It's 7:10 on a Tuesday evening in Angel Stadium, the game that began at 7:06 now over, the Oakland A's taking a 1-0 lead.
I joke, of course, the Angels' anemic attack rallying early for two runs and one hit and then getting a big home run to win it, but only because I have this thing for old people.
That's why I like spending time with Wooden, Dwyre and the wife. I enjoy talking to them because they've already lived their lives, and have so much to say, which explains why I began the night standing in front of Garret Anderson's locker.
It was just time to get the old guy going.
But let's face it, he's almost baseball ancient. He's sitting in front of his locker because I presume he has to -- celebrating birthday No. 36 a day earlier -- and if you're going to have as much gray hair as he has right now, it's probably good you have a job that requires you to wear a cap.
There was a time in Anderson's life when he would run from me, but as everyone knows, he has slowed down, so he couldn't avoid the question: "Are you finished as a baseball player?"
He said no, of course, but added, "I'm bad right now; I can admit that."
He's not so bad as he has been terrible, hitting .188 in June and doing so poorly Manager Mike Scioscia removed him from the lineup two days in a row.
"I happened to bump into Scioscia the other day and he said I'd be back in there, but I didn't say anything," Anderson said. "He knows I want to play every day, so I'm not going to beat him over the head. I need to go out there and prove that I belong in the lineup every day."
The way he's hitting right now, he could play for the Dodgers.
Anybody else, and I might make the sarcastic suggestion that Ned Colletti probably has his eye on teaming Juan Pierre, Andruw Jones and Anderson in the same outfield, but because Anderson is one of the most grounded and classy athletes in baseball, I'd never suggest such a thing.
But it does raise another question: Will the Angels pay him $14 million next season, or take advantage of the opportunity to buy him out of his contract for $3 million?
Hard to picture the Angels without Anderson in uniform.
It's business, though, and the best baseball guess is the Angels will give him $3 million, and while that will free him to go elsewhere, the Angels will probably try to sign him to a new contract for something considerably less than $14 million.
