The last time I played organized baseball was sometime in the late 1970s.
I played Little League for many years and Babe Ruth baseball after that. I still remember playing in my last Babe Ruth All-Stars game–feeling overtly nervous when I got my chance at the plate. Unfortunately a runner was thrown out stealing and I never got my chance to bat.
That last year in Babe Ruth was probably 45 years ago.
I’ve played adult men’s softball since then, but frankly softball just doesn’t hold the allure that baseball does. I thought I’d never get the chance to play again.
Then my wife found a post on Facebook in early 2022 talking about the Arizona Dad’s Baseball Club and I was stoked. Unfortunately I was too late for the inaugural spring 2022 season. I awaiting anxiously to sign up in June 2022 for the fall season. I signed up and had to wait until September for the season to begin.
Not quite sure about my skills or what I might face in this league, I attended one of the games in the spring season just so I could gauge what I was up against. The game I watched had some good pitching, hitting, fielding and base running, but I turned to my wife and said, “I think I’m good — I think I would do OK in this league.“
During the summer the guys in the league were super inviting — offering anyone who wanted to practice to join any practice. So I did. A lot of my capabilities from 45 years ago were still there, albeit a bit rusty.
Tonight – 3 September 2022 – was the first game of the fall season. I was nervous before the game, but really enjoyed playing! I was able to bat twice and got a single to drive in a run and struck out swinging. I was also able to make a couple of key plays (I played first base). All in all, I felt pretty darn good trying to play baseball in this 61-year-old body!
Thanks Darren Mallet for putting in all the effort to start this league. I loved baseball as a kid and I am so fortunate to be able to love it once again as a little bit older kid!