Winter 2014 Edition Senior Softball News WINTER 2014 EDITION Volume 27 • Number 3 Seniorwww.seniorsoftball.com SoftballMORE THAN JUST A GAMENEWSAMERICA’S LARGEST CIRCULATED SENIOR SOFTBALL PUBLICATION Why First Year of Retirement So Costly By Jack Sirard sity of California, Davis, and much of our New York experi- INSIDE: Softball News Report our new life without going to Social Security benefits set to ence, sans the shows, but long Two days after retiring work each day. increase in 2015. on the adventures. Page 14 from the newspaper industry We stayed in the Theatre It wasn’t too long after back in 2006, my wife and I District, took in a few Broad- after we shipped James off to that that we took our first-ever and our youngest son were off way shows, saw the sights and graduate school in Oregon, we cruise, checking out the sights to New York City, celebrating dined wherever we wanted. headed off to the Big Island in Alaska. We liked it so much his graduation from the Univer- Then a few months later, of Hawaii where we repeated Please See Page 14 PART 1 PART 2 PART 3 PART 4 INVESTING Planning? It’s a Understanding Your Why the First Year of Tips on What to Do — and How Retirement Home Run Social Security Options Retirement Is So Costly to Give Back to Your Community NO. 339 PERMIT IN YOUR FUTURE Sacramento, CA U.S. POSTAGE PRSRT-STD PAID Japan China 3rd Record INSIDE: Taiwan NORTHERN CHAMPIONSHIPS in a Row Page 10 WINTER US, China, World WORLDS in Phoenix Draws Japan and 175 Teams Masters Page 12-13 Taiwan Form Draws 506 SOUTHERN Pacific Rim CHAMPIONSHIPS Association Teams Page 23 Softball News Report SACRAMENTO Sets Western Record IWATA, JAPAN – Page 24-25 Softball representatives from China, Japan, Taiwan RALEIGH and the United States have Roars in the East announced the formation of Page 26-27 the Pacific Rim Slowpitch Photos by Jack Eberhard The 2014 World Masters Championships offered many of the largest divisions in the sport, from 40 Masters to 85s ROCKY Softball Association during MOUNTAIN By Ross McCulligan And Joseph Ruggiero CHAMPIONSHIPS the second annual Pacific INSIDE: Page 28-29 Softball News Report Rim Championships held 8 Win Triple here in early November. Grand Slam LAS VEGAS – For the third straight year, the World Masters Championships WINTER “We are creating the Page 16-17 set the record for the largest senior softball tournament in the country. This year, NATIONALS in Florida Kicks Pacific Rim Slow-Pitch Inaugural 85 506 teams flocked to this gaming mecca to try to etch their mark in softball lore. Division The numbers are astonishing. The record-setting tournament included teams Off 2015 Softball Association to help Page 18 Page 30-31 build the sport throughout from 42 states as well as four from Canada and four from Guam. Teams played All Tournamento more than 1,700 games in 37 divisions, across 13 softball complexes. the Pacific Rim region,” Players and MVPs Page 19-20 More than 90 umpires, 60 tournament officials and 150 field crew workers Please See Page 5 Please See Page 17 2 Senior Softball News Winter 2014 Edition LLBSP $199.95 ea. 2015 Dudley Lightning Legend Series Balanced, 13” Barrel, 34” • 26-29 oz. 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V55660 $165.00 ea. 2013 Reebok Barrage Legend (NO WARRANTY) 34” • 26-30 oz. Winter 2014 Edition Senior Softball News 3 NewsBriefing CARL’S CORNER Convention Faces Region, Ball Issues By Carl Gustafson Softball News Report Why My Wife Wouldn't TUPELO, MISS. – Senior Soft- ball-USA delegates enacted penalties Go to Rules Meetings for icing or altering softballs, ap- proved a new transgender policy and My wife wouldn’t go. She sched- launched a major study into team re- uled a dental appointment in prefer- gions during the SSUSA/ISA Annual ence. Convention here Dec. 2-5. A national rules committee ses- In other action, the SSUSA Rules sion couldn’t compete with a turtle Committee also approved 12 defen- race for entertainment value. I suspect sive players in the new 85 division that turtles would indeed race—to get and defeated a proposal to combine Inducted into the SSUSA Hall of Fame, from left, were Mike away from hearing old people debate the 70 Major and Major-Plus divi- Vetovich of Washington, Jerry