Maybe you think you’re too old, out of shape or too busy to play competitive sports any longer.
At what age did you make that decision? Was it 40 or 50? Maybe it was 60 years old for some of you. Nevertheless, many of us have completely thwarted the idea.
But one group of local men has refused to hang up their cleats, and as Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.”
For the gents in their 80s who still play highly competitive slow-pitch softball at North Park, they said they can. And they are.
In 1988, the Northern Allegheny County Senior Softball League was founded. After 36 years of blood, sweat — and, well, probably not many tears — the league has grown tremendously.
There are two age divisions. The “younger men” play in the Silver Division, which has eight teams of guys ranging from age 52 to 61 years.
Then there are the “old timers.” The Gold Division is made up of eight teams with players 62 and older.
Players come from Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Washington and Westmoreland counties seeking the thrill of competition. The league has two dedicated fields, built and maintained by players.
Mashuda Field and Lambert Field sprawl the land beneath the old fire tower and the Lodge building in North Park. Each field is specific to the age group that plays there. The fence is slightly shorter for the Gold Division, but not by much.
Each field is a decent poke to dead center, but players do regularly hit them out of the park.
“We have some bigger guys, and they can really crank it,” said Jim Grosjean, a player and ambassador for the league.
‘Good group of guys’
The ball fields are off limits to outsiders — except for white-tailed deer, unfortunately — because of all the work that the league puts in to keep them in tip-top playing condition.
The men who play in the league take great pride in maintaining the facility. This year, they’ve even sprung for some very expensive dirt to improve the infields. The dirt mix is like what is used on professional infields and will help improve the movement of hard-hit ground balls.
“We really have a good group of guys. They don’t mind putting in the time to maintain the fields. We have all our own equipment, and we like to keep the place nice. The new dirt will make a big difference.” said Grosjean.
Even though the players vary widely in age, the men who really stand out are those over 80.
Ray Raible is a cool 81 years old and plays for the Aetna Health team in the Gold Division. Fellow player and friend Larry Gaertner is 83 and plays for the Bill Miller Flooring team.
For Raible, softball came much later in life. He grew up playing sandlot football and was very involved in boxing.
“I didn’t really play baseball when I was young. I guess I just kind of picked up softball once I was too old to play all those other sports,” he said.
He is in his 14th season with the softball league and has loved every minute of it.
“I play a little bit in the outfield, and I also play second base,” said Raible.
Raible has five kids, plus grandchildren who enjoy coming to watch their grandpa play softball.
“We have the pavilion here and after the games, both teams will bring food and drinks, and the families all hang out together. It’s a nice atmosphere,” he explained.
‘For bragging rights’
As for Gaertner, he’s played softball and baseball for more than 40 years, and he has the hardware to prove it.
“Back when we were playing traveling ball, we had one of the best teams in the country,” Gaertner said as he opened a felt-covered ring box.
Inside the box was an ornate championship ring with a red ruby centered on the mount. Larry and his teammates from Pittsburgh earned their rings a few years back. When it was all said and done, he had won seven of those championships.
“That was in a different league. The league we have here at North Park doesn’t give out these big rings for the championships,” Gaertner said with a smile. “We just play here for bragging rights.”
He is a pitcher in the league, and just because it’s slow-pitch softball doesn’t mean they can’t throw junk balls.
“Oh, yeah. You can throw a knuckler or a spinning curve ball. There’s a lot of things you can do,” he said.
Even after a knee replacement and an ankle replacement, Gaertner hasn’t called it quits. He loves the camaraderie with the other guys and doesn’t see an end in sight, even at his age.
Gaertner’s wife has also been a big part of his softball career. She’s kept the scorebook since 1976.
Folks might wonder just how competitive a softball league could be with men in their 80s, but don’t be fooled. The league requires that everyone who wants to play must attend a tryout, where players are evaluated based on skill and talent.
Tryouts not only are for safety concerns, but also to keep the teams fair and even. Women are also welcomed to try out.
“A couple of years ago, we had over 80 guys come to the tryout,” said Grosjean.
With such a large area to draw players from, the league continues to maintain its success. Anyone interested in joining the league can go visit www.nacssl.com/Sign-up-Sheet.html or email nacssl@yahoo.com.
