Seniors in the outfield
Softball league gets players in their 50s, 60s, 70s out on the field for enjoyment of game
On July 23, under a cloudless summer sky at Franklin Park, a softball game with a difference got under way. The infield chatter was the same. “One down, one away.” “Batter up!” “I got it, I got it!” There were the requisite three bases, home plate and an umpire, but it was the players themselves who were unusual. Many had gray hair peeking out from beneath their caps.
Members of the Spokane Senior Softball League were playing a make-up game. The league is composed of teams for those 50-plus and 60-plus and a tournament team for those 70 and older. That tournament team took home a silver medal at last year’s Huntsman World Senior Games in St. George, Utah.
Morris Clark founded the league three years ago. He said he grew tired of having to travel to Post Falls or Coeur d’Alene to play senior softball and felt there would be enough interest in the Spokane area to start a league of their own. With more than 16 teams in the league, including a women’s 50-plus team, he was proved right.
“I call us ‘old turkeys,’ ” Clark said and chuckled. But those old turkeys can still power hits down the line.
Irv Sussman, 72, is one such hitter. He hadn’t played softball in several decades, but when he saw an ad in a local magazine for the league, he decided to try out.
“I fell in love with it,” he said. “I met a great group of guys. It gave me something to look forward to.”
Fellow player Ray Moss enjoys the fact that he can play ball with men his own age. “We don’t have to run around with the 20-year-olds!” he said.
Moss said the senior league has adapted the rules of the game to ensure no one gets hurt. The rules include a prohibition on sliding and collisions. “It’s a fun, safe way to play softball,” he said.
The fun was apparent at the make-up game. Friendly ribbing and shouts of encouragement accompanied each player’s time at bat. Three-year-old Payton Nachtigal came all the way from Davenport, Wash., with her sister, mom and grandmother to watch her grandpa, Dan Homan, play ball.
“That’s my papa!” she yelled when she heard the sharp crack of a bat connecting with the ball. “Go, go!” It didn’t matter to her that it was actually someone else’s grandpa doing the hitting.
“I play with Papa,” she said, while sucking down a juice box. She patted the bleacher, “I sit down and watch him.”
Nachtigal isn’t the only one with youthful enthusiasm for the game. Sussman laughed. “Our relatives are amazed to see a bunch of old guys playing like we’re still in high school,” he said.
Senior League member Jim Hardenbrook knows all about high school ball. He’s the freshman baseball coach at Ferris High School. He said the older crowd tends to embrace the joy of the game and take the competitive drive down a notch or two. “A lot of time guys say, ‘Do I still have it?’ I say, ‘If you’ve got a love for the game, come out and give it a try!’ ”
J.C. Fundahn, 70, is glad he did. “I’ve always been a sports nut,” he said. “I pitch, I catch and I play right field. That’s what’s nice about this team. Everyone can play all the positions.” He appreciates the lack of ego displayed by his teammates. “There’s a lot of prima donnas in sports, but not on this team. It’s just a blast to play with guys your own age.”
And the game is not just for the guys. There’s also a women’s 50-plus team in the league. Fundahn said the guys will often play a good-natured game against the ladies. “You better watch out if you’ve got an attitude,” he said. “They’ll put a whuppin’ on you.”
Women’s coach/manager LaDonna Schuster would love to see more ladies turn out for the team. “It can be difficult to find teams to play,” she said. “As far as we know, we’re the only women’s team that’s 50-plus.” She said women tend to watch their kids, grandkids or husbands play, but she hopes they’ll discover there’s something for them, too.
Schuster, 61, has enjoyed softball since she first tried it in fifth grade. She said it’s never too late to play. “It doesn’t matter if they played 30 years ago – when you step in the field, it will all come back to you.”
Sussman agreed. He was under 40 the last time he played ball, but when he picked up a bat and stepped up to the plate he said, “I just felt like I was 39 again.”