- “It started in 1988. Something every veteran ballplayer eventually experiences. The beginning of the end. What used to be easy begins to become hard. Range in the field. Aggressiveness on the bases. And, most important, bat speed. They fade away, right before your eyes. Nagging injuries take longer to heal. The travel, the autographing, the day-to-day responsibilities you used to take for granted become burdensome. You start thinking the unthinkable: life without baseball.” Clearing the Bases (Schmidt, Mike;Waggoner, Glen) Kindle Location 896-899
- “I started to feel like I was getting in the way. I wasn’t contributing, and although I knew manager Nick Leyva was in my corner, I also knew he had to be taking heat about keeping me in the four hole. The focus of the team during that period was basically me—and my home run total. This was uncomfortable, and the losing only made the situation worse. I started looking for real signs, and I also prayed for direction, as this was a life decision that would affect a lot of people. My hitting slump continued. I went 2 for 21 on the road trip, which along with the losing was a sign in itself. Then, during the Sunday getaway game, came the epiphany. The Giants had men on first and second, and Robby Thompson hit a double-play ground ball right at me. It went through my legs and into left to load the bases. Another sign, this one that I was losing it defensively. It was almost like I didn’t want to be in the game, like I was afraid of the ball. In my prime, I would have taken a broken nose rather than let that ball go through me. The final sign came on the next pitch, a Will Clark grand slam. As he rounded the bases and ran in front of me at third base, I made my decision: This was my last game. Just recalling it puts a lump in my throat. I dreaded the announcement, the press conference, the cameras in my face, the interviews, a media circus, all that would go with it, but at the same time, and most of all, I felt relief. It was time. The weight would be off my shoulders. I saw a Phillies team free to rebuild, to move on without me as the ball and chain.” Clearing the Bases (Schmidt, Mike;Waggoner, Glen) Kindle Location 953-957
- “I had scripted a small farewell speech for the press conference, one I now see was pretty pathetic. The opening line, “Twenty years ago I left Dayton, Ohio, with two bad knees…” Well, it just flat stunk. What I was trying to say was that when I departed from home twenty years ago, the odds of me standing before a national TV audience explaining why I couldn’t play another game—I was done at 2,404—were off the charts. I had no chance of doing what I did, but it happened.” Clearing the Bases (Schmidt, Mike;Waggoner, Glen) Kindle Location 988-992
- “The remainder of the 1989 season was easy enough to handle. We traveled with the kids, enjoyed being normal, and didn’t miss baseball in any way, shape, or form. That might be a little strong. Sure, I tuned in to the games now and then to watch my old buddies, and I watched a few innings of the postseason. But to say I was a fan would be a stretch.” Clearing the Bases (Schmidt, Mike;Waggoner, Glen) Kindle Location 1014-1016
- “When confronted with the favorable financial situation we were in at retirement we made the decision to balance the use of our assets between three areas. First, after a career of hard work and curtailed enjoyments such as travel we wanted to assure ourselves of a good but not lavish lifestyle, secondly we wanted to make sure our 5 children inherited something of significance that might provide a foundation for their own retirement and finally we felt that in view of our family blessings that an equal amount should be given to those less fortunate. Only by having and living a plan that provided for all three of these objectives could we be happy and proud during our golden years. Once this decision was made our only other decision was what causes we wanted to support.” Remarks to The 2008 Annual Membership Meeting Society of Financial Service Professionals, Bethesda Country Club. Bill Walace, CLU®, ChFC® JUNE 13, 2008
- “Today’s retirees aren’t retiring — they’re moving on to explore new options, pursue old dreams and live life to the fullest. They’re seeing the longevity bonus as a chance to devote energy to pursuits they may not have had the time or freedom to chase during the “career” portion of their lives, to stay stimulated, and to strengthen and expand their social network.”—Merrill Lynch 2013 Retirement Study with Age Wave
- “Today’s retirees are defining happiness not in terms of dollars but in terms of new experiences, peace of mind, helping family and making a difference.”— Merrill Lynch Retirement Study 2013