For the times they are a-changin'

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
The chance won't come again
And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' who
That it's namin'.
For the loser now
Will be later to win
For the times they are a-changin'.
- Bob Dylan

Times change; nothing stays the same. That's a given. Sometimes thing change with the passage of time that make you stand up, look back and wonder; "How in the heck did we get here?"




Johnny Weissmuller
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Johnny Weissmuller (June 2, 1904 – January 20, 1984) was an American swimmer and actor who was one of the world's best swimmers in the 1920s, winning five Olympic gold medals and one bronze medal. He won fifty-two US National Championships and set sixty-seven world records. After his swimming career, he became the sixth actor to portray Tarzan in films, a role he played in twelve motion pictures. Other actors also played Tarzan, but Weissmuller was the best-known. His character's distinctive, ululating Tarzan yell is still often used in films.

On July 9, 1922, Weissmuller broke Duke Kahanamoku's world record on the 100-meters freestyle, swimming it in 58.6 seconds.

Today, according to USA Swimming:
3 girls in the 11-12 year old category swam better times.
88 girls in the 13-14 year old category swam better times.
over 100 girls in the 15-16 year old category swam better times.
over 100 girls in the 17-18 year old category swam better times.

Now, Weismuller along with maybe Jim Thorpe, was considered to be one of the top athletes of the 1920's and 30's. He was Tarzan, the King of the Jungle. The embodiment of masculinity at the time. Babe Ruth's time. Lou Gehrig's time.

And now his times would not impress many high school womens swim coaches.

And yet the composition of water hasn't changed since the 20's such that athletes of today would have any material advantage. And the distance, 100 meters, has not changed from the 1920's to today, such that the comparison would be materially different.

In fact, it hasn't changed at all. So this would appear to be as much an apples to apples comparison of the athletes of one era when compared to another. So as much as we may want to remain romantically attached to the idea that what was great when we were young will continue to be great generations down the road, I would just respectfully say, I certainly hope not!!

I would hope that cars of today are better and safer and more efficient today then those made back in the days of the Model T. Even though it is still fascinating to look at the models of yesteryear and recognize that in their day, they reigned supreme.

It's called progress, or evolution if you will. Things change, times change. Not always for the better, but in most cases we advance forward.



Mark Spitz
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mark Andrew Spitz (born February 10, 1950, in Modesto, California) is an American swimmer.

He holds the record for most gold medals won in a single Olympic Games (seven), which he set at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany.

Between 1965 and 1972, Spitz won 9 Olympic gold medals, 1 silver, and 1 bronze; 5 Pan American golds; 31 National U.S. Amateur Athletic Union titles; and 8 U.S. National Collegiate Athletic Association Championships. During those years, he set 33 world records.

At the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany Spitz swam the 100 meter freestyle in 51.22 seconds:

The current records are:

World: 47.84 Pieter van den Hoogenband, NED Sydney, AUS 09-19-00
American: 48.17 Jason Lezak, Irvine Long Beach, Calif. 07-10-04

So, even a more modern "Superman", which Spitz was when he won the seven gold medals in Munich, is forced to endure seeing his world records, not only broken but shattered over the years. Does it detract from the magnificence of what he accomplished? I don't think so, not in any way at all.

It's just the nature of things.

That's the way it's always been is sports, and it's even more pronounced now in baseball since the demise of the Reserve Clause and the explosive escalation of salaries.

This take on the situation from Johnny Bench illustrates the point very clearly:

Bench elaborates on what many vintage MLB players
think: their achievements are clearly undermined by
many factors in favor of younger hitters.

"We're second-class citizens now, our era. Our
records are bygone", he said.

"They're making $15 million or $20 million a year.
I made $11,000 my first year. I was rookie of the year
and made $20,000, was MVP and made $40,000, was MVP
again and made $80,000. So I'm only like $19,920,000
behind."

"There are guys out there who make two All-Star
games and they've got their own planes flying back
East. I'm trying to drive to Reno to get the 6:45 a.m.
Delta so I can change planes and go to Orlando", he
said.

The old-timers feel disrespected and unappreciated compared to the modern ballplayers. That, I guess, may never change.