46 Years Young
March 30, 2009 – 6:45 am by Jimmy ShapiroThe thought of being 46 years old and still productive in the majors is unfathomable to me. I’m 38, still play hoops, flag football, and softball and each year I get a little worse and the soreness in my joints is a little more. Jamie Moyer of the World Champion Philadelphia Phillies is defying the odds and he really isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. Plus he still loves the game as evidenced by the picture here of him stealing the pitching rubber after the Phillies won the World Series. My buddy Lance Zimmerman is a huge fan of Moyer and asked if he could write this post. Lance, consider your SRI virginity gone. Below is Lance’s first post.
Being the Seattle Mariners fan I am, I had the great pleasure of watching Jamie Moyer hone his talents. What once was a flailing career, with a trip to the minors or an all out release three bad innings away, Jamie not only turned it around, he flat out dominated with his 85 mph heat.
While some of the 13 year old kids were heating up the radar gun at Safeco Field playing the Speed Pitch Game in Center Field, Jamie was painting the corners and relying on his skillful command. He was a cornerstone of the Mariners 116 win season in 2001. Jamie that season went 20-6, with a 3.43 ERA.
No one will ever accuse Jamie of prolonging his career with the use of enhancers. If you’ve ever seen the guy, his listed weight of 185 pounds is generous. At 46 years of age, he is the oldest current player in Major League Baseball. While he has 13 years to catch Satchel Paige’s unbelievable record of pitching in the majors at 59 (birth date ambiguous), Jamie has stood the test of time and has proven to be a valuable pickup for the Philadelphia Phillies.
Last season, Jamie went 16-7 with a 3.71 ERA to help the Phillies win their second World Series title in the their 126 year history. While he had a post season to forget (0-2 8.49 ERA), Jamie remained a solid contributor on and off the field, mentoring World Series MVP Cole Hamels and the rest of the Philadelphia pitching staff.
Jamie joined Cuz and Prof on WIP in Philadelphia on Friday from Clearwater, Florida, site of the Phillies Training Camp, to talk shop on a 20-plus year career and on how the 2009 team looks:
On what he sees in this 2009 Phillies Team:
“I think the organization did a great job last year to keep this team together. They worked very hard in the off season to keep everyone here. I think the pieces they brought into the club, we’re going to benefit from that. Raul Ibanez was a very nice addition. I played with him for many years in Seattle. He’s a quiet leader.”
More quotes from Jamie Moyer and the full interview after the jump.
Jamie’s reaction to Cole Hamels and other members of the pitching staff regularly quoting him and going to him for instruction during the season:
“I feel like I’ve been around this game for a long time. I will never know it all. I feel like I’ve taken a lot from that. It’s part of my responsibility to give some of that back, if guys are willing to take it. Those guys are. I almost feel like a father figure. For some of these guys, I’m 15, 20 years older than they are. If I can help them in any way, whether its things off field or here at work, I’m more than happy to do so.”
On who mentored him when he was breaking into the big leagues:
“Oh, Scott Sanderson, Rick Sutcliffe, Steve Trout a little bit. Dennis Eckersley. Ed Lynch. I actually played with Davey Lopes. When you’re playing around a Nolan Ryan, a Charlie Hough, a Cal Ripken, an Andre Dawson…”
Cuz: “Those are real professional players”
“You’re exactly right. I’ve had a lot of great experiences and I’ve learned a lot from these people and I think its very important that while you’re here, while you have a uniform on, that you can learn about the game and you can learn about yourself as well.”
On what Jamie loves most about the game of baseball and his age:
“I enjoy the competition. Coming to the ballpark, the work that needs to be put into it. I enjoy that aspect of it. I get paid to be in shape, and I feel that’s my responsibility. I also love the challenge of going out between the lines and competing, even now more so at 46. Competing against guys that are 20, 25, 30 years old, and knowing that I can do that and compete with them, it’s very gratifying for me. I know as soon as I let my guard down though that something is going to happen. Being at 46 and I’m having a bad game or two bad games people are going to say ‘aw oh, he’s lost it, or he’s too old’. I’m already guarded against that. I’ve been hearing that for 10 years. I really believe that when its my time to move on the hitter will dictate that and I hope that I’m smart enough to see that and understand that and not be too stubborn to walk away.”
Listen to Jamie Moyer on WIP in Philadelphia
Tags: 2008 World Series Champions, baseball interviews, Jamie Moyer, MLB, oldest player in baseball, Philadelphia Phillies
