Don't quit playing ball, advises a Maple Ridge senior softball player coming off a world championship for 80-year-old players.
Player-coach Al Didrikson of Maple Ridge took a team called the B.C. Seniors to a massive event. The huge tournament in Las Vegas featured 172 teams of retirement age, in various age categories 65 and over, scattered across eight ball parks and playing on 31 different fields.
Didrikson and the B.C. Seniors swaggered out of there with the trophy for the 80-plus AAA division. Next year, they will move up a division, and take a run at another slow pitch championship in the 80-plus Majors.
It was a great accomplishment in a long ball career.
"I thought we would do well, but I was pleasantly surprised," he said.
They will have a good shot at another title, based on their unbeaten results this past fall. They cruised through the tournament with a lot of double-digit wins, then tamed the Minnesota Masters 19-12 in the championship game.
The Chicago Gray Sox of Illinois took bronze, and the B.C. Seniors humbled them 19-4 in the tournament opener. The only Canadian team in the tourney blasted the Midwest Driving School team out of Kansas 20-1. That wasn't even their most lopsided win – they hammered the hometown Coyotes team out of Vegas 37-14 when they started action in the championship bracket.
The tournament is billed as a world championship, and given the rarity of elite ball players in their 80s, who is going to tell these octogenarian jocks that they're not world champs.
It was a great event, involving senior ball players of all ages. The B.C. Seniors watched legendary hardball pitcher Roger Clemens, now 62, patrolling the outfield for a Texas team. Jose Canseco, the first Major Leaguer with 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases, is now 60 and was also competing in the event.
"There's lots of tremendous athletes," he said, and added the key is to stay in the game.
"I've played ball continuously since I was four years old," said Didrikson, noting he played both with and against the storied Larry Walker Sr., whose son is the Baseball Hall of Famer who took his name.
"In their 40s, guys can run like a deer, and throw," said Didrikson, "But in your 80s, you start to slow down."
Didrikson is the pitcher for his team, and in slow pitch sees a lot of defensive plays on the infield. Another defensive ace out of Pitt Meadows for the B.C. Seniors squad was Terry Hall, who plays rover.
Getting to the ball with sure hands to make a play is a big part of their game.
"Slow pitch is a hitting game, and if you've got a good defence, it helps tremendously."
Didrikson said the players get a lot out of their continued sports competition – "Camaraderie, sportsmanship, meeting people from all different states, friendship..."
They will be out at the practice field in Surrey starting in February.
He encouraged other retirees to stay on the diamond.
"Tell the youngsters to keep playing ball."
