Twilight Highlights
Published: Jun 9, 2007
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After the 1996 season, the Boston Red Sox elected not to re-sign 34-year-old Roger Clemens. Red Sox general manager Dan Duquette famously explained the decision by saying he believed the future Hall of Fame pitcher "was in the twilight of his career."
That was 156 victories ago.
That was 2,014 strikeouts ago.
Four Cy Young Awards ago.
Five World Series appearances ago.
"Are they still saying ol' Roger is too old to get it done?" said Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden, 77. "That's funny. I've never heard that one before."
Some athletes, cutting their losses, simply walk away. Others, more stubborn, painfully fade away. And a select few, despite the physical odds, never seem to go away.
One month after agreeing to a prorated $28 million contract and one week after suffering a right groin injury that delayed his return, Clemens, 44, is scheduled to start today at Yankee Stadium when New York meets the Pittsburgh Pirates.
What to make of it?
"As long as you treat your body right and keep your mind clear, I wouldn't put limits on anybody," said Hall of Fame baseball player Dave Winfield, who had 26 home runs and 108 RBIs when he was 40.
"The longer I go, the more I believe that age is just a number," said Jeff Garcia, attempting to become the Bucs' starting quarterback at 37.
"To be honest, I can't imagine it," said Pete Sampras, arguably the greatest player in the history of men's tennis, winner of 14 Grand Slam tournament singles titles.
Sampras was 31 when he captured the 2002 U.S. Open championship in storybook style, defeating Andre Agassi in the final. It didn't become official until a year's worth of inactivity later, but Sampras knew he was done.
"I just didn't see anything else to accomplish," said Sampras, who recently began a mini-comeback in a fledgling over-30 senior circuit. "When you have that in your mind, it's over."
Baltimore Orioles pitcher Jim Palmer, another Hall of Famer, thought it was over in 1984 when he was released at 38. He began his broadcast career in earnest. His legacy was safe.
Seven years later, at 45, he worked himself into comeback mode and was invited to Baltimore's spring training camp as a nonroster player.
He lasted two innings. Citing a hamstring injury, Palmer called it quits - for good.
"I thought I could do it," Palmer said. "It wasn't any kind of publicity stunt. One guy wrote, 'Palmer is having a mid-life crisis. Forget baseball. He should just buy a Miata.' And I laughed about it. But I was kind of burning up inside."
Not A Joking Matter
Palmer wasn't the first post-40 athlete to hear jokes.
During the 1970 exhibition season, the Oakland Raiders released George Blanda, 43, who originally made a name for himself with the 1950s-era Chicago Bears. Blanda was quickly brought back after early season injuries. And just as quickly, that transaction jump-started a season for the ages.
In a five-week stretch that strained belief, whether it was coming off the bench at quarterback or saving a game at place-kicker, Blanda led comeback after comeback. He threw two touchdowns and booted a field goal, beating the Steelers. His 48-yard field goal on the game's next-to-last play broke a tie and deflated the Chiefs. His TD pass tied the Browns, then he followed with a game-winning field goal. His desperate 80-yard drive in the final four minutes downed the Broncos. Then he helped to turn back the Chargers, again in the fourth quarter.
The Raiders were 4-0-1 in those breathless five weeks, nearly gaining the momentum to reach Super Bowl V, but losing to the Colts 27-17 for the AFC championship, when Blanda became the oldest quarterback to play in a league title game and accounted for all of Oakland's points. Despite throwing just 55 passes all season, he was named the conference's player of the year - as a reserve quarterback.
Again, he was 43.
On the postseason banquet circuit, Blanda was greeted by an acid-tongued response.
"Blanda has had so many invitations to these dinners, it's hard for him to remember the first one," said one toastmaster. "I looked it up, George. It was the Last Supper."
And another: "When he was in the service, he kicked a 64-yard field goal, an outstanding feat which unfortunately never got into the record books. All the reporters were at Appomattox that day covering the surrender."
Blanda played until 1976. One month short of his 49th birthday, he retired.
"Sometimes, the mind is there, but the body doesn't cooperate," Palmer said. "These guys like Roger Clemens or Randy Johnson or George Foreman or George Blanda, these are very unusual people."
Ryan, Rice Set Tone
Nolan Ryan might be the most unusual of them all.
Records may be made to be broken, but who's going to challenge Ryan's career marks of seven no-hitters, 12 one-hitters (including five no-hitters broken up in the ninth inning) and 5,714 strikeouts? After turning 35, Ryan had more strikeouts than four Hall of Famers (Lefty Grove, Sandy Koufax, Juan Marichal and Palmer) each had in their entire careers.
Ryan was 44 during his last no-hitter, a 3-0, 16-strikeout decision against the Toronto Blue Jays. His postgame celebration was postponed by a 45-minute regimen on the exercise bicycle.
"Darnedest thing you've ever seen," former Rangers catcher Jim Sundberg said. "His work ethic had no boundaries. He could've been the father of some of his teammates. Yet he outworked them all. To throw that hard for that long? You'll never see it again."
It will also be difficult to match the NFL career of wide receiver Jerry Rice, the league's all-time leader in receptions (1,549), receiving yards (22,895) and receiving TDs (197). But will there be another 40-year-old receiver with a 92-catch season, such as the one Rice had for the Raiders in 2002?
"Jerry Rice is one of my all-time favorite players," said Bucs coach Jon Gruden, formerly with the Raiders. "He inspired everyone on the team. He inspired me. The guy just knew how to prepare himself."
That's the biggest question with Clemens. Can he again prepare himself for the scrutiny of New York? Can his body withstand another summer of power pitching?
"It's tough to bet against those people who live to prove everyone wrong," said former major-leaguer Ken Griffey Sr., who was 41 when injuries forced his retirement from baseball. "Turning 40 isn't like it used to be, I guess. I'm not even sure what it means anymore."
For the select few such as Clemens, it means the same thing as that night in 1984 when he threw his first big-league pitch, when Billy Donovan was a freshman basketball player at Providence College, when Paris Hilton was entering kindergarten, when James Gandolfini was a struggling actor and bouncer in Manhattan.
It's the same as always, even in the twilight.
Play ball.
Reporter Joey Johnston can be reached at (813) 259-7353 or jjohnston@tampatrib.com.
