I’m 34 years old. Not old by any means but old enough to be married and have a two year old son. I’m old enough to be anticipating my 20 year high school reunion but not old enough to retire. I’m old enough that my joints hurt from years of sports but not old enough to stop trying to compete. And I’m old enough to know that the players of my generation are far better than those that take the field today…..at least in my opinion.
As is the case with almost every sports fan, the players of their generation are far superior to those that came in the years that followed. It’s no different with me and I realized I felt this way a few years ago when I couldn’t pick a new player to collect.
You see, my collection consisted of players that were retired such as Bobby Bonilla, Ken Griffey Jr, and Josh Fogg, among others. Every player that was active and crossed my mind as a possibility for a new pursuit just didn’t have the same pizazz as the ones from my hey-day.
I was afraid to choose an up-and-coming prospect for the fear that he’d be the next Brien Taylor and I didn’t want to pick someone from one of my favorite teams because the odds of him staying on said team were slim. My collection was at a standstill.
Then it hit me…I was officially old. I had become what bothered me as a child about the way my father collected. The way he spoke about players such as Vida Blue and Mark Fidrych with such fondness and how he would try to tell me how great the stars of his childhood were with the cards he had remaining in his collection as a picture companion. All the while I’m just thinking that those “old guys” were long gone and it’s time to focus on names like Bo, Junior, and Jose.
I had become an “old collector” and it happened right under my nose. Today my hobby pursuits include players such as Bobby Bonilla, Fred McGriff, Josh Fogg, Darryl Strawberry, and Ken Griffey Jr. even though they’ve been gone for years. Those cards make me happier than any Mike Trout or Kris Bryant ever could.
Collect what makes you happy and you’ll never go wrong!