Friday, March 25, 2005

Happy birthday to me

Well, folks, today is the big four-oh. Forty years ago today, my parents and two older brothers went out to eat at Pinchera's restaurant (a chicken dinner, I'm told), Mom started to feel uncomfortable during dinner, and three hours later I was born. (My oldest brother still reminds me occasionally that I interrupted their dinner.)

I was hoping to do something really stupid in the last week of my 30s as a tribute to the past decade, such as buying a sports car or having an affair (or, better yet, having an affair in my new sports car), but with work and the boy and whatnot, I just didn't get around to it.

As a motivator, here's a link to the top baseball seasons by 40 year olds:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/leaders_40_bat.shtml
Some of the highlights:
Davey Lopes stole 47 bases while getting caught only 4 times in 1985.
Darrel Evans finished 3rd with 34 HR in 1987 (behind a then-clean Mark McGwire).
Randy Johnson finished 2nd in the Cy Young in 2004, behind a 41 year old.

In other sports,
Jerry Rice caught 92 passes in 2002.
George Blanda was entering the final 9 years of his career.
Steve Mooney won his sixth Nationals title in 1998.

Here's a list on the AARP site for top 40+ year old athletes.
http://www.aarpmagazine.org/entertainment/Articles/a2004-05-20-mag-oldathletes.html

So, as I wrote on a disc at last year's Nationals,

I'll still kick your ass, kid.

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