Last week, a caller to Boston sports radio station WEEI said he was "fed up" with the idea Boston Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz needed time to mature as a big league pitcher. "He's not all that young," said the caller.

Clay Buchholz is 25.

Pro sports are a young man's business, to be sure. Just ask Tedy Bruschi, the New England Patriots' linebacker who announced his retirement Monday at the ripe old age of 36. This would've been his 14th season in the NFL, making him the longest-tenured member of the team.

That's a long time for a player to line up against some of the toughest, meanest athletes in the world. Bruschi took his lumps on the field and as August came to a close, it was clear he'd be fighting for time on the second unit.

Jerod Mayo and Gary Guyton had taken over first-team honors. Both are 23.

While Bruschi was pondering retirement on Sunday, Paul Byrd brought the fountain of youth to Fenway Park.

The 38-year-old Byrd spent the first four months of the baseball season throwing batting practice to his son's youth baseball team. Suddenly, he was on the mound at a sold-out Fenway Park, leading the Sox to a sweep of the Blue Jays with six shutout innings.

Byrd had hoped to take half of the season off to finally spend summer with his family before trying to return to the game.

As the calendar moved to August and no one called, it didn't seem he'd get the chance.

"No one was really interested," said Byrd. "I kind of learned I'm not Roger Clemens I thought it might be over."

He certainly didn't think the Red Sox would call. They started the season with the deepest rotation in baseball. They had future stars Buchholz and Michael Bowden in the minors and future Hall of Famer John Smoltz waiting in the wings.

They'd have to go through eight starting pitchers before calling Byrd -- and that's exactly what they did.

So there he was, on the mound in the final game of August, pitching the Red Sox to a win with what catcher Jason Varitek describes as Byrd's "old-timey delivery." He will pitch again this weekend in Chicago, and who knows how long the rejuvenated Byrd will continue to deliver? After 11 months away from the game, he's happy to be back contributing to a contender.

"I'm excited," said Byrd. "Whatever they need me to do, I'll do. I told that to Tito (Manager Terry Francona.) I said, 'I'll help you out any way I can. I'll get ready. Whatever you need me to do, I'll do.'"

It was the same attitude that kept Bruschi in the NFL for so long, but trying to tackle 235-pound running backs isn't quite the same as throwing an 86-mph fastball. Bruschi has talked about staying involved in the game, but he won't get a chance to win another championship ring.

One of the toughest things for a newly retired player is dealing with the reality his career is over. Bruschi is still a young man, but too old to play the game. He will have to find new avenues for his competitiveness.

Byrd got a taste of retirement this summer. He said he enjoyed it, but he also said "I felt like I could still bring something to the table."

He did on Sunday. And because of that, he'll have a seat at the Red Sox table a bit longer.

Tom Caron is the studio host for Red Sox broadcasts on the New England Sports Network. His column appears in the Press Herald on Tuesdays.