thedrifter
09-04-07, 07:47 AM
Annual Old Timers-Young Timers game a hit in Somerset
By BRIAN GADD
Staff Writer
SOMERSET - The Boys (and Girls) of Summer come in all shapes, sizes and ages, for that matter.
And that broad spectrum was definitely on display Monday at Somerset Park, where members of Somerset American Legion Post 58 - otherwise known as the "Old Timers" - squared off against a group of "Young Timers" in a friendly game.
Post member Jim Murray, who manages the Old Timers, was quick to point out that the young guys and gals have only won two of the past games, which stretch back to Labor Days of yesteryear - 1955 to be exact.
The Post hosts a Family Day at the park every Labor Day, including games and a clown making balloon animals for the kids.
But the highlight for many is the ballgame, which allows the "old guys" to relive memories of their youth.
"We're the last ones of the old bunch," said 79-year-old Bill Deeley, referring to Murray and himself. "After I got back from Korea, I was in the Marines, we tried a gun club, but we couldn't shoot. We tried a polo club, but we couldn't ride. So we stuck with baseball and found some of us could still play."
But nowadays, grandkids and great-grandkids make many of the dazzling plays in the field and are pinch runners for some of the older guys who can't make it around the basepaths.
Gage Presgraves, 10, did just that for Deeley, legging out a single on a soft roller by Deeley and then later coming around to score.
Roger Nash, 74 years young, also needed a pinch runner, but chomped at the bit. Nash has been playing in the annual game for about eight years now.
"I would like to run myself, if I could," he said, noting he has had some recent health problems. "But it's great fun. I guess if you can walk, you can play."
"It's fun watching the little ones run around for us. But there are guys in the Old Timers dugout that I had as Little Leaguers," Murray added, while keeping close watch on his lineup sheet.
In the Young Timers dugout, members of the 20-something set laughed and joked about last year's rare win in the game, an 18-6 victory that was later ruled a forfeit.
"Last year was a real fluke," said Derek Axline, whose dad, Craig, has umpired the game for years. "But then they said we used illegal, banned substances."
"Yep, we investigated it over the winter, it was HGH (Human Growth Hormone)," the elder Axline said, tongue firmly in cheek.
When asked about the size of the strike zone, which Young Timer Tim Clouse said was "from over your head to in the dirt," the man in blue just shrugged.
"I call it pretty fair, but mostly for the Old Timers," he said with a hint of a grin.
Even with the odds stacked against them, the younger guys still have fun.
"Are you kidding me? It's a lot of fun being out here, and I'm the losing pitcher," Clouse said. "You see, they (the Old Timers) have a strategy. Some of those guys go out there without helmets and we have to pitch slow. We know what they are doing."
But getting in on the fun of the matchup, Clouse cut a deal with Nash.
"He said if I moved up and pitched from the edge of the dirt instead of the pitching rubber, he'd buy me a drink," Clouse said. "I'm 26, I can't pass that up."
Jerry Emmert may have had the toughest job on the Old Timers roster, as he crouched behind home plate as the catcher for the first few innings.
"I'm really not the catcher, more like a backstop now," Emmert said, with a hearty laugh. "I started playing out here about 10 years ago. It's just a good ol' time when you can get a bunch of old guys and can have fun."
Mike Flautt, 60, played in the game for the third time and said he enjoys hearing the stories from those older than him. And he was one of the exceptions to the pinch runner rule, trotting down to first base after a base hit.
"It's lots of fun and brings back memories," Flautt said.
It also allows John Snider to relive his glory days, when he was a farm hand for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the early 70s. Snider was drafted by the Dodgers out of high school, Fairfield Union, and was in the minor leagues from 1970-75. He made it to spring training with the major league club one time, an experience he will never forget, he said.
"This is so much fun, we always have a good time," said Snider, just moments after putting the finishing touches on an 11-5 win with a strikeout. "It's a very nice event, and I love listening to the stories. Baseball has always been such a big part of small towns in Perry County. A lot of towns had ball teams, and they would play each other. There are a few guys here who say they always looked forward to Sundays, playing ball. Jim Murray and the other guys at the Legion deserve a lot of credit for keeping this going."
bgadd@nncogannett.com
740-450-6752
Ellie
By BRIAN GADD
Staff Writer
SOMERSET - The Boys (and Girls) of Summer come in all shapes, sizes and ages, for that matter.
