Father Time comes for us all. He is currently pounding on my door. Pain Management is a part of this pursuit to play a boys game, when you are a boy of 63 years old. I have managed it as best I can for the past few years with the damaged left knee getting worse and worse and needing more pain meds all of the time.
Some 30 years ago I was rounding third base and attempting to score on a throw from the outfield, when the heel of my left foot hit a hidden bump under some longer grass, just as the leg was straight, causing the knee to hyperextend and the femur was pressed on the tibial plateau until a wedge of the tibial plateau broke off . A loud crack (like a fastball on a wood bat) rang out. It was a sickening sound, because I knew that I would lose the rest of that season with a serious knee injury.
The wedge was put in place with a screw the size of a cigarette. The meniscus was removed and Dr. Carl Worth (Orthopedist to the US Winter Olympic team at that time) smoothed out the surface of the reconstructed tibial plateau. The screw was later removed and filled with a substance that was harder than the bone. The first question that I asked after the surgery was how soon could I get back on the diamond. He told me that I would likely be able to return at the start of the following year. He asked me how long I was going to try to keep on playing (since I was already 32 or 33 years old). I told him that there was no end in sight as long as I could still do it. He estimated that I could push that knee for 15 or 20 more years before I would need a total knee replacement, depending on how I was going to treat it. I told him that I was a catcher and I did not know how to "take it easy". He changed his estimate to 10-15 years if I was going to continue to catch. Well, I continued to catch for the next 10 -15 years, and continued to play first base and pitch for another 15-20 years after that. That knee repair owes me nothing!
Why would somebody do this to there body if there was no chance of playing for pay? That is simple: I love this game more than most things in life! (Family and friends aside) I have met most of my best friends on the baseball diamond. Friends that will last long after my playing days are over. The baseball diamond is my happy place! Whenever I have problems or tragedies effect me in my daily life, I could always escape to my happy place and the problems all melted away. It has given me great pause to make this decision while I can still play well enough to contribute, but it is definitely time. My body is 100% sure of that.
So, one last time my friends and I will enjoy one more season in the sun. Hopefully my beloved 55+ Cubbies can win one more championship in the CDMSBL, and then the Albany Cubs can go to Fort Meyers in November and win the only Quad A championship that this league has ever won. Then I can walk away knowing I have done everything that I could to do on the diamond. I will always be a part of this league, that has been so good to me. I will continue to be a spectator and supporter, but the days of competitive baseball will finally be over this November.
My sincere and extreme thanks to my lovely wife and great kids for allowing me the time away from them to enjoy this other love of my life. This final season will be played for you all and my Mom and Dad, who gave up so much of their time teaching me this game and supporting me unconditionally. It has been a great ride. There is just one more chapter to write. Let's Play Ball!
Mike - you will walk out a HOF player and champion. I will stop by some games this year and congratulate you in person. It's been fun to compete against you. Ironically, my last career hit was against you last year.
Will Mike, I must say Im a bit surprised but not shocked. Same thought has crossed my mind starting several years ago and I have 10 years on you. I had both the lateral and medial meniscus removed from my right knee when I was 24 years old, oddly enough by the chief surgeon for the US ski team. Dr. Arthur Ellison out of Williamstown, Mass. Perhaps, in my case anyway, a baseball player shouldnt play football. Too late. Anyway, I am grateful that the league has developed a 65 and over division and I hope to be able to continue for a bit longer. I agree with you in your assessment of what baseball can mean to a person. So many great relationships. So many memorable moments. Theres nothing like it. See you on the field old warhorse.
