1st pitch highlight for 105-year-old Rangers fan
'You can't believe how wonderful it was,' Sullivan says of experience
ARLINGTON -- Babe Ruth was just a teenager in reform school when Rangers fan Elizabeth Sullivan was born, but she's still in such good shape at age 105 that she threw a ceremonial first pitch before Texas' 9-5 loss to the Mariners on Wednesday -- overhanded and with some velocity.
She then held court in a witty 10-minute news conference that ranged from which election she voted in first (probably one of Franklin D. Roosevelt's victories, judging by her estimate) to why she stopped driving only a year ago ("I couldn't pass the test," she laughed) to why she doesn't take any medications ("They can't find anything wrong with me!").
Sullivan said the first pitch was one of many highlights in her more than a century of life. She watches Rangers games religiously on television but has not been able to attend many games.
"I just was sorry I didn't get it high enough where it didn't hit the ground," Sullivan said. "I did better when we were practicing. ... You can't believe how wonderful it was. Wait 'til you get to be 105. It's a whole different ballgame."
Sullivan, who was 62 years old when the Rangers played their first game, said her all-time favorite Ranger was Ivan Rodriguez.
"I still think Pudge is the greatest catcher we've ever had," Sullivan said. "He could throw that ball so fast."