Summer ball action: Dave Martin swings away as catcher Larry Maggard, umpire Joe Byrne and on-deck hitter Dennis Henderson look on.
Larry Wolfe
Many of you baseball fans have probably read the classic memoir, The Boys of Summer, by the legendary sports journalist Roger Kahn. That book gave the reader an inside look into the clubhouse of the 1950s Brooklyn Dodgers. Well, we have our own Boys of Summer right here in Sun Lakes at the Field of Dreams. They are the hardy souls who brave Arizona’s sizzling summer temperatures to play the game they love.
Our Summer League is less structured than our Fall, Winter and Spring programs and includes less than half the number of teams and players as those sessions; however, the play is still very competitive, and the camaraderie is the same. Games are played every Tuesday and Thursday morning from May through late Sept. The first pitch is at 7:30 a.m. in an attempt “to beat the heat” but that rarely works. It’s already hot by game time and only gets hotter by the end of each day’s doubleheader.
When I asked some of the guys why they don’t just hang up their cleats for the summer and do something else that’s a little cooler, the responses are along these lines: “I just want to play the game and hang with the guys. What am I supposed to do? Stay home and read a book?” Well, they could take a dip in the pool……or re-read The Boys of Summer!
Sadly, we recently lost two members of our softball family. Larry Domas, a long-time player and field maintenance contributor, passed away after moving back up north to be closer to family. Also, Paula Dielmann, wife of another long-time former member, Howie Dielmann, passed away in mid-July. Our condolences go out to both of their families and many friends. RIP, Larry and Paula.