Play Ball! Or at least try. 07/17/26

Is it really already the middle of July? Thoughts turn to midterm elections, World Cup soccer and of course, over-60 softball. We laughed about it. We hinted at it, but this week, Marv and Al actually take the field. If you thought Marv was sad huffing his way to second base, you ain’t seen nothing. I actually once played in a league where the batter could ask for a pinch runner while he was at bat. So if the batter hit a ground ball, another person would run to first base for him. If you need someone to run to first base for you, you shouldn’t be playing. Unless you’re on crutches, and if you are, you really shouldn’t be playing. There are leagues catering to the disabled And that is wonderful. There is even a ball that makes noise to enable a form of blind softball. Beautiful. But to me, being overweight doesn’t qualify. Not that John or I would know anything about that.

The thing that younger people should know about older people is that even though our bodies can’t do what they once did, we still think they can do what they once did. I can still throw the ball from third base to first base. But rather than flying straight through the air, the ball has to take a couple bounces before it gets there. Okay, a lot of bounces. I can still run around the bases. It just takes me longer. Much longer. Much, much longer.

Here’s another example of how we see ourselves. After the kids grew up and left the house, we moved to an apartment complex that doesn't call itself a 50+ community, but in fact is a 50+ community. The advertising emphasizes stuff like, no more having to carry your trash cans up the driveway. No more shoveling snow, raking leaves, etc. Sure there are a couple young families with young kids but they are the exception. So we moved in when the apartment building section of the community opened. There was a grand “getting to know you” type event at the “clubhouse.” We went. And gasped. We whispered to one another, “Wow those people look old,” without once thinking how old we looked to them. Obviously much younger. Clearly. I’m fine with aging, just as long as I don’t turn to water aerobics wearing a bathing cap. Although now that I think of it, my back hurts, my knees can’t take the pounding of a two-mile jog and the pool looks very inviting in the 85-degree heat. And the bathing cap protects my bald head from the ravages of the sun. Just let me make sure nobody’s looking…

Enjoy the weekend and we will see you next week,

Andy and John