Meant to post this before, but I forgot. Jim Kaat is returning to baseball. As a broadcaster, of course, not a pitcher. And it looks like he's going to have a blog.
Kitty's retirement took a lot of people by surprise. He didn't announce it until near the end of the 2006 season, and then he didn't really get to say goodbye. What was supposed to be his last game was rained out, and he refused to do another game. His family had plans, and he said he couldn't do a makeup game. In the end, he did return and call one inning the next day, but it was brief and unexpected, so I still felt like we didn't get to say goodbye. It just seemed like such an abrupt end to a long career in baseball.
Well, now he's back, though the reason is sad. His wife passed away from bladder cancer last summer, and he decided he needed to go back to work. In keeping with his wife's wishes, he's raising money in her memory to support a community baseball field. He says he'll send an autographed photo to anyone who donates $10 or more.
I'm glad he's back, though the reason is unfortunate. I wonder if he might not have returned anyway, eventually. A lot of people find retirement is not as enjoyable as they imagined. Of course a lot of people love it, but many miss working.
I've been thinking about this because one of my coworkers is retiring next month. I am green with envy. The office is not a lot of fun right now. Management has gotten a pay cut, and we peons may be next. Worse, we had to fill out paperwork on Friday specifying whether we would accept a transfer in lieu of being laid off, and if so, where. It sure would be nice to be able to retire and not have to worry about all this. Unfortunately, I've got several decades to go yet.
If I ever retire. The way the stock market, company pensions, and social security are going, it's not looking good. I have a feeling that people of my generation and younger will never be able to retire. The idea that the last 10 or 20 or 30 years of your life should be spent in leisure will turn out to be a brief blip, roughly coinciding with the baby boom generation. We simply can't afford it. There are not enough young people to support so many retirees. Most of us will end up having to keep working, at least as long as our health permits.
Maybe I'd hate retirement. But I'd sure like the chance to find out. I imagined getting an RV or something, and following the Yankees around like Deadheads followed the Grateful Dead. :-)
Meanwhile...Andy Phillips was 2 for 5 with a walk and 2 runs scored in today's game. He played 1B and batted third. The game was a barn-burner, though Charlotte lost in extra innings.
