Comma, Who Is A Grandfather, Comma
The best nonrestrictive clause in a sports story just dropped!
Like everybody, I am giddy over the Philip Rivers news.
That the Colts worked him out to see if he could still start football games for them in the year of our Lord 2025 is one thing.
That he still feels good enough to sling it at the ancient-artifact age of 44 is another.
But this- this is the next level!
“Rivers, who is a grandfather,”
Non-restrictive clause of the year! I love everything about this!
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Tracking grandfathers in pro sports is a little bit more difficult than you’d think because nobody really reports on the birth of their children’s children.
But being a Stat Boy is a job for life — like being a Marine! — and your boy’s got LexisNexis in his veins.
Brett Favre was a grandfather when he played with the Vikings in 2010!
Robert Parish was certainly a grandfather playing in the NBA in the mid-90s.
Jayson Williams was a grandpa while with the Nets. It was by adoption after family tragedy, and he was in his mid-20s!
Phil Niekro was NOT a grandpa when he was pitching for the Yankees in 1985… looking like this!
Sparky Anderson was NOT a grandpa when managing the Reds in 1972. He was 38 in this photo!
George Blanda played in the NFL till he was 48, when he looked like this.
He’s not cited anywhere as a grandpa at that point — but I’d double-check his pockets for Werther’s Original if possible.
Every few years a small college invites grandpas back into school to complete eligibility. Here are some of those guys.
Rivers is not that, of course. He’s just 44 and still in the dadding game. He and Tiffany welcomed their tenth — Andrew — a few years ago, right around the same time Halle, their oldest, had grandbaby No. 1.
Halle is older than Colts QB Riley Leonard, who Rivers may be replacing in the lineup… and older than Tyler Warren, who he’d be throwing the ball to! Rivers has been head coach at St Michael Catholic (just finished their season 13-1) and Colts players have far more in commons with those kids than their potential new qb. But all those guys have had grandpas before so they know what’s up!
And That’s the other thing to consider. Grandpa athlete already done before: what Rivers can really do in fielding a whole team of 11, that’s the game changer.
(This photo needs updating, it’s a few children and grandchild short)
I'm consistently astounded at how old Sparky Anderson looked when he was still very much a young man. I just spent 5 minutes looking at baseball cards of him as a player. He was an old man as a player. Nobody "looked" more like a manager than Sparky Anderson.
Really like the grandpa theme. As a senior (but not pro) athlete, we play out our own version.