Reardon's toughest save--his reputation.

To imagine a jewel thief is to imagine the perfect crime. It is meticulously planned and executed, perhaps done in a billionaire's bedroom at midnight by an adventurer dressed in black. That, or George Clooney in a tux.

But when Jeff Reardon, the old baseball pitcher, decided to rob a jewelry store, he had no such plan.

He walked in about noon, just another shopper at a Florida mall the day after Christmas. His note to a clerk announced the robbery. Hand over money, it said, and no one would get shot.

Reardon didn't bother with a disguise. He wore the same thick beard, though now gray, that distinguished him during his time as one of baseball's best closers. In 16 seasons, he recorded more saves than all but five pitchers ever.

He made four All-Star teams and received significant Hall of Fame consideration. By one account, when he retired in 1994, his major league earnings amounted to $11 million.

Then, at age 50, he played cops and robbers. Cops collared the robber in the mall's parking lot with $170 in a green shopping bag.

The Palm Beach Post reported all this. It also said that Reardon wrote a second note. This one, for the police, was a confession.