Middle-aged f'ing studs?

[forever_town]

Nope. At age 35, we're all sent out to the glue factory.

 

[cranberry]

This thread isn't about me?

Seriously, I just turned 50 and I feel like I'm in position (in terms of ability, experience and perspective) for the most productive 10 years of my career. We'll see.

 

[FreddiePatek]

This thread isn't about me?

Seriously, I just turned 50 and I feel like I'm in position (in terms of ability, experience and perspective) for the most productive 10 years of my career. We'll see.

Your Fired!/Laid Off!/Bought Out!

 

[BYH]

Nope. At age 35, we're all sent out to the glue factory.

Oh shirt. Better get cracking. I've got 33 days left.

 

[Dickens Cider]

Nope. At age 35, we're all sent out to the glue factory.

Oh shirt. Better get cracking. I've got 33 days left.

Should you change your handle to BMAH then?

 

[pressboxramblings07]

Durrett is 35? Looks much younger.

 

[Joe Williams]

This thread isn't about me?

Seriously, I just turned 50 and I feel like I'm in position (in terms of ability, experience and perspective) for the most productive 10 years of my career. We'll see.

So you're getting out of newspapers, then?

 

[mediaguy]

I just want a clarification on what age the demographic begins, so I can remember which group I don't belong to ...

 

[FreddiePatek]

One of them who springs to mind is Big deck Durrett from the Dallas Morning News. He is 35 or so by now and seems to be ridden like a cheap mule by the Belostards. Motor sports, baseball, Cotton Bowl, hockey -- you name the big event, he's contributing.

I don't know Mr. Durrett, but that description sounds like the beginning of a mighty fine tall tale, ala Paul Bunyan.
"Big deck Durrett was as tall as 40 horses and as wide as Jason Whitlock, I tells ya! Big deck would straddle the Metroplex, taking in all the sports he could survey. One time he covered a Rangers game and a Cowboys game at the same time just by turning his head. That hole in the roof at Texas Stadium was put there so Big deck could see the game. He was too big to fit into the stadium.
"After all he did that day, Big deck took 10 mighty strides, crossed the Pecos in one, and covered a Texas Tech game in Lubbock. With his trusty laptop 'Toshiba', Big deck was the mightiest sports writer these old eyes ever seen..."

It might work better if you say it in a grizzled old prospector voice.

Brought a tear to me eye, you did

 

[jgmacg]

I just want a clarification on what age the demographic begins, so I can remember which group I don't belong to ...

0 - 17 Young.

18 - 24 Young. Strong. Not as smart as you think you are.

25 - 29 Still young. Still strong. Not as stupid as you remember yourself.

30 - 35 Smart. Strong feeling of being young.

35 - 40 Smarter. Neither as young nor strong as you think you are.

40 - 45 Smarter. Sense of not being young now very strong.

45 - 50 Smarter. Your children are young and strong.

50 - 55 Smarter. Your strength is in your work. The work, always new, is therefore always young.

55 - 65 Smart, and holding. Strength almost entirely a matter of character. The Young you remember best wrote for the Daily News. You wonder why no one writes like that any more.

65 - ? Smart's not everything, young man. You wonder why the young always think they're so smart. Get off my lawn.

 

[The Big Ragu]

jg, You're ageless!

 

[friend of the friendless]

Sirs, Madames,

This thread isn't about me?

Seriously, I just turned 50 and I feel like I'm in position (in terms of ability, experience and perspective) for the most productive 10 years of my career. We'll see.

At 50 I look back at stories that I did at 40 and find huge holes in them, missteps that I wouldn't make now. I can't bring myself to read stuff that I wrote when I was 30. I think your values and craft evolve and as soon as you're too satisfied that you've got it all figured out, then you're middle-aged or just plain old.

When I was a younger guy I remember one old-timer (age 60 or so) telling me that he considered it a bad week if he didn't write four great columns--having read him for years I couldn't think of four good columns he ever wrote. His home-run columns were no better than infield singles. At that point I decided I never want to be that guy. I can't change my birth certificate but the desire to do better and try new things gives me a shot at feeling young.

YD&OHS, etc