Thursday, October 30, 2008

Jamie Moyer (And Other Old Guy Moments)

Jamie Moyer just finished off one of the best "Old Guy" seasons in recent memory. And maybe ever (hell, what do I know?). The guy turns 45 next month and posted a 16-7, 3.71 ERA, and then, you know, contributed to a World Series champion. He also was responsible for one of my favorite "Old Guy" plays - his diving flip to Ryan Howard in Game 3 (sorry, video can't be embedded). Sure, Crawford was called safe, but he was definitely out. Besides, Moyer made a great play on the biggest stage, and that's all that matters. (Plus, I'm trying to be interesting here.)

Anyway, it got me thinking about other great moments in "Old Guy" history (from guys who are old and whatnot).

First up: 36-year-old Reggie Miller, 2002 NBA playoffs at New Jersey (round 1, 5th and final game). Reggie Miller's history of clutchness was always tied to his long-range shooting, and rightfully so. But in 2002, on the brink of elimination - down two with under ten seconds remaining in overtime, and on the road against the top seed in the East - Reggie Miller drove past his man, and did this to shot blockers Kenyon Martin and Aaron Williams:




Oh yeah, kinda forgot to mention: Before there was an overtime, or a double overtime, Miller pulled this off at the end of regulation:




As for football, I'll always be astonished at what Curtis Martin did in 2004. Look, he was only 31, so it's hard to call him a senior citizen, but we know what 31 means for running backs. Especially a guy like Martin, who was a feature back from year one. Which is why it's unfathomable to think that Martin - in his tenth year, and with almost 3,000 carries on his odometer - would unleash his personal bests in attempts (371), yards (1697!) and yards per carry (4.6). Adding to all of this is that Martin didn't have a single run in 2004 that went for longer than 25 yards. How is that even possible?

Including current players, there have been maybe 50 RBs I've enjoyed watching more than the semi-boring Curtis Martin, but that doesn't mean his 2004 wasn't the best "Old Guy" year in NFL history.

That is all.

Email me you favorite "Old Guy" moments/seasons, so long as they're not stupid. (Translation: Don't send me a link to Jimmy "Fat Fingers" Peterson of the 1901 Nashville Pipers.)

-Brad Spieser (
Brad@TwinKilling.com)
10/30/08

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