Once Upon My Mind: Gwynn, Molitor, Ichiro, and the Optimism of Spring

I get all nostalgic and sappy this time of year. It’s a stupid thing to do, but I can’t help myself. Live in the present, right? Okay, most of the time. Today, we’ll indulge a little and revisit the past: Age and Treachery Will Overcome Youth and Skill (March 21, 1998). “While I am willing to concede that some of the increased success of both [Tony] Gwynn and [Paul] Molitor is due to the factors mentioned above, I believe that in both cases they did in fact become much better at an advanced age.” Both men really enjoyed their thirties: Gwynn hit .344/.388/.476 (133 OPS+), while Molitor hit .320/.389/.477 (133 OPS+). Random Musings before Heading to Vegas (March 23, 2002). “I respect the heck out of the work Baseball America does but they missed the boat on the Padres. They’ve picked San Diego to finish fifth in the NL West. How they expect the Rockies to stay out of the cellar, I have no idea.” Let the record show that the Padres fini...