Celebrating pitchers' ancient wisdom -- UPDATED
Posted: Wednesday, June 27, 2007 10:51 AM
It was probably back in the spring of 1986, the year the Angels would come within an out of going to the World Series, when Gene Mauch, their gnarly, cranky old manager instructed me on the failings of the modern ballplayer and why the great records of history weren’t going to be broken.
They made too much money, Mauch said, and because of all that money, they won’t have the desire to play into their late 30s and 40s. And because they were all soft and were going to retire early, they wouldn’t have time to compile big numbers like the old guys, by which he meant the stalwarts of his own generation.
I thought Mauch was wrong back then and wrote about it. More money would keep players on the field longer, because if there’s one constant about human nature, it’s that no one ever has enough money. Even then, players were working out year-round and were in better shape than the old timers ever were. Plus, modern surgery allowed them to continue careers that otherwise would have ended.
Finally, I figured that beyond the money is the lure of the records and milestones. Tom Glavine probably wouldn’t be pitching this year if it weren’t for his desire to join the elite club of pitchers who have won 300 games. Who knows if Barry Bonds would still be playing if there had been no Hank Aaron to chase.
Anyway, I was right and Mauch was wrong, and the proof is on display today (Wednesday, June 26) when a record seven 40-something pitchers were scheduled to start: the Yankees’ Roger Clemens (44), Philadelphia’s Jamie Moyer (44), San Diego’s Greg Maddux (41), the Mets’ Tom Glavine (41), Houston’s Woody Williams (40), Atlanta’s John Smoltz (40), and Detroit’s Kenny Rogers (42), whose start was rained out.
That’s not even all the 40-and-over pitchers in the game, either. There’s also Curt Schilling and Tim Wakefield of Boston, David Wells of San Diego and Orlando Hernandez of the Mets – all starting pitchers. This is one record that’s made to be broken.
The Boston Herald ran a piece a couple of weeks ago on the growing number of baseball players pushing their careers to 40 and beyond. According to the Elias Sporting Bureau, there are 24 players in that category in the big leagues this year. By contrast, from 1962-1980 – Mauch’s time – there were never more than 10 players in any one season who had seen the big 4-0.
Let this be a lesson to all you kids out there with strong arms and dreams about being the next Peyton Manning or Tom Brady or Donovan McNabb: Forget it. Hang up those cleats and pick up a ball and glove. If you want to live long and prosper in sports, take up baseball. Most specifically, take up pitching.
They say the legs go first, and for hitters, the eyes soon follow. But it seems that arms last forever. And if a pitcher loses some velocity, age gives him the wisdom and experience (and maybe the ability to doctor the ball) to make up for it.
Just for fun, I checked the numbers in the NFL for players 40 and up. In the entire history of the league, there have been just 45 players who have managed to push their careers as far as age 40, and just 25 who have made it beyond 40. Of the 45, just 15 played a position other than quarterback, punter or place kicker.
The oldest player ever in the NFL was George Blanda, who finished his career with Oakland in 1975 at the ripe old age of 48, but he was almost exclusively a place kicker by then. Blanda did have some prime moments at quarterback in his 40s and remains the Julio Franco of his sport.
If you check the list in the link above, you’ll see that Ray Brown, who played guard at the age of 43 for the Redskins in 2005 is the oldest lineman to play since the 1920s. Darrell Green is the oldest-ever cornerback, having played at age 42 for the Redskins, and Jerry Rice the oldest-ever wide-out; he was 42 in his last season. Unless you count Jim Thorpe in 1928, there’s never been a regular running back playing at the age of 40.
So you’ve got 24 baseball players aged 40 or more in one season and 45 in more than 80 years of professional football. And not one of those players has to worry about post-concussion syndrome in their retirement.
I just wish Gene Mauch were still around to see it.
