Senior Ballplayers Are Still Young at Heart

Senior softball is a great way to keep the mind and body strong and active, adding productive years to our life on earth.  We all have the same problems of diminishing returns in strength and stamina.  We can’t run as fast, throw or hit as hard as when we were younger.  Playing can be a challenge for us as we age.  Yet, we are grateful to just be playing, even at a slower pace and with special safety rules.  We are humbled by missed catches, weak hits, and opposing outfielders trying to throw us out at first base. The agony of defeat and the thrill of victory.

Ah! But hitting the ball on the bat’s sweet spot and driving it through the surprised outfielders is a great feeling that overcomes the humbled thoughts we just had moments ago.  The game is much harder than it looks.  It is more than a game but a fabric in our lives that never goes away.  It’s about heart, strength, determination, persistence and strategy.  It’s about working together in unison, being supportive, and knowing our roles on our team. 

We are constantly reminded by others that we are not the player we once were. Even my wife will show me a video of me running around the bases to show me how slow I am.  Geez, Thanks a lot.  I got a hit and decided to stretch it into a double.  I was safe but heard from the stands “hey, remember whose body you are in!” Ah, come on! Here is some other age related comments that we should only laugh about.

• My mind still thinks I am 25, My body thinks my mind is an idiot.

• My body says, “You can’t do this boy”, but my pride says “oh yes you can.” (Toby Keith)

• I ain’t as good as I once was but I’m as good once as I ever was. (Toby Keith)

• The fact that my entire body cracks like a glowstick whenever I move and yet refuses to actually glow is very disappointing.

Just remember, despite the limitations we have from natural aging and past injuries that still haunt us today, we are on the field, playing hard and doing our best.  Enjoy every moment and consider yourself lucky to be out there when others have hung up their cleats.

“Pain heals, chicks dig scars, glory last forever “ – Shane Falco, The Replacements