Ralph Rago is 87, but you might do a double take if you look at him and think about that. His voice booms. He has a sore back but is otherwise sound. He can talk baseball by the hour with remarkable attention to detail.

He credits “my good Italian genes and good Mediterranean diet” of vegetables, fruits, nuts and whole grains for the longevity. Baseball has sustained Rago for as long as he can remember. It’s not true that he sleeps with a fungo bat near the bed, but there might be an old mitt stashed under a pillow.