​PHILADELPHIA — The moment that will stay with me from the MLB All-Star Game didn’t happen on the field.It happened outside the National League clubhouse after he was done for the night.Freddie Freeman stood surrounded by nearly everyone who matters most to him. His father, Fred. His wife, Chelsea. Their three sons. Their daughter. His aunt Carol — yes, the same Carol who became a fan favorite on The Golden Bachelor last year.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementCarol spotted me, smiled and asked if I could take a family photo.So there I was, standing a few feet away from one of baseball’s greatest players, holding someone else’s camera while the Freeman family squeezed together and smiled.It struck me in that moment that this wasn’t really about another All-Star Game.It was about preserving another memory.Over the last few days in Philadelphia, Freeman kept saying the same thing in different ways. At 37 years old and in his 17th major league season, he has started looking at baseball differently.Not through batting averages or championships.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThrough moments.”The kids are getting older,” Freeman said after Tuesday night’s All-Star Game. “The boys are starting to understand what’s going on. Charlie got to collect autographs during the Home Run Derby. That’s what it’s all about for me now. As I get older, you take a step back, realize how special this is and create memories with the kids.”One of the things that has always separated Freeman from so many modern superstars is how rarely he talks about himself. He’ll discuss the Dodgers, his teammates, his family and the game itself long before he’ll mention his own accomplishments. Milestones usually have to be dragged out of him.This time felt different.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMaybe it’s because this was his 10th All-Star Game. Maybe it’s because after 17 seasons, three World Series championships and a career that has already earned him a place in Cooperstown, Freeman understands something every great athlete eventually realizes.There are only so many of these left.For the first time, he sounded like someone who could actually see the end of the road.When I asked him about that timeline during Media Day, Freeman didn’t dodge the question.”I’ve always wanted to try and play until I’m 40 years old,” Freeman told me. “So that would be three more years after this. I don’t know. I’m not going to put a firm number on it.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement”But I would have to get another contract. So I’m only worried about this year. Twenty years in the big leagues would be kind of cool and special. Obviously, that would be nice to achieve, but we’ll see what life has in store in the next few years.”If everything goes according to plan, it’s easy to picture what that looks like. Freeman finishes out his current contract, signs one final extension with the Dodgers and walks away after 20 seasons sometime shortly after his 40th birthday. Along th