Those of a certain age – and for those who haven’t figured out the translation of that term, it means the fire department is on alert every time we have a birthday – might actually remember the first time baseball Hall of Famer Frank Robinson was traded. It was in the winter of 1965 when Robinson – who had already won a National League MVP award for Cincinnati – was traded by the Reds to the Baltimore Orioles.
The two most striking aspects to that trade: Reds general manager Bill DeWitt tried to justify it by calling Robinson an “old 30.” And Robinson promptly went out and won the American League MVP and Triple Crown and led the Orioles to a pennant and a four-game sweep of the World Series against the Dodgers.
In other words, who you callin’ old?
Robinson played 11 more seasons after the trade before turning his talents to managing, hitting 262 of his 586 career home runs and collecting 1,270 of his 2,943 career hits for Baltimore, Cleveland and the Dodgers and Angels.
(And it’s worth noting that Sandy Koufax retired at 30, a year after that trade, but it was because of a bum elbow in the days before advancements in sports medicine. Yeah, 30 was a lot older then in these eyes than it is now.)
But for some reason that transaction, and mainly that particular quote, popped into my head while examining the current SoCal sports landscape. We seem to have a lot of stars who passed their 30s, old or otherwise, long ago and are still competing and performing at a high level.
LeBron James turns 41 in December. And while he voiced indecision about his future the night the Lakers were eliminated by Minnesota in the first round, he’s done that before. The Lakers expect him to be back for at least one more season from what president/GM Rob Pelinka was expressing the day after that playoff series ended, and I’m guessing most fans also expect LeBron to be in uniform when training camp commences this fall.
But while James sets the standard for competing at an advanced age, he’s not alone. Look at the rosters.
Matthew Stafford turned 37 in February and remains unquestionably the Rams’ QB1, after rallying them from a rocky start to within one step of last season’s NFC championship game. It’s Stafford with 33-year-old Jimmy Garoppolo backing him up this coming season, and when general manager Les Snead acquired Atlanta’s 2026 first-round pick in a draft day trade, it jump-started speculation about landing a potential quarterback for the future in next year’s draft.
The Rams have a handful of 32- and 33-year-olds on their roster, including Garoppolo, new wide receiver Davante Adams (32) and offensive lineman Rob Havenstein, who turns 33 next week. (Given the demands of his position, Havenstein at 33 is almost equivalent to Stafford at 37.) The Chargers are comparatively young; linebacker Denzel Perryman turned 32 in December, and long snapper Josh Harris is 36 while playing a position that doesn’t necessarily penalize age.
The other L.A. roster top-heavy with experience, for all the good that has done them lately, is the Kings’. Anze Kopitar turns 38 in August, Drew Doughty will be 36 in September, and that last Stanley Cup they helped win in 2014 is receding in the mirror a little more every day. Meanwhile, goalie and Vezina Trophy finalist Darcy Kuemper turned 35 Monday and forward Trevor Lewis is 37.
Remember the celebration after the 2014 Cup? Then-GM Dean Lombardi asked Kopitar and Dustin Brown which Stanley Cup ring they liked the best and they said in unison, “The next one.” If they’d only known. The team hasn’t won a playoff series since, and general manager Rob Blake took the fall Monday morning in a face-saving mutual decision, and coach Jim Hiller is on the hot seat as well. That should be expected following the team’s fourth straight first-round elimination by Edmonton.
The Clippers, eliminated by Denver in a spectacular Game 7 immolation Saturday night, have their own senior auxiliary. Nicolas Batum is 36 and still a valuable asset. Reserve Patty Mills is also 36 and about to become a free agent, and James Harden turns that age in August. Kawhi Leonard, who finished a season healthy for the first time in a while, turns 34 in June.
And yet … the Clippers were fully healthy in the postseason for the first time since the 2020 bubble and still couldn’t win a series, with Harden’s awful performances against Denver in games 4, 5 and 7 playing a key role. Age, or something else?
The Ducks’ snail’s-pace rebuild wil be handed over to a new coach, and whoever takes over will likely face decisions on left wing Alex Killorn (who turns 36 in September) and defenseman and captain Radko Gudas (35 in June). The view here: Experience matters, especially with a roster still learning how to win.
Their counterparts on the other side of the 57, the Angels, are likewise trying to infuse youth with plenty of veterans to help with the process. Starting pitchers Tyler Anderson and Kyle Hendricks are both 35 and Yusei Kukuchi 34. Closer Kenley Jansen is 37, catcher Travis d’Arnaud 36, and DH Jorge Soler 33. (And, of course, Anthony Rendon is 34 but on the 60-day injured list, to no one’s surprise.)
Then there’s Mike Trout, and if anyone in baseball today could be called an old (fill-in-the-age), it would be the Angels’ star. He is 33 but his body keeps failing him; he has played more than 100 games only once since 2021 and went back on the injured list this past weekend because of a bone bruise in the same left knee that was surgically repaired last year. An old 33? You could certainly make the case.
But what about the marquee team in town, the defending champs and the closest thing baseball has to a juggernaut? By and large the Dodgers are playing up to that reputation, even with the traditional pitching injuries, but consider their everyday lineup: Everyone but Andy Pages is over 30.
Relievers Luis Garcia and Kirby Yates are 38, Clayton Kershaw will be 37 when he comes off the 60-day injured list. Blake Treinen (who just went on the 60-day IL) and Miguel Rojas are 36, Freddie Freeman turns 36 in September, Austin Barnes is 35 and Max Muncy and Chris Taylor will reach that age in August. Kiké Hernandez turns 34 that month, and Blake Snell is 32. Will Smith, Tommy Edman (IL) and Shohei Ohtani are all 30.
(And for what it’s worth, oft-injured Tyler Glasnow is 31.)
Common wisdom suggests that at some point Father Time will catch up with them, and quickly. This, and the metric-based whims of front office analysts, is where the idea of shying away from older players came into play the last few years, as a lot of 30-somethings learned when they hit free agency in recent winters and wound up signing for under market value (or to minor league contracts).
But that theory is far from infallible. Yes, professional sports can be relentless and unforgiving, but if individuals can still handle the grind, perform at a high level and be assets with their knowledge and experience, why push them out?
(And yes, I’m of a certain age, thanks for asking. Again, who you callin’ old?)
jalexander@scng.com
Related Articles
Alexander: Clippers and Nuggets taking this series to the limit Alexander: For want of a center, Lakers’ series with Timberwolves was lost Alexander: Have the Kings reached the end of the road? Alexander: College sports’ offseason, brought to you by chaos Alexander: Kings hold serve, but now comes the hard part Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Alexander: Let’s enjoy our heroes while we have them )
Also on site :