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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Voyageur" data-source="post: 1061863" data-attributes="member: 17953">Who is Aaron Rodgers? He's not the same guy who played over a decade with the Packers. The guy everyone is talking about is an old Packer who is no longer there, who's trying to hang on to a life he's enjoyed for so long. His whole life has been around football, and he's clinging to it just like Tom Brady did, and so many players have in the past. It becomes embedded in their DNA. I understand that feeling deep inside. I remember play fast-pitch softball until I was 56 years old and had a stroke. After making substantial recovery, I tried for three years to return to the field to play.Even after I got my legs back, and the majority of my coordination, I was 59 years old and working towards playing. I wanted it. I wanted it DESPERATELY!!!! I'd substituted slow and fast pitch softball into my life the day after I quit playing baseball. The day I realized that I could no longer hang in there with the new kids on the block. They were beginning to be better than me.So, here I was. 59 years old. I went to a batting cage every day for over two months. I'd take at least 100 swings every day. Sometimes as many as 200. I built my arm strength up and worked hard. But my legs kept failing me. I'd moved from the outfield to 1st base when I was about 50. That was a blow. I'd already moved from centerfield to left field which hurt. I loved playing centerfield. It was my "kingdom" and nobody could outplay me. I could make those catches that make highlight reels. Then a guy 25 years younger, and faster, outplayed me and I ended up in left field. I also ended up moving from clean-up hitter to 5th or 6th in the lineup. I was still one of the top 3 hitters on the team as far as average, but I wasn't drilling as many over the fence or getting too many extra bases like I did when I was younger. I could see it in the stats, and I knew it, but I didn't want to accept it. At 59, hitting one to the wall but not over was a real chore. They ended up fly outs, not dingers, like they were in the past. The power was gone. In the end, I found myself as a "utility first baseman" for several games and realized that I was only there because of what I did in the past. They were being kind to let me stick around. It was gone. So, I retired from the game completely.Even today, at 84, I can't bear to watch a softball game because it hurts knowing I can't do it like I did in the past. I avoid them. Rodgers is nearing his "59." It happens to all athletes. If you've been there, you understand. You try to hang on because it's what you love and feel you do best. If you feel anything for him, feel that he's like a horse trying to run one more race. Hanging on to be a winner. My favorite horse was a gelding named John Henry. He didn't arrive on the scene as a winner until he was long-in-the-tooth. He ran his heart out, and was an amazing horse. I kind of like to think of myself as having been a little bit like him when playing sports, but at a lesser level. I think guys like Favre, Brady, and Rodgers, all fit into that same mold. They all wanted to go out a winner just like John Henry.But that's just my opinion, for what it's worth. After you read a little about John Henry, I think you'll see what I mean.[URL unfurl="true"]https://www.horseillustrated.com/horse-community-age-was-only-a-number-for-john-henry[/URL]</blockquote>

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