MLB:   Colorado Rockies, That Walk-Off Homer & The Age-Myth  // NBA: Denver Nuggets, Other Teams & The "Final Stretch."    

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MLB:   A fervent baseball fan is seated in his living room, in front of a televised Colorado Rockies/Arizona Diamondbacks game. It’s mid-April, and the fan is certain that bad luck joined the Rockies after rain sent lots of fans home from Coors Field before the bottom of the ninth, now in progress---the 'Backs could win this one, after the Rockies held a big lead.

Arizona’s closer, J.J. Putz, has forced the Rockies into two outs. “It looks real bad for the Rockies,” the armchair fan claims, and his wife throws a quote into the equation, “It aint over ‘til it’s over,” for the Rockies have a man on base.

Colorado first baseman, Todd Helton, goes to the plate, and the fan at home turns to his wife and says confidently, “A few years ago, Helton would deliver the needed home run. He’d smack the ball into the stands, sending his guy around the bases, himself, too, the Rockies taking the Diamondbacks down past the count. Helton’s too old now,” he adds, “if Helton doesn’t strike out he’ll probably hit short, the ball will be caught, the Diamondbacks will win.”

But Helton’s the intrepid pro---he sends the ball into the stands above right field, game over, the Rockies walk away as winners.

How does the saying go, the one visible on a lot of T-shirts worn under the Florida sun? “Old age will beat youth every  .  .  . ”  but what’s important is our realizing that the age thing warning athletes to quit at 30 and start selling products on TV if they can’t get a gig on ESPN, has shifted upward. The 35+ Helton is still capable of the walk-off home run and attaining a high on-base percentage, he’s still one of the best first basemen in professional baseball. “Maybe that 35+ is the new 25+,” shouts the wife of our living room commando.

Consider Colorado hurler, Jamie Moyer, at 49. He could be the oldest pitcher still rostered for professional baseball, and he may be so next year, too; his mediocre 2012 start is not a product of age, statically he’s ahead of several younger MLB pitchers when included are his spring training numbers, (inserted by editor after the fact, i.e., it happened::) knowing his next start could see him making history, becoming the oldest pitcher in professional baseball to win a ballgame. Also consider that an 82 year-old man climbed Mount Everest in recent years, though some analysts suspect that he had to be helped in the final stretch by more than one Sherpa.

A man in his mid-90’s completed a marathon last year. Check out tennis clubs and you’ll find players in their 60’s and 70’s rated 5.0 and 6.0, and Coloradans are familiar with men and women over 70 who ski the black diamond slopes at Aspen, Steamboat Springs, Vail and Winter Park. Only a few weeks ago, newspapers reported that several Masters Track & Field records were surpassed by a New York-based woman in her 60’s. For several years, Colorado has had a league for baseball players 60 years old and over, players who can hit and field as well as athletes half their age, although the league’s pitchers haven’t been hurling faster than around 55 mph.

In the NBA, there are players in their mid-thirties, still crack shooters, Kobe Bryant among them. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played basketball into his 40’s. Jerry Rice, one of the best NFL receivers ever, was afield in his 40’s, and golfer Jack Nicklaus won the Masters when 46. Tennis player, Martina Navratilova, won mixed doubles at Wimbledon when past 45. Heavyweight George Foreman’s best work in the ring occurred after he turned 40. Cancer kicked butt for awhile against Denver Nuggets head coach, George Karl, and he just turned 60 as possibly the more active and more intellectually alert among NBA leaders, several much younger than Karl.

Baseball’s Satchel Paige, one of the finest pitchers of all time, played into his 50’s, and MLB pitcher Nolan Ryan didn’t retire from active play until in his mid-40’s. Nascar driver Richard Petty’s final victory occurred during his 40’s.

Todd Helton, old?  Keep watching, he’s begun a better year than his last several.

NBA:  The Denver Nuggets are still playoff contenders, thanks to a big win against the Houston Rockets on Monday, April 16. The Nuggets are holding at second place in the NBA’s Western Conference-Northwest Division, at 34-27, two up on Utah, and they’re in sixth place in the conference itself, tied with last year’s NBA championship team, the Dallas Mavericks. Had the opposite of Monday night occurred and the Rockets beat the Nuggets, it could have been all over for Denver as a team headed into the post-season, in that there are no easy nights ahead. Of the five games that the Nuggets have left to play, three will be against teams holding better 2011/12 records than Denver has---tomorrow vs. the L.A. Clippers (37-23), then the Orlando Magic (36-25) on April 22, and the Oklahoma City Thunder (44-16), April 25.

Far ahead of the pack in the Western Conference, in addition to leading team, the Thunder, are the San Antonio Spurs (42-16) and the L.A./ Lakers (39-22). Leading the Eastern Conference are the Chicago Bulls (46-15), the Miami Heat (43-17) and the Boston Celtics (36-25). The teams way low in the NBA this year are within the Eastern Conference, Michael Jordan’s Charlotte Bobcats, with an abysmal 7-53 record, followed by the Washington Wizards (15-46). Weakest within the Western Conference are the New Orleans Hornets (19-42).

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