Derek Jeter is headed to the disabled list with a calf injury that revealed itself the other night, forcing The Captain to hobble off the diamond. I was a bit surprised to read the injury happened just a few weeks shy of his 37th birthday. I actually thought he was older, because Jeter has seemingly been playing forever.
Ever since I was a kid thumbing through packs of baseball cards, I’ve paid attention to birthdays and ages of the players. For a decade or so as I moved into my late 30s and 40s, I’d check the rosters in the program at every game I’d attend to see if there were at least one player older than I.
Thank you, Nolan Ryan, for hanging in there so long. You stretched my “I’m still not too old to play Major League Baseball” fantasy a few years longer than I had a right to expect. In more recent years, alas, not even Julio Franco could save me.
I wish Derek Jeter a speedy recovery and many more years of playing time, if only to keep those big league dreams alive for some poor aspiring shortstop who’s coming to terms with the approach of the Big 4-0.
The Ball Caps Blog 
Wow, I am surprised that Jeter is only 37. I feel like he’s been around forever too.
But in shortstop years, 37 is like 72. Not many shortstops have ever been effective at that age.
As for me, I think only perhaps Tim Wakefield is in my age bracket.
Maybe I should become a left-handed relief specialist. They seem to hang around forever. Only, I’m right-handed.
Cheers,
Bill