A few weeks ago my grandpa had a heart attack. He’s doing fine, but it made me think about what elderly people do when they’ve been on the earth for a long time. After some research, I learned that a man named Harold Stilson of Deerfield Beach, Fla., hit a 180-yard hole-in-one in May of 2001. Why is this significant? He was 101 years old at the time!
I think Julio Franco of the Atlanta Braves is getting up there too. Everyone knows Julio — the guy with the weird batting stance that little kids like to imitate in front of their friends. He sticks his rear end way out and holds the bat way over his head before he tries to hit the ball. Julio has been playing forever, right? He made his major league baseball debut the same year that many students at this university were born — 1982. He started playing in the minor leagues in 1978, which means he’s been playing professional baseball for 27 years. Yes, Julio and his famous stance have been in the spotlight forever. He is now 46 and plans on playing until he is 50.
That got me curious to find out if anyone had ever played in a baseball game while in their 50s. According to the Baseball Almanac, Satchel Paige pitched in a game at the age of 59 in 1965. Joe DiMaggio called Paige “the best and fastest pitcher I’ve ever faced.” I used to think I could hit a baseball thrown by an old guy, but now I’ll have to rethink that.
We can’t talk about old and baseball without mentioning Barry Bonds. As a Dodger fan, mentioning anything about the San Francisco Giants and Barry Bonds is painful. The 41-year-old Bonds played in only 14 games this season and hit his 705th home run against the Dodgers. He finished the season with 708 homers and is painfully close to breaking Babe Ruth’s home run record which stands at 714.
“He looks old but he’s still swinging the bat,” said the Dodgers’ Jeff Kent, Bonds’ former teammate, according to ESPN.com.
Athletes such as Bonds, Paige and Franco prove that baseball players can play longer than athletes from other major sports because baseball requires minimal running (especially for pitchers) and hardly any contact.
When I think of contact, I think of football — the real football that is, with pads, helmets and 260-pound linebackers. When I think of elderly football players, I think of the Raiders’ Jerry Rice. Some of you might remember him as a 49er, but the Raiders never would have gone to Super Bowl XXXVII without him.
The 42-year-old receiver was drafted in 1985 and holds 38 NFL records, including the most career receptions (1,549), yards receiving (22,895) and touchdowns receiving (197). Did anyone even notice that the GOAT (greatest of all time) retired last month? For 20 years he took a beating and always came back for more. He was the best at a position where only a few last beyond their mid-30s. How did he do it? The same way John Stockton and Karl Malone did — work ethic. Both Stockton and Malone played 19 seasons and both played competitively into their 40s.
We can learn much from these aged players: consistency, stamina, not knowing when to hang it up, hard work and hope, among other things.
As a 25-year-old, I have hope that I can still play anything competitively when I turn 40, and not just golf or soccer. However, I noticed recently that my metabolism is sinking like a Randy Johnson breaking ball. I thought I would always be the same weight I was as a junior in high school. Then I got married. As soon as I walked out of the temple, not only did my priorities change, but my waistline changed too.
I’ve popped a few buttons recently and might have to ask my wife for a new suit this Christmas. But the wonderful thing about life is that out-of-shape people can still enjoy playing sports, at least until they get to be 101.
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