The Evergreens of Spring

You know spring training is right around the corner when you start to see "Veteran X is in the best shape of his life and eager to make a comeback" stories. Like this one about Javy Lopez:

At 37, Lopez is in the best shape of his life, trying to resurrect a career that went skidding off the tracks after one good year in Baltimore . . . He decided to take the year off. By August, he had a clear head and a new mission. He told his trainer wanted to get into the best shape of life. Lopez did football-style workouts, running ladder drills through 18-inch squares, pushing tires and running with a bungy cord attached to his waist . . . Lopez wants not only to break camp as a backup but make enough of an impact to spark trade interest from teams looking for an every day catcher.

"You never know," Lopez said. "I'm focusing on playing well. I will make all this hard work pay off."

I love Javy, but the fact is that most of the time guys in his position don't come back because no matter how much someone works out, no professional athlete is ever in the best shape of their life at age 37. If they were, they never would have become professional athletes in the first place.

At the same time, athletes never know when to quit. If they did, they never would have become professional athletes in the first place.