Jackson, Illinois, and Kevin Evans, rules. sions. The committee appointed a task representing Top Gun Softball Association, California. The annual convention was in force to further study the Major-Major that simply throwing in the wrong ball complete a study of player density by Tupelo, Mississippi this year. Plus merger proposal and to review a during a game was not the same as region and report back within 90 days. Hey, I hear you; we couldn’t recommendation to use screens. using an altered ball. The penalty for “The original state-and-border- figure it out either. Maybe it was the The new penalty for altering soft- throwing in the wrong ball is an out. ing-state regions were adopted as a Elvis Museum? But not even baby balls – including icing – is the forfei- A second offense is an inning-ending compromise with the other national Elvis could lure my wife to attend. ture of the game. A second offense in out. senior softball associations at the As boring as these meetings seem the same tournament results in ejec- Reacting to several requests to 1999 Summit,” said Terry Hennessy, to an outsider, they can ignite the tion from the tournament and possible review the state-and-bordering-state SSUSA chief executive officer. “Our emotions of those who play this game suspension. restrictions on team rosters, the com- original regions were designed to when the results are announced. The committee also made it clear mittee instructed the SSUSA staff to Continued on Page 4 That’s because you can’t please everyone on all sides of any issue. Florida Legend Rule changes that make one group tap dance and play kazoos, might make Giovanini Dies another mad enough to get out their catapults and siege Sacramento. The By Joe Ruggiero rules committee knows this only too Softball News Report well. Louis A. Giovanini, 75, of Venice, It’s kind of like Popeye’s father Fla., who was a highly talented singing, “It ain’t easy being me,” shortstop and fierce base-hitter, died because there’s much misperception Nov. 19, at Moffitt Cancer Center in about how and why rules and policies Tampa. are decided, and some take it person- He played in the first Senior ally. Softball World Series in 1989. The You might like to know that what- following year, he was instrumental in ever opinions you hold, were heard forming the Florida Legends, which and argued on all sides, complete he played on and coached until 2013. with a nice complement of emotion, “He was there from the very sarcasm, recalcitrance, suspicion of beginning – a pioneer not only as a motive, and harangues long enough to player, but also as a promoter of senior make the Elvis statue appear animated softball,” said Patrick Bidelman, a in comparison. lifelong teammate and friend. The computer age furnished the Bidelman added that, “In his committee with so many e-mails from heyday, Lou possessed a terrific arm softballers all over the country, that with terrifying range. He was always when printed out would make Santa very creative on the field and looking jealous. We waded through them all, for ways to utilize field position to both naughty and nice. After awhile have an edge on competitors. For I begin to hope that Terry Hennessy at least a decade, we had the best Continued on Page 9 Continued on Page 4 4 Senior Softball News Winter 2014 Edition Convention: 70 Merger Plan Defeated, Study Launched Continued from Page 3 reflect the number of players in a region and the natural geographic areas that cross several states, as in the Northeast.” The region compromise was part of a larger agreement designed to ensure roster requirements were the same among all associations. Today only two associations, SPA and SSUSA, actually check rosters, said Hennessy, so it is a good time to re-evaluate regions. A proposal to merge the 70 Major and Major- Plus divisions, which included abolishing tracking of player ratings, restricting two states (California and Florida), and keeping the 5-run equalizer when currently rated Major-Plus teams play Major teams was defeated. Elected into the SSUSA Hall of Fame for next year were, from left, Bill Ruth for Lifetime However, the committee approved a further Achievement, Michael Boone, Player and Chuck Towne, manager.