FOR THE FUN OF IT: Group of septuagenarians plays hard, stays fit and shares a lot of laughs

Those million-dollar, Major League ballplayers straggling into spring training over the next few weeks have some catching up to do with the Sonoma Fog.

While the "boys of summer" have been in hibernation, the Fog's septuagenarian, slow-pitch softball players have been hard at it through the harsh days of winter, meeting up at various ballfields to trade turns at bat, shag flyballs and take infield practice.

Sure, some of the guys have a hitch in their step or surgical scars under their jerseys, and there's plenty of teasing on the topic of age.

But make no mistake, there's power in their bats and a competitive spirit that drives them to play hard -- though never at the expense of fun.

"A bunch of old guys going out there playing a kid's game, having a lot of fun and actually being pretty good at it," said Ron Parsons, 73 of Windsor. "It's an extension of life for us. Keeps us young."

"It gets in your blood. It becomes a passion," John Waller, 72, of Sonoma said. "I know my wife didn't reckon on this."

Mostly longtime recreational ballplayers, they're dedicated to the game and delighted to have an opportunity to keep playing, even if it means traveling to such hot spots as Manteca and Turlock and making longer treks to Reno, Palm Springs and Medford, Ore., for tournaments.

The game demands they stay fit, and the reward is staying physically and socially active.

"Basically, that's what I go for," said Ron Lapham, 77. "The camaraderie. The bull. The laughs. It's a great group of guys."

"Everybody gets on, and we have fun. That's the main thing," longtime member Mike Scofield, 74, said. "We are, of course, competitive enough that we like to win, but we aren't going to slash our wrists if we don't."

The Northern California Senior Softball Association, which has more than 100 teams, organizes dozens of two- and three-day tournaments around the greater Bay Area and Central Valley each year.

The Fog is known for its team chemistry and supportive attitude, new and old players say.

"These guys are my idols out here," said retired State Farm Insurance administrative services manager and outfielder Ted Chamberlain, who's on the roster as the team's token 69-year-old.

The only senior softball team in Sonoma County, the Sonoma Fog grew out of a group of guys who started playing together in the mid-1990s while some still participated in regular city league softball.

Eventually, they formed a 55's team. Membership has shifted somewhat since, as the team has risen through the age brackets, which change at five-year increments.

Lapham, for instance, hadn't played for 13 years when he happened to pass by a practice four years ago. He immediately drove home, retrieved his mitt and cleats from the attic and drove back to Franklin Park to see if he could join in. The next thing he knew, he was on the team.

This year's roster of 19 players includes several with a dozen or so years on the team, including Scofield, Jay Stanphill and Larry Nissim, both, 77, and Paul Sofranko, 74, who is on the disabled list because of knee-replacement surgery.

Three Central Valley players joined this year, and a handful of players, such as manager Hal Feinberg of San Mateo, hail from the Bay Area.

While some cities have multiple teams and even local senior leagues, Sonoma County has but one team and, even then, has a deficit of local recruits.

The team hopes to host an inaugural softball tournament in June as part of the Council on Aging's Sonoma Wine Country Senior Games. But there is no opportunity to play locally, although the players continue to hope that will change.

Sonoma County, with its Wine Country allure and large retirement community, "is ripe for senior softball," Feinberg said.

"It's amazing," said Waller. "You've got guys in their 80s that are playing, not great, but they're playing."

The Fog practices Saturdays at Franklin Park, unless it's simply too soggy. On Wednesdays, they play on the artificial turf diamond at Cardinal Newman High School, thanks to the generosity of school administrators.

The rules of senior softball set games at six innings, with what Scofield called a "five-run mercy rule" that ends a team's at-bat short of three outs if they've already made five runs.

Teams are permitted to have four outfielders and an extra infielder called a "rover," as well as designated runners.

Many on the Fog do weight work or other exercise between the twice-weekly practices. They take batting practice seriously, maintaining strength that's harder to build up with age, Waller said.

"We sit around talking about the knee replacements and the braces, and this and that," Parsons said. "But you know, it's God's blessing that we're still around to have this much fun."

You can reach Staff Writer

Mary Callahan at 521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com.