While relaxing and enjoying a light breakfast at Doughnut Inn on the Black Rock Turnpike in Fairfield this morning, I came across a story in the newspaper about Mets' first baseman Julio Franco. It seems the major league veteran has been a valuable acquisition for the National League frontrunners this year.But, what struck me most about Franco is his age. You see, he is the exact same age as the members of our graduating class from Andrew Warde High School!
Franco turns 48 in a little more than a week. I'll turn 48 in a little more than two months. Most of you reading this turned 48 this year. And he's still playing major league baseball!
Franco is a 22-year major league veteran who signed his first contract in 1978, just two years after we graduated from high school. He still has a "bodybuilder's physique," according to the article. He's six-feet-one and 210 pounds.
Sure, we may be middle-aged, but that shouldn't stop us from being physically fit and active. Franco has proven that. His current Mets' contract runs through the 2007 season, at which point he'll be 49. "After I turn 50," he said, "I think I might hang it up."
Many people subscribe to the adage that "life begins at 40." For Franco, as well as all of us, we're in the prime of our lives right now! For those who have good health and strong families, I always say that life will never get any better than it is right now.
I'll be cheering for Julio Franco this year. All of us should applaud his stamina, energy, and enthusiasm. After all, he's still just a kid at heart!
Paul
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