Shortstop  Brandon Crawford announced he was retiring from baseball Wednesday after a 14-year career in which he made three All-Star teams and won two World Series championships with the San Francisco Giants. "Baseball has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, and for the rest of my life I will be thankful for the opportunities and experiences it has given me," Crawford wrote in an Instagram post. "Time is precious. I'm incredibly grateful for all the years I spent playing the game I love, but now it is time for me to spend it with the people who I'm most thankful for. "Thank you to all of you who have [been] there for me throughout the years. It's been an unbelievable ride." A native of Mountain View, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area, Crawford, 37, played for the St. Louis Cardinals last season after spending the first 13 years of his career with the Giants, who selected the UCLA player in the fourth round of the 2008 draft. St....