And that broad spectrum was definitely on display Monday at Somerset Park, where members of Somerset American Legion Post 58 - otherwise known as the "Old Timers" - squared off against a group of "Young Timers" in a friendly game.
Post member Jim Murray, who manages the Old Timers, was quick to point out that the young guys and gals have only won two of the past games, which stretch back to Labor Days of yesteryear - 1955 to be exact.
The Post hosts a Family Day at the park every Labor Day, including games and a clown making balloon animals for the kids.
But the highlight for many is the ballgame, which allows the "old guys" to relive memories of their youth.
"We're the last ones of the old bunch," said 79-year-old Bill Deeley, referring to Murray and himself. "After I got back from Korea, I was in the Marines, we tried a gun club, but we couldn't shoot. We tried a polo club, but we couldn't ride. So we stuck with baseball and found some of us could still play."
But nowadays, grandkids and great-grandkids make many of the dazzling plays in the field and are pinch runners for some of the older guys who can't make it around the basepaths.
Gage Presgraves, 10, did just that for Deeley, legging out a single on a soft roller by Deeley and then later coming around to score.
Roger Nash, 74 years young, also needed a pinch runner, but chomped at the bit. Nash has been playing in the annual game for about eight years now.
"I would like to run myself, if I could," he said, noting he has had some recent health problems. "But it's great fun. I guess if you can walk, you can play."
"It's fun watching the little ones run around for us. But there are guys in the Old Timers dugout that I had as Little Leaguers," Murray added, while keeping close watch on his lineup sheet.
In the Young Timers dugout, members of the 20-something set laughed and joked about last year's rare win in the game, an 18-6 victory that was later ruled a forfeit.
"Last year was a real fluke," said Derek Axline, whose dad, Craig, has umpired the game for years. "But then they said we used illegal, banned substances."
"Yep, we investigated it over the winter, it was HGH (Human Growth Hormone)," the elder Axline said, tongue firmly in cheek.
When asked about the size of the strike zone, which Young Timer Tim Clouse said was "from over your head to in the dirt," the man in blue just shrugged.
"I call it pretty fair, but mostly for the Old Timers," he said with a hint of a grin.
Even with the odds stacked against them, the younger guys still have fun.
"Are you kidding me? It's a lot of fun being out here, and I'm the losing pitcher," Clouse said. "You see, they (the Old Timers) have a strategy. Some of those guys go out there without helmets and we have to pitch slow. We know what they are doing."
But getting in on the fun of the matchup, Clouse cut a deal with Nash.
"He said if I moved up and pitched from the edge of the dirt instead of the pitching rubber, he'd buy me a drink," Clouse said. "I'm 26, I can't pass that up."
Jerry Emmert may have had the toughest job on the Old Timers roster, as he crouched behind home plate as the catcher for the first few innings.
"I'm really not the catcher, more like a backstop now," Emmert said, with a hearty laugh. "I started playing out here about 10 years ago. It's just a good ol' time when you can get a bunch of old guys and can have fun."
Mike Flautt, 60, played in the game for the third time and said he enjoys hearing the stories from those older than him. And he was one of the exceptions to the pinch runner rule, trotting down to first base after a base hit.
"It's lots of fun and brings back memories," Flautt said.
It also allows John Snider to relive his glory days, when he was a farm hand for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the early 70s. Snider was drafted by the Dodgers out of high school, Fairfield Union, and was in the minor leagues from 1970-75. He made it to spring training with the major league club one time, an experience he will never forget, he said.
"This is so much fun, we always have a good time," said Snider, just moments after putting the finishing touches on an 11-5 win with a strikeout. "It's a very nice event, and I love listening to the stories. Baseball has always been such a big part of small towns in Perry County. A lot of towns had ball teams, and they would play each other. There are a few guys here who say they always looked forward to Sundays, playing ball. Jim Murray and the other guys at the Legion deserve a lot of credit for keeping this going."
bgadd@nncogannett.com
740-450-6752
Ellie