Do we cut too much slack to baseball players being too old?
I’m following Ken Griffey Jr. and his return to Seattle. Born in Nov of 1969, he is now 39 and a half years old. No longer "the Kid" by any means, but truth be told, he’s not that old. Well, until we start talking about baseball players. Look, I understand as you get older your hand eye coordination slows and we can’t expect him to hit as well. But the way the papers and news pendents talk, you think this guy was about ready to collect social security. From ESPN.com I just read an article that said the manager sat Griffey out the day game (having played the night before), "probably a wise choice due to his age."
Does anybody think we’re cutting baseball players too much slack? Shouldn’t we expect more from their fitness levels. Haile Gebrselassie currently holds the world record in the marathon and will make an attempt to break it once again shortly. He’s just 3 and a half years younger than Griffey. He’s running over 100 miles a week. And his marathon time? Well, he runs around a 4:44 mile split;I couldn’t even do that in HS after 4 years of track (granted, I wasn’t the most gifted of athletes).
OK, Griffey may have had his injuries but in speaks to the larger point: these guys are going out and pulling hamstring muscles and having groin pulls all the time. 35? That’s not old–that’s when long distance runners hit their peak. Is there some internal culture where the baseball managers don’t push their althletes to stay in shape in the off-season. I mean, run at least 3 miles each day (and that’s not much folks), windsprints and yoga to stay limber. Or are these guys just showing up to Spring Training completely out of shape and hoping they’ll get a good workout running around the bases a few times and doing a few sprints on the field 2 hours prior to the game. Is it just me, or does it seem like we set the bar too low for these guys? Love to hear your thoughts on this…I could be completely out in left field here.
Long distance running and baseball are not the same. 39 is very old. Generally, the peak for baseball players is before 30.
EDIT: Captain Hawk, Griffey has returned to Seattle.
EDIT2:Baseball players are in better shape than they ever were, and improvements in medical treatment have allowed careers to be extended. And they exercise, hard. And for many, year-round. But baseball also has a lot more high-stress (though short-term) activities than long distance running does.
Long distance running and baseball are not the same. 39 is very old. Generally, the peak for baseball players is before 30.
EDIT: Captain Hawk, Griffey has returned to Seattle.
EDIT2:Baseball players are in better shape than they ever were, and improvements in medical treatment have allowed careers to be extended. And they exercise, hard. And for many, year-round. But baseball also has a lot more high-stress (though short-term) activities than long distance running does.
References :