This Book Is Dedicated to “ALL” Those Wonderful Senior Softball Players
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Date: March 1, 2011 JUPITER SENIOR SOFTBALL A TWENTY (20) YEAR HISTORY Author Gerald J. (Gerry) Elias, Sr. Dedication This book is dedicated to “ALL” those wonderful senior softball players, who enjoyed playing ball in the later years of their lives and with whom we enjoyed camaraderie. Those ball players have passed on to the big ball field in the sky. We will always remember their friendly smiles, good company, and stories of their past greatness. The Jupiter senior softball league had the pleasure of meeting, playing, and jaw boning with many interesting men, who have departed over the years. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to first thank Jim Wilkinson for all his help and contributions. He is the back bone of the Jupiter senior softball and provided me with the early year information for this book. If he hadn’t been a lover of the game of baseball/softball and respectful of all Jupiter citizens regardless of age, I don’t believe senior softball would exist in Jupiter today. Jim started in 1988 to formulate what we enjoy today. I’d also like to thank the other men who played in those early years (1989 to 1996) who helped with my research by providing newspaper articles, pictures, and players’ names. Some of those players that contributed to this book were Bob Fuhst, Harold Slater (played on first county travel team), Charlie Elliott, Vinnie Lombardo, George Farnworth, Don Halbsgut, and Jack Fitzsimmons. I wish to thank you men for your contributions. INTRODUCTION I started this 20 year history in 2009, which would make the Jupiter senior softball league twenty (20) years old. Please be aware that history has a way of changing from one person’s perception to another’s over the past 20 years. Forgive me if I’m not 100% accurate. How did this history of senior softball develop you may ask? Well, I was listening to a speech Jim Wilkinson, Athletic Supervisor for the Town of Jupiter Parks and Recreation department, was giving to present day senior softball players. He said something that stuck in my mind. He said that senior softball has been playing games here in Jupiter for over 20 years. Since I had only played for the past 13 years, I was wondering what the other teams and games were like. So, here I am writing down everything that I could possibly research from Jim’s folder files, his mind, and the minds of those that played all those previous winters. It should be noted that ‘senior’ doesn’t mean the same today as it did in our father’s time. Many of our league participants are not only active on the field, but volunteered their time and money for various causes over the past 20 years. Some of the efforts of our players were assisting at Jupiter town events, purchasing fishing equipment and hosting a fishing trip for a cancer child, ushering at the local theatre, delivering meals on wheels, assisting at the Jupiter hospital and it’s thrift store, taxes for the elderly through AARP, and much more. As you can see, we are very active senior citizens. I attribute that extra curricula activity mainly to keeping active on the ball field and not just sitting around watching TV. We have or had ball players from various parts of the U.S. and Canada. The professions of our ball players are numerous. You name it and we will probably have had a person with that profession. Here’s a small list of those professions: attorneys, judges, doctor(s), teachers, college professors, government workers, artists, accountants, property managers, retired two- star general, butcher, policemen, firemen, EMT’s, journalist, senior staff for a US Senator, computer software engineers, financial specialist, IBM managers, Ford Motor executive, business owners, airline commercial and private pilots, mailmen, UPS/FEDX carriers and managers, golf equipment salesmen, etc. Baseball/softball is America’s game. It provides pleasure whether you watch it or play it. If you are lucky enough to play it in your youth, it will become ingrained in your soul. That is why we have ball players, who were on dialysis, needed knee or hip replacements, such as I, and rotator cuff operations, and other injuries, still fielding and hitting the ball. Please feel free to contact me via email, if you have anything to add to this 20 year history [email protected] Jupiter Senior Softball Story The Beginning 1988 Senior softball started in December 1988, Jim Wilkinson, Athletic Supervisor for the