The right fit is more important than age

Jamie Moyer of the Philadelphia Phillies became the oldest Major League Baseball player to pitch a shutout last Friday. He's 47.

One day later, Betty White hosted Saturday Night Live. Ratings went through the roof as the 88-year-old actress showed the young'uns how it's done. Yes, she can still get laughs for all the right reasons.

Last month, Al Pacino, 70, turned in his best performance in years playing Jack Kevorkian in an HBO film. The movie and stage actor isn't quite ready for the Kevorkian death machine.

A friend of mine recently raved about a musical performance given by 64-year-old Van Morrison. U2 remains one of the biggest bands in the world at an average age of 50. Now into their 60s, Bruce Springsteen and Jimmy Buffett keep packing concert halls.

I am not sure why anyone would question the ability of any of these people just because of their age. Their continuing success speaks for itself. Experience matters. So does talent and authenticity. And while certain skills may diminish with age, there are a lot of older folks who can still out perform less experienced people with borderline abilities.

It didn't surprise me that Betty White did well on SNL. That's what she does. She makes people laugh. She doesn't need to pad her resume or get a Madison Avenue makeover. She's the real deal. Jamie Moyer may not throw the heater anymore, but from years of experience he knows how to pitch. He's using his head as much as his aging arm.

Hollywood occasionally rediscovers actors who are over 50. Mickey Rourke's resurgence in The Wrestler is a good example of that and it paid off at the box office and with DVD sales. Marlon Brando turned in one of his best performances in The Godfather when he was well over 50. The key to their late-career success is that they were cast in the right roles. They weren't rolled out like carnival freaks so that some empty suit could make a buck. The material fit their abilities and age. It was respectful of their talents.

These right matches don't always happen, which is why audiences can sometimes be led to believe that a performer is washed up. But when the role or material fits the performer, magic can occur. Brett Favre with the talented Minnesota Vikings didn't look nearly as old as Brett Favre with the lowly New York Jets the previous season.

It seems time and time again seasoned people are proving that careers don't have to end at 50. Given the right opportunity to shine, these folks are flourishing. Joe Torre took over managing the New York Yankees in his late 50s and won several championships long after most baseball executives thought he was washed up. It was a good fit for Torre, not just a job to ride into retirement. But it took some intelligence by the people who hired him to see that potential. They had to look beyond Torre being an older man, possibly in the twilight of his career.

Unfortunately, the majority of American companies haven't gotten on the experienced-worker bandwagon. The statistics show that if you're laid off and over 50 you're more likely to be out of work for a longer period of time. Under these new rules in this dreadful economy, Betty White might not have ever progressed beyond the Mary Tyler Moore Show. Al Pacino would have been out of acting sometime after Scarface and would have never won an Oscar for Scent of a Woman.