Senior softball program taking root on shoreline

• Shore Line Times
  August 24, 2005

Madison based team has players from all around

Story and photos by Jim Murtagh
Staff Writer

The shortstop echoed the coach’s instructions “Two outs. The play is to any base.” The outfielders chimed in, “We can do it! We got them.” The bases were loaded and the runners were poised to make their assault on home plate. A fair hit brings in at least one run. A big swing could clear the bases. Both teams were energized and playing with the enthusiasm that you would expect from a Little League game, except this wasn’t Little League.

In fact, when these players learned the mechanics of hitting and throwing, Little League didn’t exist. This was Madison senior softball.

The senior players worked the field with precision that rivals many youth leagues, perhaps due in part to the millennium of combined ball playing experience of the two teams. There were hits deep into center field, one hop infield snatches, double plays, and runners rounding third base so fast that they had to be slowed down by their coach because the ball was still in the outfield. This was from a group of men whose average age is in the mid-sixties.

Reaching out to snare a fly ball is Charlie Corso of Madison.

A ball field can become a magical place. It allows boys to dream they are men, and it allows grown men to recapture a bit of their youth. Seventy year old Roy Scialabba of Madison describes what it is like to be in the batter’s box when the pressure is on. “There is a certain amount of fantasizing that you do, just like when you were a kid. To come up and get that one hit that may win the game – it stays with you. You’re a kid again!”

Senior softball leagues are forming all over the country and Connecticut is no exception. Since the late 1980’s, over 1,000 senior teams have been formed nationally, and several million motivated seniors pick up their gloves and take the field on a weekly basis. The desire to keep a healthy, active lifestyle, while developing friendships and social opportunities fuels the process.

Frank Wilde, a Madison resident and 78 years young, explains why he plays softball. “It beats sitting home and not doing anything. I’ll go out and play a game, win or lose, preferably win, come back and have a beer. I can live with that for the rest of the week.”

Thanks to the steadfast efforts of Bill Porter of Madison, senior ball players have an opportunity to participate in softball games on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at Strong Field at the Madison Surf Club. What began simply as a handful of guys showing up for batting practice, just four years ago, has boomed into a 56 player roster and an organized game schedule.

Porter describes how he became reacquainted with softball. “I had just retired and was not sure what I was going to do. I hadn’t played (softball) in 35 years. The last time was in the service; pickup games in Vietnam when it was safe to do so.”

At that time, there were five or six guys in Madison who would get together to hit some balls for exercise. When they asked Porter if he wanted to play, he responded “Yeah, I’ll come out.” Porter didn’t own a glove or bat or ball, but went to the field anyway. His passion for playing was rekindled, and he recognized that there were probably other seniors in the area like him that would jump at the chance to get back on the field. It turns out he was correct.

It didn’t take long before batting practice gave way to casual games in the tradition of childhood sandlot play. Word started to spread, and additional players were recruited. An informal team was formed, and then someone said, “Wouldn’t it be fun to play another team?” The idea motivated Porter to begin calling local park and recreation departments, and eventually led him to a team in Wallingford that was also looking for competition. Porter recalls his early offer “Just like when we were kids, I’ll come up and play you once if you come down and play me. That’s how it all started.” Porter later asked the Madison Beach and Recreation Department to sponsor the program, and the Madison Senior Softball Team was created.

For many seniors, family responsibilities and careers have kept them off the field for several decades. Sometimes, there is reluctance from potential players to step back onto the diamond. The thought of rekindling childhood memories is enticing, but the fear of injury, or the belief that they are out of shape and have lost their abilities, can be intimidating. Porter is quick to assure these players that this does not matter. “Guys will call me and say I haven’t played in a long time and I will say, we have a wide variety of skills and conditioning and we don’t criticize people. Our goal is to have fun. Just come and try it.” Better than 70% of the people who come to a practice wind up joining the team. Frank Wilde points out “Guys are Bobby and Eddie. Not Bob or Ed. It’s like we are playing sandlot ball again.”

Getting down to snare a grounder is Joe Panza of Old Lyme

When asked about the effects aging has on his play, Wilde says “Your skills do come back. Your hitting comes back. Your fielding comes back. You don’t run as fast or throw the ball as hard or as accurate.” He goes on to mention that, “The biggest problem with softball injuries are muscle pulls. Guys try to run too hard!”

The rules for senior softball are designed to minimize the chance for injury. Games are seven innings long with eleven players on the field. Sliding is not permitted and an unlimited number of pinch runners are allowed from first base. The most noticeable differences are the ball-strike mat which covers home plate, and the presence of a second home plate. The mat effectively increases the strike zone from 17 inches to 34 inches. Pitches must be tossed between six and twelve feet high to be a legal pitch. The second home plate is for the runner, and is placed eight feet away from the pitcher’s plate. This separation eliminates collisions. Plays at home plate are force plays, not tag plays.

There are restrictions on some aluminum bats, and low compression balls are used to ensure that ball speeds are kept to a safe level. Time outs are called after nearly every play to allow players to get back into position.

The exercise and on-field comradery gained from playing softball is rewarding, but often rivaled by the social venue that has sprung up after the games. It is not uncommon for many players to grab a post-game lunch and sit and talk for hours. Friendships are developed that extend beyond the May through September ball season. Some players participate in winter basketball leagues together, while others socialize at dinners accompanied by their spouses. An end of the year picnic and special night games, provide additional opportunities for family and friends to gather.

For those players who can’t get enough softball and are looking for additional competition, a traveling team, the Connecticut Senior Softball League, was created as an extension of the Madison Senior Team. This smaller group of die-hard players competes in games across the state and even ventures into Massachusetts. That team has won a Gold Medal at the Connecticut Senior Games and has competed in a state-wide league. Both teams stress that even though their games are competitive, comradery and friendship come before winning. When someone makes a good catch, players clap, even for the other team. And when an error is made, no one criticizes.

This past weekend, a group of players from the senior team, decided to put together an impromptu sixty and over team and entered the Wallingford Senior Softball Tournament. Madison claimed the championship with a 10 to 2 win over the Western Massachusetts Relics.

Not one to rest on his accomplishments, Porter hopes to expand the senior team next year. He wants to build the roster to sixty players so that he has four permanent 15 man teams. Currently, players are divided into teams the morning of a game. A master roster is kept and teams are formed based on the players’ abilities and stats from prior games. This is done to ensure that the teams are evenly matched, and that each team has players for every position.

To encourage prospective players who are intrigued, but may be hesitant to give senior softball a try, Porter offers the following observation “Even though we are up there in age, we can still go do it. I never thought I would be doing this at 63 years old. I never dreamed of it.”

If you want additional information about either the senior team or the traveling league, contact the Madison Beach and Recreation Department at 203-245-5623, or call Bill Porter at 203-245-3460. The Madison Senior Team is open to all players 55 years and older, while the traveling league minimum age is 60. Even though both teams are coordinated by the town of Madison, you do not have to be a Madison resident to participate.