Published: June 18, 2009 11:16 pm      

Ken Hart: ‘Glory Days’... gone, not forgotten

OK, I am now officially old.

My certificate of admission to the OFCA (Old Fogies’ Club of America) landed in my mailbox a few days ago.

No, it wasn’t an invitation to join AARP. That’s still a couple of years away. (And pretty darned depressing to think about, too, come to think of it.)

In this case, though, the cold dose of reality my postman left for me was an invitation to attend my 30-year high school reunion, coming up Labor Day weekend.

My first thought upon opening the envelope was, “Hey, maybe I can see my friend who was a big baseball player back in high school ... you know, the one who could throw that speedball by you, make you look like a fool.”

OK, the above reference was thrown in as a treat for my fellow Springsteen fans. And, while I’m digressing, here’s something I’ve always wondered:

Why did Bruce choose to use the term “speedball” in the song “Glory Days?” “Fastball,” obviously, is the more common word for a high-velocity baseball pitch. A “speedball,” on the other hand — well, that’s a mixture of heroin and cocaine, the combo that killed John Belushi.

Oh, well. That’s one of the many questions I’d love to one day have the opportunity to ask The Boss.

We now return to our regularly scheduled column ...

Thirty years? Holy crap!

That was my real first reaction when I opened and read the reunion invitation.

Even though I’d known for some time that the reunion was in the planning stages, actually receiving notice of it was still a bit of a shock to the system.

It just doesn’t seem possible — not even remotely so — that much time could have elapsed since I walked across the stage and collected my sheepskin.

It’s hard to believe, too, how much the world has changed since then.

Back then, we listened to Bob Seger and Lynynrd Skynyrd on eight-track tapes. Today, we listen to them on iPods.

I still remember paying eight bucks for the ticket to the very first concert I ever saw — Aerosmith at the venue that was then known as the Huntington Civic Center.

Thirty years later, Aerosmith is still touring. That’s one thing that hasn’t changed. But, I doubt a ticket for one of their shows can be had for much less than 50 bucks — including the ticket vendors’ tacked-on fees, naturally.

It seemed, too, that even though people obviously had their differences back then, we weren’t split into warring factions, like we seem to be today.

I’m really not one of those people who pines to be 18 again. It’s a pointless waste of time and energy to do so, in my most humble opinion. Besides, I can’t think of too many aspects of my life that aren’t better today, at age 48, than they were 30 years ago.

That’s not to say, though, that I wouldn’t jump at the chance to relive the past 30 years, were that possible, especially if I could do so with the benefit of what I’ve learned through 30 years of life experience.

I suspect I’m not alone in that regard.

Youth is, indeed, wasted on the young. Truer words were never spoken.

Glory days. They’ll pass you by.

Lot of truth in those words, too.

KENNETH HART can be reached at khart@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2654.