The Old ball game
A Colorado softball team is the oldest such team in the country, with players ranging from their 50s to their 90s. The Colorado Peaches took the 2020 Silver Medal last year at the World Senior Games tournament in Utah. They did not earn a medal at this year’s event, but they did win a game against the team that went on to claim the gold. “Even if we don’t win, we win,” said player Maggie McCloskey, 90. “The big thing is to be a worthy opponent.” The Peaches formed in 1991. They meet for practice every Tuesday from April through October, and they play in a variety of tournaments. Their games are not just about the competition. The players say the sport helps them stay active and provides them with a support system for life in general. “We’ve had knee replacements and hip replacements and my back went out a couple months ago,” one of the outfielders said with a laugh.
Maggie explained the team almost disbanded in 2012, when about half of the players quit after deciding they were too old. McCloskey and the remaining members were able to rebuild the team after recruiting Gail Klock as their coach. Klock died in March, and the players now wear her number, 23, on their sleeves. “I miss her as a friend,” McCloskey said. “We actually built this together. She was in her hospital bed, and she was coaching us from her hospital bed,” Maggie said. “She was coaching on FaceTime. I was holding my phone so she could give directions,” Fran Simon added. Team members said positivity is more important than victory. “Our purpose is to empower senior women to grow physically, mentally and spiritually by contributing time and effort developing camaraderie in the spirit of play.” Maggie set a record at the World Senior Games she became the oldest player to compete. If you’d like to learn more, support the team or join them, visit the team’s website here.
Hitting home run humor
Q: Which takes longer to run: from 1st to 2nd base or from 2nd to 3rd base?
A: From 2nd to 3rd base because there is a shortstop in the middle.
At one point during a game, the coach said to one of her senior players, “Do you understand what cooperation is? What a team is?” The grandma nodded with affirmation. “Do you understand that what matters most is whether we play together as a team and put forth our best effort?” The woman nodded yes. “So,” the coach continued, “When a strike is called, or you’re out at first, you don’t argue or curse or attack the umpire. Do you understand all of that?” Again the woman nodded. “Good,” said the coach, “Now go over there and explain it to your grandson.”
Company Picnic Softball Tournament:
At our annual company picnic, the advertising department always played a game of softball with the editorial department. This year the ad dept. won ,9-4. But on the company bulletin board the next morning was the following notice. The Editorial Dept. is proud to announce that upon the conclusion of this year’s softball tournament, we finished in second place overall, having lost only one game the entire season. We would also like to take this opportunity to offer our condolences to the Ad Dept.’s team for finishing next to last, having won only one game during the entire year.
March 25th Birthdays
1982 – Jenny Slate, 1982 – Danica Patrick, 1965 – Sarah Jessica Parker, 1962 – Marcia Cross
1947 – Elton John, 1979 – Lee Pace, 1982 – Sean Faris, 1995 – Justin Prentice