I'm Feeling Old
| How old am I? There is exactly one major league baseball player older than I am. I was born in August of 1955; Dennis Eckersley, born in 1954, is the only remaining player older than I am. In fact, you can count on two hands all of the active players born in the 1950s (Wade Boggs, Gary Gaetti, Harold Baines, and a few others). Also, every single player born in 1955 has retired, unless Danny Darwin comes back for one more season at age 43. Of all the players born in 1955, David Clyde was the first to play in the majors (in 1973), and Darwin is the last. Now, does that make me feel ancient, or what? (Whoops, found another one. Dennis Martinez was born in May of 1955, so if he sticks with the Braves, there will be two players older than me. Somehow I don't feel much better.) In fact, there are now several managers who are younger than I am. When I started collecting baseball cards, there were managers who were born in the 1890s who were still active! Casey Stengel (born 1890), Jimmy Dykes (1896) and Chuck Dressen (1898) managed into the early 1960s, and I had their cards. Managers used to be as old as my grandparents; now they're my age! Call me strange, but I'm fascinated, for some reason, by finding out the first and last players born in a particular decade to play major league baseball. For example, do you know who the last player born in the 1800s to play in the majors was? It was Hod Lisenbee, born in 1898, who pitched for the Cincinnati Reds in the war year of 1945. I thought that Ted Williams was the last player from the 1910s to play, but a little research led me to Diomedes Olivo, who pitched for the Cardinals in 1963 at age 44. I've got to research that item a little more. Also, the first player born in the 1970s to play was Wilson Alvarez, who pitched in one game for Texas in 1989. He didn't get anybody out, but he's developed into a good pitcher. We haven't had a 1980s player yet, but if some team brings up an 18 year old in September we'll see one. So, here's a partial list of the last men to play from each decade, leaving out stunt appearances like Nick Altrock and Minnie Minoso used to make. If I'm wrong on any of them, let me know. 1880s Last: Red Faber, 1933. 1890s Last: Hod Lisenbee, 1945 1900s Last: Satchel Paige, 1953 (also pitched as a stunt in 1965) 1910s Last: Diomedes Olivo, 1963 1920s Last: probably Hoyt Wilhelm, 1972 (except for Minnie Minoso in 1980) 1930s Last: Phil Niekro, 1987 1940s Last: Nolan Ryan, 1993 Notice something? They're all pitchers! I'll put on a list of the first men from each decade to play in the majors on this website at a later date, but they're almost all pitchers too. There's a reason for that, I'm sure, but I can't imagine what it is. |