WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — In this age of midlife career changes, forced and otherwise, people everywhere are being made to feel old before their time.
Is nobody doing job interviews face-to-face anymore, for instance, or is it all just a Facebook glance? And what is it with the Wal-Mart greeters? Maybe there's some new miracle vitamin out there but some of them seem younger, more vibrant, more committed to punching that clock for years to come.
 Tim Wakefield watches the catcher from the ground after trying to stop a ball hit at him on June 27 at the Atlanta Braves' Turner Field. For a larger, high resolution image, click HERE |
Yes, a multitude of graying Baby Boomers could use a little inspiration these days, and here it comes.
Tim Wakefield of the Boston Red Sox is 42 and still serving up knuckleballs on a regular basis.
Even better, the 17-year veteran didn't even start out as a pitcher. Wakefield was stuck in Class A ball in the Pirates' chain, unable to advance as a first baseman, when he started experimenting with the knuckler out of desperation.
"I just wanted to be able to say I tried everything I could to make it," said Wakefield, who otherwise would have returned to his Brevard County, Florida, home to begin a life outside baseball.
Now that's stamina, psychological as much as physical. The golden oldies of the sports world would be swept aside without it, and the rest of us would be short a few drops of that magic elixir called hope.
Gordie Howe was nearly 52 when he played in the 1980 NHL All-Star Game. Born in windblown Saskatchewan during the Depression, he carved such a rugged path through the hockey world that references still are made to the mythical Gordie Howe hat trick. That's when a player has a goal and an assist and gets into a fight in the same game.
Bobby Allison won the 1988 Daytona 500 at the age of 50, but his lasting fame comes more from a post-race Daytona fistfight with Cale Yarborough nine years earlier. Bobby writes in his autobiography that he climbed out of his car that day once Yarborough started swinging a helmet in his direction and then, "Cale went to beating on my fist with his nose."
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the oldest ever to play in an NBA All-Star Game, taking the floor in 1989 at the age of 41. We're talking about a dignified and determined Hall of Famer, with six league MVP awards, the all-time scoring record and a reputation for always playing it straight. On the night of his final All-Star appearance, however, Kareem squeezed off an unexpected shot from behind the arc, which would have been the second three-pointer of his 20-year career if it had gone in.
Feisty, these diehards.
John Carney, a star at Notre Dame under Lou Holtz, is still out there somewhere kicking footballs and fielding calls from NFL teams. He was the NFC's placekicker last February, the oldest Pro Bowler ever at 44. Carney originally got his foot in the door as a replacement player during the 1987 NFL strike. No guarantees then and no guarantees now, but it would make no sense if he weren't on some NFL roster in 2009 after making 35 of 38 field-goal tries last season for the New York Giants.
Ken Rosewall won the 1972 Australian Open at 37, a full decade past the age of tennis' current king, Roger Federer.
Julius Boros won the 1968 PGA Championship at 48, a record that is celebrated far less than Jack Nicklaus winning his final Masters title at 46.
All must give a nod or ultimate respect, however, to Satchell Paige, the legendary Negro League pitcher who didn't make it to the majors until the end of his barnstorming career. Satch was an All-Star for the first time in 1952. For the sake of argument, his age was listed as 46 but nobody really knows because there were no birth records to prove it.
Is Tim Wakefield a wonder in 2009? Well, sure, but he's not the last. For the sake of us all, each and every one hanging on for dear life in one way or another, he simply can't be.
Dave George writes for The Palm Beach Post. E-mail: dave(underscore)george(at)pbpost.com.
