Top Ten | Senior Citizens in Sports
October 6Wait a minute, the Arizona Cardinals are in first place in the AFC West? And with 147 points scored in five games, they're only two off of Jay Cutler's Broncos for first in the NFL? How did that happen? Don't look now, but it's true. And the 25-year-old Matt Leinart (hey, remember when he won that Heisman?) has nothing to do with it. The man behind the magic is Kurt Warner, adept grocery-bagger and occasional NFL starting quarterback, a man who turned 37 this summer and flirted with retirement this fall. Instead, he's sticking around to lead one of the best offenses in football. Go figure. Here are 10 more of our favorite old farts in the sporting world. Oh, and these people are actually old. 10. Dick Vitale. I'm turning 70 next June, baby! And I'm now best known for my tidbits of basketball analysis that range from the utterly irrelevant to the completely senile! I've also forgotten the names of about 300 schools to the point where I can really only name one — Duke! Awesome, baby! 9. Don Zimmer. Here's a brief rule of thumb: When you are 72 and decide that it's a bright idea to attack a perfectly healthy, physically fit 31-year-old man, that's when you know you are too senile to be working in major league baseball. (Or anywhere else.) 8. Al Davis. Exactly one year older than George Steinbrenner (both men were born on the fourth of July), the Raiders' president is one of the all-time great sports executives. Somehow after 79 years, he's still alive and kicking enough to make questionable hires of ineffective coaches. Remember when Jon Gruden left, and then his Buccaneers beat the Raiders in the very next Super Bowl? Hasn't been a winning season in Oakland since. Just saying. 7. Jamie Moyer. He has never had the overpowering velocity or the dazzling arsenal of pitches, but this old-timer continues to get it done with accuracy and command as he rumbles on toward this year's NLCS with the Philadelphia Phillies. The oldest current player in baseball has been the model of consistency through the years with a devastating changeup and a studious approach to his craft. A World Series ring this fall would be the perfect ending to his rather nondescript 22-year career. 6. Joe Paterno. While he isn't as useful as he once was roaming the Nittany Lions' sideline on Saturdays, the man still does one hell of a job as figurehead for the one of the best college football programs in recent memory. At a hilarious 81 years old, the Div. I all-time leader in victories certainly doesn't have much left to prove other than his ability to walk sans cane. 5. Jesse Orosco. In addition to being baseball's all-time leader in games pitched, Orosco is known for recording the final out of the 1986 World Series, throwing a two-inning save to finish off the Red Sox. He was 29 then. He kept pitching for 17 more years! Orosco was the oldest player in his league every year between 1999 and 2003. 4. Dikembe Mutombo. That's Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo, to be exact. The Congolese-American center has made a name for himself — er ... made a place for himself — in the NBA by redefining shot blocking and defensive prowess from the center position. The eight-time NBA All-Star and four-time Defensive Player of the Year has done an epic job of sticking around at age 42. He also makes himself useful as a translator, boasting fluency in French, English, Luba and Lingala. What's not to love? 3. Chris Chelios. The current Detroit Red Wing defenseman is the ironman of today's hockey landscape. At 46 years old, Chelios is currently the oldest active player in the NHL and has played in the most games of any player in the league. On the flip side, the Greek God is the king of penalty minutes, leading the league's current players in that category as well, and boasts one of the league's ugliest noses. Good lord, he needs some work on that shnoz. 2. Morten Andersen. This one-bar Danish wonder might never put an end to his foot magic. The NFL's all-time leader in points, who actually started off his long career as a gymnast, has bounced around a total of six teams and been named to seven Pro Bowls. So when will the ever-aging master of the uprights call it quits? He had named his 50th birthday as the finish line, but he's not feeling the love thus far in 2008, and let's hope it stays that way. 1. Julio Franco. To all outward appearances, this man would appear to be retired from major league baseball. He hasn't played a game since Sept. 17, 2007, at which point his official age was listed as 49 but reportedly could have been anywhere between 46 and 53. But Franco, who attributes his tip-top shape to a disciplined diet, just loves the game too much to stay away. Is he actually done for good? We'll believe it when he's dead and buried.
