Rec. softball gives U. employees a summer outlet

Commissioner Clark oversees the Summer Softball League that gives players of all abilities a chance to win and have fun. What keeps up the moral of the University's employees and graduate students who don't get to leave for the summer? It's the Department of Recreation's Summer Softball League, which began last Wednesday when Director of Recreation Mike Diorka threw out the first pitch, and runs until the playoffs -- which will be held after Independence Day. The league is patterned after major league baseball, with eleven teams each in an American League and a National League. Within each league there is an east and west conference. The teams come from every corner of University affiliation. Many of these same teams have participated in this summer program in the past six to eight years, but they have noticed some of the program's changes. "The guy who's running it is doing a good job," University Museum team captain Dave McBride said. "It seems a lot more organized." There are actually a few persons behind this year's softball league. Kevin Clark, a recreation coordinator, is serving as the commissioner for the league with assistance from Murray Grant, Assistant Director of Recreation. They have made some changes designed to enhance the enjoyment for everyone involved. All the games are being played on Hill Field this year so that players will not be forced to avoid the raised manholes within the playing field. Games begin at 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, immediately after most University employees get off of work. Teams are also being provided with bats, bases and catcher's masks in return for a refundable $100 deposit. In the past, an additional $100 had been required of teams that wanted to play. Clark and Grant have added an All-Star game to the softball league's format to reward the league's best players. Each team's captain will select one male and one female player to represent their team in the game, which will be played just before or after the playoffs. "The league is big-time," Clark said. "Everyone looks like they're having a good time out there." The teams are very social, and their games frequently attract the attention of passersby. "The fan base is there. People pull over to watch the games," Clark joked. The congested streets surrounding Hill Field provide the players and fans with a unique atmosphere for some of the most exciting instances -- foul balls. "Everyone stops and listens for the crash when one goes over the fence into the street," Clark said. Teams are coed, and each team must have at least three women on the field at all times among its maximum of 10 players. Players range from graduate student-aged into the late-fifties and early-sixties. But each team must retain at least seven players on the field at all times, which can be a problem for some teams. "We have a team of doctors that had to forfeit because half of them got called in," Clark said. When the games are played, they consist of seven innings, and each team pitches to its own players. The batter gets just three pitches to put the ball in play, or he or she is out. There are no umpires, but Clark noted that "we haven't had an argument yet" -- teams have respected the defensive team's calls. Teams are vying for t-shirts which will be presented this year to every member of the winning team. Last year's winner, the Diamond Backs, received nothing for their championship season. Not every team, however, can aim that high. The 22 teams are on different levels of ability. "The skill level varies from team to team. We go from really terrible to really good," Clark said. "We have 22 teams. I'd say 12 of them are really good teams, and the rest of them are out there to have fun." Some are there to do both. "It is for fun, but we're good. We finished in second place last year," Yvonne Oronzio said. "People on the team must ask me five months in advance 'when do we have to sign up?' They really look forward to it." Oronzio plays catcher for the Franklin Flyers, the Student Financial Services team. They won their opening game, 14-7, over the Die Ning Ninja Turtles, the University's Dining Services team. "We're playing for fun primarily. Our main goal is to see that everyone gets a chance to play," Die Ning Ninja Turtles captain Adam Sherr said. Teams show their pride in different ways. McBride's Museum team sports the sharpest jerseys in the league, according to Clark. "We have a good director, Jeremy Sabloff, who gets us what we need," McBride said. The Museum team draws added inspiration from Joe Teasley, who works in its business office. Every game, Teasley, who is confined to a wheelchair, comes out to keep his team's statistics. Last week, he was the busiest member of the team as the Museum walloped the overmatched Blockley Bad News Bears, 21-5. Another powerhouse from the early results appears to be the Wharton Phollies, whose general manager Rosemary Connors regularly sends "peppy memos" about upcoming games to the Wharton External Affairs staff/team. The Phollies, named after the MBA student show with the same name, beat the Quackers, 20-6. The win has Connors' office excited. "The adrenaline is going," she said. "We won with a kind of, I wouldn't say a skeleton crew, but we didn't really sub in all the guys. We are pretty psyched. I don't think we've ever played .500 ball before last year." About the huge output, she said only, "It just seemed to happen. That's what the fun part of it is." Teams remain social even after such blowouts. They often jaunt over to the New Deck Tavern after games to reminisce about the highlights and lowlights of such games. Most of them are grateful for the chance to relieve some stress, get some exercise and have some fun. "I really think that it's great that the rec department at the University has this for the employees," Connors said. "This is our field of dreams."