Goose Gossage still isn't in, and neither is Smith.

Should Hoffman be a first-ballot Hall of Famer? Count Maddux in.

"Absolutely," Maddux said. "Why not? I mean, he's raised the bar for relievers. He's taken it to a level the game has never seen. It's something for the guys behind him to shoot for.

"Good luck to 'em trying to get there."