Ted’S Angels Managing Over-30 Baseball League Dream Come True For Former L.A. Cop

At an age when most men consider purchasing a golf cart to maintain their hobby, Ted Yurick decided to change his outlook in 1998.

The Rathdrum resident and former Los Angeles police officer had spent a lot of time, behind the plate, umpiring baseball games. He officiated at all levels, from Babe Ruth, high school and American Legion to the collegiate level, but he never saw anything like the men’s senior league baseball games, a league for men over 30.

“They were having so much fun I wanted to be a part of it,” he said. “I checked around and saw that there were no teams in Coeur d’Alene or the area, so I got on the horn, made some calls and started my own club.”

One of those calls went to former 1983-84 North Idaho College pitching stand-out Scott Topp. Topp, who made his home in Post Falls after his college days, was playing in the league already but found his team short of players.

“I was playing for a team in Spokane called the Astros,” said Topp who now coaches the Angels. “We had only five players signed up, and they were five players short, so it just worked out nicely.

Yurick picked the Angels for a team name and Lakeland High School as the home field. It’s just a small part of a dream come true for the 48-year-old team manager.

“We had great success that first year, and I really got to know some fantastic families,” he said. “We get together and make the most out of a Sunday afternoon.”

The Angels won the league crown their first year, playing teams from Spokane, Coeur d’Alene, Sandpoint and Newport. They went on to the championship title, sweeping the finals in the best-of-three series.

“That was exciting,” he said. “We took two straight from a team everyone thought would win everything.”

The following year, the Angels barely broke .500, but again rose to the occasion in the post-season, winning the season-ending tournament.

The game itself is a relief and a chance for players who are not ready to hang up their cleats.

“I pitched at Lewis-Clark State College after two years at NIC,” said Topp. “I got some looks to play pro ball, but developed arm trouble shortly after tryouts, and the phone stopped ringing. I was a guy who had a chance and lost it. So now, it’s an opportunity to play for as long as I can.”

For Yurick, it’s just the start of a dream.

Following the season, he gathered his teammates and headed south for the winter for the MSBL World Series in Phoenix.

“It was a fantastic experience,” he said. “The temperature was in the 80s, and we were playing in real major league parks. You don’t really notice the difference between a regular diamond and a pro field until you play on one.

“It was so smooth. We had one player who said he was just thrilled to stand in the same spot that Sammy Sosa played in.”

But the object wasn’t winning. It was just playing in the winter that was heavenly for the Angels.

“We took 11 players down there,” said Topp. “It cost us about $600 each for the flight and hotel. We played six games in four days against teams from all over the United States, Puerto Rico and Australia. We just ran out of pitching.”

There was one consolation for both Yurick and Topp.

“We didn’t win any games,” laughed Topp, “but we did score first in each game. Does that count?”

The Angels also have a goal which extends beyond winning. That is to draw more players to the league. The cost to play per player is $165 for a full season (20 games) or $85 a half season. But as competitive as they want to be, they also work at being fair.

“We have a policy,” said Yurick. “Equal play for equal pay. Everyone gets in, and everyone plays. Some teams only play the top players so others pay good money to sit, and in the end, I think it hurts the team and the league’s chances to get more players.”

For Topp, it’s a nice break from softball. He used to play on two softball teams in a season, but since returning to the yard, he plays only for one, and that’s only because he has some old friends still playing, friends he would like to convert.

“There is nothing like the real thing,” he said. “Hitting a hard-ball is a challenge. Some guys can still wing it and blow it by you. In softball, everyone can hit. I guess for me being on the mound and in control of the game again is what it’s all about for me. Baseball is something I can’t let go.”

Yurick also has ambitions of expanding his own team, perhaps even bringing them into his own back yard.

“I put a batting cage in my basement so I have players coming by year round. I also have about three acres of land that I am not using. I’d like to put a ball park out there. I whisper in my wife’s ear every night while she is sleeping. `Honey, if we build it, they will come.’ But so far, I don’t think she is listening.”