Four decades?

Toward the close of each decade, baseball historians start keeping an eye out for veterans whose careers could extend long enough that they play in the majors in four different decades. Some past players of note who have achieved the distinction include Hall of Famers Eddie Collins (1906-30), Ted Williams (1939-60), Early Wynn (1939-63), Willie McCovey (1959-80), Nolan Ryan (1966-93), Carlton Fisk (1969-93) and new inductee Rickey Henderson (1979-2003). There's a possibility that 2010 could see up to half a dozen four-decade major-leaguers, which would be a record. They are:

Tom Glavine. The Atlanta Braves of the late 1980s were baseball's laughingstocks, known primarily for being visible to most of the nation for most of the season on TBS. With the development of players like Glavine, the Braves turned into the juggernaut that appeared in the playoffs every year for a decade and a half. Glavine debuted on Aug. 17, 1987, and since has racked up 305 wins. He opened 2009 on the disabled list for the Braves but is penciled in as part of the starting rotation.

Ken Griffey Jr. Griffey has returned to the Seattle Mariners, where he started his career as a 19-year-old, batting .264 with 16 home runs, 61 RBI and 16 stolen bases in 1989. This year, he homered off the Twins' Francisco Liriano on Opening Day, career blast No. 612.

Randy Johnson. The Big Unit was already was pushing age 25 when he debuted in 1988, but he's just five victories shy of 300 as a member of the San Francisco Giants' rotation this year. He lost his first start of the year Wednesday to Milwaukee.

Jamie Moyer. He's the last major-leaguer who's older than I am (46), but his contract with the Phillies runs through 2010. The lefty, who debuted with the Cubs in 1986, had 246 wins entering this season, including 82 after he turned 40!

Gary Sheffield. The Mets signed the guy who once used to make bad throws so the Brewers would trade him. Many fans hope his stay in New York will be a short one.

John Smoltz. A trivia favorite of mine involves Smoltz: The Tigers traded him (as a minor-leaguer) to the Braves for Doyle Alexander, who once was involved in a trade for Frank Robinson. That's more than half a century of baseball, right there! Smoltz opened the season on Boston's disabled list, but he's shown the tenacity to battle back from injury and wants to improve on his 210 wins thus far.

Two other players who were active in the '80s also might end up pitching in the majors in four decades: journeyman relievers Kent Mercker and Rudy Seanez. Both pitched in 2008, Seanez for the World Champion Phillis, but neither is on a big-league roster at the moment. You never know if they'll pop up somewhere this season and/or next.

And I wouldn't bet against some team giving Julio Franco a shot sometime in 2010. He played until he was 49, a record for a position player. And with his track record of physical fitness, he probably could get a hit or two at age 52. Hey, Minnie Minoso got a hit at age 53 when the White Sox made him a four-decader. (He didn't do the same at 57 when they made him one of two five-deacers in major-league history. But that's another story.)