How much sprier can a man look in spearing a comebacker barehanded, as Schilling did to throw out the incomparable Ichiro in the fourth inning? Or striking out the side on 14 pitches in the second, then whiffing Ichiro and Jose Lopez with a runner on third in the sixth to preserve his one-run lead, which had him practically step-dancing off the hill?
Schilling had to be at his best to outlast the purported geezer from Seattle who faced him, 43-year-old Jamie Moyer, who in 2003, at age 40, won 21 games for the Mariners. Moyer had base runners on in every inning but one of the six he pitched, but he stranded nine with his mix-and-match of mush that was every bit as effective as Schilling's fastball-slider combination.
No, Moyer said, he didn't watch Schilling much last night, but not because he lacked interest. ''The dugouts here are so miserable, you can't see," he said. ''And now that they put those fences up, everybody stands."
But he'd seen the stat sheet before the game, and knew Schilling has been throwing well. The whole notion of 40 being a meaningful barometer of a pitcher's remaining shelf life is rapidly being exposed as a myth in this age of ballplayers committed to year-round conditioning regimens, spurred on by financial rewards impossible to leave on the table. Five pitchers 40 or older took a regular turn last season -- Roger Clemens, David Wells, Randy Johnson, Kenny Rogers, and Moyer.
Look at all the old-timers who drew their team's Opening Day assignment this season: Moyer for the Mariners, Schilling for the Sox, Rogers for the Tigers, Johnson for the Yankees, and 40-year-old Tom Glavine for the Mets.
''I recognize it," Moyer said of the success his age bracket is enjoying. ''I think in today's game, guys -- I never want to say they take better care of themselves, but the medical field, the strength and conditioning, is so much more advanced than it has been, and so defined. If you want to work your abs, or your back, or your throwing shoulder, you can find someone."
