Upon Further Review: Aged vets hanging on to old glory
Getting old is something we all have to face, although some handle the aging process better than others. But for professional athletes, aging is something that’s not taken very well.
From the time an athlete is 5 or 6 years old, playing ball is something they think they will do forever. For the most part it’s all they know how to do, and the only way they can function normally in society.
For any athlete — from a weekend warrior on the softball field or basketball court to the professional — it’s a hard thing to walk away from.
Yes, at one time I was a weekend warrior. Whatever season it was, I was out there giving it my all just like so many of you. I thought when I reached my 30’s I would still be playing until I was 50; after all, I was in great shape and a few of my teammates were still out there every weekend when they were hitting the 50 mark.
Some don’t know when it’s time to hang it up. Fortunately, I did.
Maybe I could have continued to play a few more years, but it was taking longer to get out of bed after a weekend of softball, and things just didn’t heal as fast as they once did.
Some of my friends hung it up, and some tried to make a comeback a few years later. The same is true for several professional athletes this summer.
One of baseball’s most colorful players is once again bouncing around the mound. Does the name “Oil Can” ring a bell? Yes, Oil Can Boyd has returned to baseball in the low minor leagues.
The man who sometimes talked to himself and challenged every umpire behind the plate pitched Monday night for the Brockton Rox in the Can-Am League.
Boyd, who was a star pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, worked six innings, giving up seven hits and two runs.
The 45-year-old pitcher’s last professional appearance was eight years ago when he pitched for the Massachusetts Mad Dogs in 1997. Boyd’s career was cut short due to injuries and blood clots which developed in his arm.
Apparently the “Oil Can” still has some 10W30 in the old arm, or at least some “Stop Leak.”
Not to be out done, and not to anyone’s surprise, Rickey Henderson is still out there getting it done — or at least he’s still trying.
Henderson is playing in the Golden Baseball League, as a member of the San Diego Surf Dawgs.
The 46-year-old is still in great shape, and looks as if he hasn’t aged a bit. In fact, Henderson has challenged people to come out and see that he is in better shape than most of the players out there.
Now I’m not sure about that. It sounds more like he’s begging fans to come out and see him. Sounds like a publicity stunt to me, and maybe he’s not putting as many fans in the seats as the team thought he would.
Henderson still believes he can play in the majors, and says he can run with anyone in the big leagues. I doubt that. In fact, this seems more like the classical “I still think I’m 25” syndrome.
Hey, if these guys can still play the game, then let them play. It doesn’t matter if it’s minor league, majors or just a pick-up game in the back yard. If you can still have the heart, do it — because the body is going to tell you “no” sooner or later.