Town of Jupiter Parks and Recreation department, requested from his supervisor, Director Russ Ruskay, authorization to form an over 50 Senior Softball team to play in the county travel league. The response to an advertisement in the local newspaper for senior softball players (i.e., men ages 50 and older) was less than desired. He initially had 4 people the first two or three months. Jim, not a senior citizen, pitched to complete the practice team. I was told by Bob Fuhst that Jim would take a few swings and with little effort sail the softball over the fence. I guess he was getting ready for the time when he turns 50 or 55 or 60 (i.e., after retirement). The team roster did not become complete until after Christmas, when the ball players came from the north. Better known as the “snowbirds”! Two of the original team members were Harold Slater, who is still playing today (2009), and Emilio Verillo, a snow bird. 1989 Winter of 1989, the first Jupiter Tides Senior Softball travel team played in the FPRA District 5 Senior Softball county league. That team didn’t win an outing in the inter-county league. The Tide only played once a week in those days. I could not find the roster of the 1989 Jupiter county league team. 1990 In winter of 1990 it was a different story. Jim Wilkinson was league commissioner of the Palm Beach County Senior Softball League. With the addition of more season players, the 1990 team won their B division. Following years county play was twice a week (Wednesdays and Fridays). Today (2009), we play 3 days a week (Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays). The Tide County travel team games started at 9:30 am, because there was travel time to consider. Home games were played at Maplewood fields. Unlike today the league had paid umpires who traveled to the county parks to officiate. BOY! Would that be great today! It would cut down on the player’s confusion on our rules and the quarrels on the field. 1990 Those 21 players, who played on that undefeated team in 1990, were: John Bensing Nick Schiavella Wayne Evans Jerry Savage Harold Slater Charley Elliot Dixie Lee Norm Haltrich Emilio Veirillo Eustace Strickland (ET) Jerry Gorden Bob Griffin Jack Halfaker Tom Norman ChucK (?) Carl Zimmerman Norm Simmons Gene Greeter Ray Johnson Jim McNeil Wayne Wilson Below are the notes from Charley Elliot’s poster board with articles from the local newspaper. The poster contains the following statistics: NAME HITS AT BATS BB 2B 3B HR SAC AVERAGE ET 8 11 1 1 .727 Wayne W 11 16 3 4 .687 Charley 17 27 3 1 2 2 .630 Ray 15 24 2 2 1 .625 Emilio 13 21 3 1 .619 Bob 9 15 3 2 .600 John 20 36 2 4 3 2 1 .555 Gene 10 18 4 1 1 .555 Carl 13 24 5 .542 Norm H 16 31 2 2 2 3 .516 Wayne E 16 32 4 2 1 1 2 .500 Jerry 15 31 3 2 1 1 2 .483 Norm S 7 16 1 .438 Jim 5 13 2 .385 Chuck 9 24 .375 Harold 6 20 .300 Dixie 1 5 1 .200 Nick 3 18 2 .167 League standings for 9 games with 4 more games to play are below: Note: The Tides had 144 runs (average of 16 runs per game) and opponents had 61 runs (average of 6.8 per game) LEAGUE STANDINGS B DIVISON W L T JUPITER 9 0 LAKES OF DELRAY 4 5 WPB 2 4 1 ROYAL PALM BEACH 1 5 1 GREENACRS #2 0 9 A DIVISON W L T NORTH PALM BEACH 9 0 LAKE WORTH 4 4 PB GARDENS 4 4 BOYTON BEACH 4 4 GREENACRES #1 3 5 1991 In February 1991, the present Jupiter Community Park fields located on Church Street were dedicated. Since that time, all senior softball games have been played on these fields. Today, games start around 9:00 am at the Jupiter Community Park fields. Travel times have been shortened, since all games are local. The Maplewood fields are still used, when Community Park is unplayable, because of rain or being used by other organizations. Also, during the month of August, when Jupiter Community fields are being groomed and fixed for the fall night games, senior games are played on the Tequest town fields. Beside the regular county league games in 1991, the league instituted the Jamboree and Picnic games. These games were played in April. The picnic was catered by Buds Chicken and Seafood, and the meal consists of : Three (3) pieces of Fried Chicken, coleslaw, potato salad, baked beans, roll, and beverage. The price for this meal was $ 4.50 per person. These April games were played at John Prince Park in Lake Worth. The rules and regulations in 1991 were only three pages and 9 articles (Look under Rules and Regulations). The present rules and regulations are 11 pages and counting. It seems sometimes today that there is more discussion on rules and regulations than playing time.