| In 1986, Keith Hernandez, 32, told William Nack of Sports Illustrated, “I most fear boredom and loneliness, life after baseball. Life after baseball equals boredom and loneliness. I don’t want to be a 50-year-old guy sitting and drinking beer in some pickup bar with younger people. I’ve seen it. I don’t want to be that.”
In 2007, Keith Hernandez, 54, shills for “Long Island’s Largest Rare Coin Store” and generally emits goofiness while explaining why Carlos Delgado should or shouldn’t have swung at that last pitch. If he sometimes barely reminds us of the flawless first baseman of whom Nack wrote [1] “played with passionate clarity and grace” in a steamy pennant race while grand jury testimony hung over his head, well, at least we can be glad he’s not bumming around bars and such. Still, sometimes it’s hard to believe the loopy TV guy who will apparently do any ad put in front of him is that same incredible force of nature who gave Shea the gravitas it so desperately needed in those halcyon days of ’84, ’85 and ’86.
Which is not to say we’re not happy to have him around these days. It’s just startling to think about sometimes. |
