His full head of hair is mostly gray now, reflecting the passage of time since he played second base for the San Antonio Dodgers 29 years ago.
But even at 50, Steve Sax still looks like he could turn a double play or get a clutch hit.
Not that Sax, a five-time All-Star during his 14-year career in the major leagues, gives much thought to such things these days.
While he remains a fan of the game and has fond memories of his 1981 season in San Antonio, Sax has soured on Major League Baseball since he retired in 1994.
I still love the game, but I don t watch the game, he said last week before speaking to students at Central Catholic High School. I m not as enchanted with the game as I used to be. There s been almost a sea change in the majors.
There was a time when there was a reverence for the game among the players, but now it s all about me. There s no more humility. There s a lot of narcissism, and it s taken away from the game.
Maybe it s true that former pro athletes can be divided into two categories: those who never quite find their way after retiring and those who age gracefully and thrive as they pursue new challenges.
Stephen Louis Sax definitely would be in the second group.
He travels the country as a motivational speaker and also works as a financial planner and wealth manager in Roseville, Calif., near his hometown of Sacramento.
But he still dabbles in baseball, and probably always will.
Sax plans to have a baseball camp for school-age players July 26-30 in San Antonio. He s still ironing out the details on where he s going to have the camp.
As he demonstrated during his visit to Central Catholic, Sax still has an undeniable charisma and energy that helps him connect with people of all ages and backgrounds.
That pretty much would describe the 21-year-old Steve Sax who spent most of the 1981 season with the Dodgers Double-A club in San Antonio before going to Los Angeles in mid-August.
Sax was on the Dodgers roster when they beat the New York Yankees in the 1981 World Series, and was the starting second baseman on the 1988 team that defeated the Oakland A s for the title.
After all these years, Sax hasn t forgotten what it was like to play with San Antonio s minor-league team at V.J. Keefe Field.
As soon as I got off the plane today and felt the heat, it was normal to me, Sax said. I have great memories of the time I spent in San Antonio. I remember the great atmosphere that was created at V.J. Keefe.
There was a quaint feel to it that made it a great place to play. Everybody treated everybody well and the people were friendly.
Then Sax chuckled as he recalled how the smoke that wafted from the pits of concessionaires gave Dodgers games a back-yard feel.
Sometimes the ump had to call timeout because there was so much smoke on the field, Sax said.
Speaking in the Central Catholic gym last week, Sax had no problem keeping his audience s attention as he addressed the importance of personal responsibility and self-reliance.
He did a great job, said Carlos Enrico, Central Catholic s longtime head football coach and athletic director. I m so glad we were able to get him to speak to our kids.
Among other things he told the students, Sax stressed the importance of making good decisions and doing little things right every day.
He decried how steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs have polluted the sports landscape and led to widespread cynicism among fans.
Guys, the steroid thing s got to go, Sax said. I ve always said that s not an issue with the game, but with the individual. It speaks to the character of a person. I don t know how a guy can sleep at night if he knows he s cheating.
Sax, National League Rookie of the Year in 1982, played eight seasons with the Dodgers, and also had stints with the New York Yankees (1989-91), Chicago White Sox (1992-93) and Oakland Athletics (1994).
I got out of the game at the right time, he said. My skills were waning and I respected the game too much to hang around if I couldn t help my team and couldn t have fun.
Playing Major League Baseball is a phenomenal thing better than I ever imagined it would be but it comes with a price. You have to keep the game in perspective. Sports are great, but what matters is your relationship with your family.
Sax had a baseball scholarship to Arizona, but passed up college after getting picked by the Dodgers in the ninth round of the 1978 amateur draft.
After his stellar season in 1982, Sax endured the worst year of his life in 1983 when routine throws to first base became an adventure. His breakdown in mechanics was so bad that he committed 30 errors that season, leading observers to call his problem Steve Sax Syndrome.
For some reason, I was afflicted with this, Sax said. That was the worst year of my life. I couldn t do the simplest, most rudimentary thing. I couldn t throw the ball accurately. One thing about adversity is that it has a way of tapping you on the shoulder and introducing you to yourself. Adversity has a way of bringing you to your knees and humbling you real fast.
Sax s misery got worse when his father died of a heart attack that year.
I remember he told me, One day you re going to wake up and the problem is going to be gone, Sax said. He was right. Pretty soon, I started getting better and I got confidence. I was able to turn it around because I had leadership in my life and I didn t quit.
That s the spirit that defined Steve Sax as a baseball player and a man.
