60 Years Young. 07/03/26

There’s this funny thing that happens when we age, (or at least when I age). Although our bodies can’t do what they used to do, our minds refuse to admit it. At least a little bit. Case in point: a good friend shows you a picture of his college-age granddaughter dressed provocatively and you say, some form of, “Wow she looks so happy, she’s got a great smile, or she must have all the guys chasing after her,” but what you’re really thinking is…enough said on this particular topic. And what the hell does it have to do with softball? Plenty. Because we still think we have it, at least a little bit. No, you’re not going to go diving headfirst for a ground ball, but if the ball is hit where you can reach it, you will make the play. And of course the ensuing throw to first base will be no trouble at all. But the reality is you can’t bend as easily, you have lost a lot of arm strength and flexibility through the natural result of aging, but again, you don’t have to hurry the throw because the guy running to first hasn’t even made it out of the batter’s box.

Let’s get this straight. I was the captain of my college intramural softball team in St. Louis and the captain of a team in New York after that, filled with former college teammates in St. Louis, who now lived in New York. We were called the Idle Minds, because this is what we did in our idle time. Now lest you think, “Wow, you must be a pretty great athlete, being the captain and all,” I feel it necessary to admit I was only the captain because I did the work of putting the team together and registering them. Partly because I was willing to put the work in and partly (mostly) because this was the only way I could make the starting lineup. Because I made the starting lineup.

This comic series revolves around an invitation to Marv and Al to play in an Over-60 League, which means you can only play if you’re over 60. I played a few years on an Over-40 team in Westchester County, where we lived when our kids were growing up. At one point I fielded a ball at second base, and tossed it underhand to the shortstop who missed turning a double play by an eyelash. The first baseman turned to me and said, “Why didja toss it underhand, you shoulda thrown it overhand.” To which I responded, “Why are you so fat that you need someone to run to first base after you hit the ball?” We almost came to blows before the more mature people on the squad calmed us down. That was it for me in Over-40 softball, over-50, over-60 and now, yikes I could qualify for an Over-70 team if something even exists. “Batting first for the Tarrytown Assisted Living League, Andy…” Nope, that was it for yours truly. John played and coached soccer, playing in the occasional over-40 and over-50 tournaments. His last league soccer game was playing with a bunch of 20 and 30-somethings in a league in Manhattan. Okay it was a seven-a-side league on shorter fields (less running) but he did manage to score a goal, to the wide-eyed amazement of the younger players who referred to him as “the bald guy” as in, “You cover number 10, I have the bald guy.”

That’s it for this week. We will see you next week with another two in this series. Have a beautiful summer weekend,

Andy and John