A year ago, at roughly the same time, Geoff Jenkins stood in the home locker room at Miller Park and addressed the assembled media while he fought back tears.

At the time, Jenkins thought his career in Milwaukee had come to an end. An abysmal performance at the plate in 2006 led to his benching in August. General manager Doug Melvin was expected to deal Jenkins -- and his $7 million salary -- but there he was, in a Brewers uniform on Opening Day.

A similar situation has developed now, as Melvin must decide whether to pick up Jenkins' $9 million option for 2008 or buy the contract out for $1 million, effectively ending his Milwaukee career, which began when he was the team's first-round draft pick in 1995.

Manager Ned Yost was well aware of the situation Sunday. Just before the ninth inning got underway, Yost sent rookie Mel Stocker out to replace Jenkins in left field. The move, which Yost says he had in mind all day, allowed the sellout crowd 42,415 a chance to say thank you to Jenkins for his nine years with the team.

"He's been a big part of this organization for ten years," Yost said. "I thought that was really, really special giving him a standing ovation when he went out in the ninth. I kind of had it planned all day long and it was really hard for me to take him out of that ballgame because I feel so comfortable with his defense but I felt that would be great and he deserved that."

Fans who rose for a standing ovation weren't the only ones who were emotional. For many of the Brewers on the field Sunday, Jenkins was the veteran leader in the clubhouse; the guy that for many provided the first welcome to the big leagues.

Corey Hart was one of those players. When he joined the team for the first time in 2004, there was a good chance that eventually, he could be taking Jenkins spot in the field. Nonetheless, it was Jenkins who pulled the rookie aside for a few moments that first day.

"He was the first guy that pulled me aside when I got on the 40-man [roster]," Hart said. He took me under the wing and helped me get through it. Every year it seems to get better, and he's kind of been there to point in the right direction."

J.J. Hardy has been hindered by some pretty serious injuries at the end of his minor league and also early in his major league career. He, too, is one of the many young Brewers who have sought out Jenkins -- who has also battled a number of injuries during his career -- for advice.

"It was really emotional for me. He's been there for me from day one and took me under his wing," Hardy said. "Not knowing what's going to happen with him now, it's really emotional. He's been here so long and not knowing where he's going to be next year ... it's tough to think about"

Jenkins' career has been enigmatic. While he never developed into the game-changing, power threat fans wanted, he trails only Robin Yount on the all-time franchise home run list with 212. He played hard on some very bad teams and, despite his somewhat liberal approach at the plate, played the game hard.

He's also been a stand-up player in the clubhouse. In 2006, he disagreed with his demotion to the bench, but didn't throw a fit like some athletes have. In 2007, he and Kevin Mench publicly disagreed with Yost's decision to platoon them in left field. After a brief uproar, the situation resolved itself and Jenkins -- whose playing time decreased -- never spoke out about the situation again.

It was a classy move for a veteran player that has seen his share of bad baseball during his time here. The Brewers' victory Saturday night clinched the first winning season for the franchise since 1992, and the first in Jenkins' career.

"I had a tremendous career here and a lot of fun," Jenkins said. "I had a lot of emotions going and it was obviously a great moment. When I went out for the ninth I was kind of tipping my cap and I turned around and Stocker was right there. It was really just a nice thing to happen."

Stocker himself was caught up in the moment. The 27-year-old rookie was appearing in a major league game for just the ninth time when he ran out to left field so Jenkins could say goodbye to the fans. Stocker hugged Jenkins, as did just about every one of his teammates.

"I just said congratulations," Stocker said. "Just starting out, to look at his situation; ten years is a long time. I don't know if he had the chance to do something like that when he first started out (In Jenkins' first game with the Brewers, he homered off Orel Hershiser on April 28, 1998) but it's pretty amazing to see how the fans reacted to that situation and you have to hope that that's you on the other end when you're done."

Baseball is a business. With gobs of young promising talent that needs to be resigned, it would be understandable if Melvin does need to part ways with Jenkins. A career .277 hitter that has averaged about 124 strike outs a year cannot be a priority over up-and-coming sluggers like Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun.

If Sunday truly was the end of the line for Jenkins in Milwaukee, it was a fitting ending. A standing ovation and hugs from teammates as the Brewers -- finally -- wrapped up a winning season.

"I think that's a very good thing for him considering all the tough times he's been through here," Hardy said. "It would have been nicer to be playing the playoffs if this is really the end of his time here. If that's the case, everybody in this clubhouse wishes him nothing but the best."