My body has been betraying me this week. I woke up Tuesday with a stiff back for some reason, and it's just been lingering. I've been super achy each morning -- struggling just to put my socks on -- and then I tend to loosen up by afternoon. I don't know what's causing it. I did a pretty vigorous workout on Monday, but nothing out of the ordinary. Just getting old I guess. I'll do some yoga today -- get a good stretch in. It's never clear to me when I'm feeling this way whether it's better to rest or to continue to work out. I usually opt for the latter because it seems resting somehow makes it feel worse. (My back was at its most painful when I was sitting all day, before I got a standing desk.) It's like, if you are actually injured you need to sit out and heel, but if you are just achy it's better to fight through it and inure your body to the soreness. It's a philosophy that has worked for me in the past, but again there's the age factor -- I've never been as old as I am right now. Maybe the rules change when you hit your mid-40s.
Speaking of mid-40s, RIP Tom Brady. No, he didn't die, but he did finally retire. He was the oldest player in the NFL at age 44, mere weeks older than me. He was still one of the best players in the game last season, and it is absolutely astounding how long he's maintained his athletic excellence. There has never been anybody like him in any major team sport, especially such a violent one like football. To give you some perspective, the oldest player in the league is now an offensive tackle named Andrew Whitworth, and he's four and half years younger than Brady. Here's another fun fact: Brady threw 136 touchdown passes in his 40s; the next highest such number is Drew Brees' 24. I've never been a huge Brady fan, and I was usually rooting against him (especially in Super Bowl XLIX -- aka "Worst. Game. Ever."), but credit where credit is due. Maybe that TB12 bullshit really works.
It's also possible that, in general, advances in medicine and nutrition, as well as lifestyle changes, are going to allow athletes to stay at elite levels longer than ever, and it will become routine for guys to play well into their 40s. Maybe Brady just got there first. NBA stars LeBron James and Chris Paul are both still really good "old" guys. But, then again, they are both 37-ish, not 44-ish. Will they still be doing this seven years from now? It seems unlikely. There is only one player in the four major American sports who even is that old -- the legendary hockey defenseman Zdeno Chara. He turns 45 next month, and once he retires, probably at the end of this season, he will be the last of the athletes older than me. Well, maybe there's still Albert Pujols. It's unclear how old he is exactly and whether or not he will play this year. Heck, it's unclear if any baseball player will play this year.
Anyway, let's finish with some great old guy athlete moments.
- It's unknown exactly how old Satchel Paige was, but he was likely about 47 when he had an All-Star season for the St. Louis Browns as a relief pitcher in 1953. He's probably the closest thing to a Brady-before-Brady guy we've ever seen.
- Adam Vinatieri played in the NFL last year at 49, which is impressive, but he was a kicker (no contact), and he wasn't very good, which is usually the case with old athletes.
- See, for instance, Julio Franco and Jamie Moyer both of whom were lousy MLB players at 49. (They were both once really good, though.)
- See also Brett Favre who was a literally a grandfather when he retired. He was poised to go out on top, but then this transpired, arguably the greatest schadenfreude moment in sports history. Couldn't have happened to a nicer person.
- Sue Bird is still going strong in her 40s. Go Storm!
- Dara Torres won three silver medals at the 2008 Olympics in swimming at age 41, which is ancient in a sport often dominated by teenagers.
- Phil Niekro was still a pretty good pitcher in 1985 when he looked like this
Until next time...
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