The year is 1986. Ronald Reagan is the President of the United States of America, with George Bush Sr. as Vice President. The average price for a gallon of gasoline is $0.93, and the population of the United States is 240 million people. The top grossing movie is Top Gun, and the lead actor, Tom Cruise, is an up-and-coming actor with Catholic beliefs. There are 26 major league baseball teams, with the best team being the New York Mets.
Fast forward to the year 2012. Since 1986, we've had a total of 12 years with a Bush as President. Gas prices have gone up $3.00 per gallon, and we've added 72 million people to the U.S. population. Top Gun is now considered a cult classic, and Tom Cruise is now a Scientologist who enjoys making Mission Impossible sequels, which there are three of now. There are now 30 major league baseball teams, with the worst team being the New York Mets.
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| Jamie Moyer's Rookie Card |
A lot has changed since 1986, but there is at least one thing that remains constant, and that's Jamie Moyer. He's still a big league pitcher after all of these years. He made his major league debut on June 16, 1986, and his next scheduled start is on April 10, 2012. Moyer proved to everyone that he's still able to pitch, and with an unfortunate thumb injury to Drew Pomeranz, Jamie Moyer has found himself as the number two starter in the Colorado Rockies' rotation. This will be the 629th game Jamie Moyer starts as a pitcher, which will place him 15th on the all-time games started list in Major League Baseball history. If he wins the game, he will not only be tied with Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer with 268 career wins, which is 35th on the all-time wins list, but he will also become the oldest pitcher in Major League history to record a win.
Earlier in the off-season, right after the Rockies signed Jamie Moyer, I predicted the
Rockies' pitching rotation, and I placed Jamie Moyer as the "pitching coach". I will be the first to admit that I was wrong, and I'm glad to see Moyer having a strong start to a welcomed comeback season. It's a bitter-sweet victory as a Rockies' fan, because on one hand I respect Moyer's ability to be successful at the big league level, but on the other hand this means that Moyer, a 49-year-old pitcher, has out-pitched at least a dozen pitchers in the Rockies' organization that are A LOT younger than 49. Tyler Chatwood, Guillermo Moscoso, Josh Outman, and Alex White all find themselves either as relievers or starting the season in Triple-A. They were all key returns for the many trades the Rockies made since the summer of 2011. Instead, the Rockies found success with free agent pitcher, Jamie Moyer, who's been pitching in the big leagues before a lot of these young pitchers were even born. Heck, Jamie Moyer's career is seven years longer than the existence of the Rockies' organization. Seven. The Rockies are entering their 20th season.
I hope Jamie Moyer pitches well for the Rockies in 2012, and I also hope that some of the young pitchers have taken note on how to succeed as a pitcher, even if the pitcher was born when the Texas Rangers were still the Washington Senators, and the president of the United States was John F. Kennedy.
Presidential First Pitches since Jamie Moyer's MLB Debut:
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| Ronald Reagan 1988 |
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| George H.W. Bush 1991 |
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| Bill Clinton 1993 |
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| George W. Bush 2001 |
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| Barack Obama 2009 |
Earlier in the off-season, right after the Rockies signed Jamie Moyer, I predicted the Rockies' pitching rotation, and I placed Jamie Moyer as the "pitching coach". I will be the first to admit that I was wrong, and I'm glad to see Moyer having a strong start to a welcomed comeback season. It's a bitter-sweet victory as a Rockies' fan, because on one hand I respect Moyer's ability to be successful at the big league level, but on the other hand this means that Moyer, a 49-year-old pitcher, has out-pitched at least a dozen pitchers in the Rockies' organization that are A LOT younger than 49. Tyler Chatwood, Guillermo Moscoso, Josh Outman, and Alex White all find themselves either as relievers or starting the season in Triple-A. They were all key returns for the many trades the Rockies made since the summer of 2011. Instead, the Rockies found success with free agent pitcher, Jamie Moyer, who's been pitching in the big leagues before a lot of these young pitchers were even born. Heck, Jamie Moyer's career is seven years longer than the existence of the Rockies' organization. Seven. The Rockies are entering their 20th season.
Thanks David for the post. And after your post I can now see clearly the curve ball coming and make the connection to our economic/political woes in our nation because of your post.
ReplyDeleteWe have had 3 lefty Presidents and only 2 righties.