"You don t stop playing because you grow old; you grow old because you stop playing!" November 2014 "The BATTER UP" Newsletter is published for Sun Cities Senior Softball, and is made possible through our sponsors. Please thank them and support them! 4th ANNUAL VETERANS & FIRST RESPONDERS GAMES ~ Sun BOWL FIELD, SUN CITY, AZ ~ ~ Jim Keinath, Chairman ~ Welcome one and all to the 4rd Annual Veterans' and First Responders Games, being held in conjunction with the Grand Re-Opening Celebration at Sun Bowl Field. The festivities are scheduled for November 8, 2014 beginning at 8:30 AM at the Sun Bowl field in Sun City. (107th Ave. and Clair- 1 block South of Peoria). The activities are expected to last all day. If you are a Veteran or a First Responder and wish to play, please go on-line to www.azsrsoftball.com and sign up under events or contact Jim Keinath. Even if you don't intend to play, please come help honor our Veterans and First Responders and celebrate the re-opening of our newly renovated field. A picnic lunch will be provided (donations accepted), along with a few other surprises. The Sun City Softball Club requests that you bring any unneeded, gently used clothing or new socks or underwear to donate to needy Vets. Players and spectators are encouraged to wear baseball caps supporting their service branch or affiliation. It would also be fun to see a photo of you "back in the day". Hope to see you there! Dennis Farrar Editor Email: editor@myselfonline.us ~ INSIDE THIS ISSUE ~ American League Committee p 6 Angels In The Outfield p 3 Angels In The Outfield Contacts... p 4 Annual Club Dues p 2 As I See It... p 5 Calendar of Events... p 2 Food Bank... p 7 From the President (SCW)... p 7 Hall of Fame Nominee Form. p 11 In Memoriam... p 4 Meet Our Sponsors....... p 10 National League Rule Changes. p 8 On The Road... p 9 Photo Campaign. p 6 SC General Meeting.. p 1 SCW Christmas Party p 5 SCW General Meeting... p 8 Toys For Kids... p 2 & 3 Veterans & First Responders Games. p 1 & 7 Women In Softball...... p 4 Word Search Puzzle.. p 9 Word Search Puzzle Solution.. p 6 You Make The Call. p 4
CALENDAR OF EVENTS ( PLEASE NOTE SOME OF THE DATES MAY BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE ) November 8, 2014 4 rd Annual Vets Games (Saturday) Sun Bowl Field Sun City Contact Jim Keinath (623) 399-8055 or email Jim at: jimkeinath@gmail.com for more information. (Mon. Tue., Thu.) December 1, 2, 4 Annual Angels "Toys for Kids" Drive Liberty Field Sun City West Please bring an unwrapped new toy (or 2) with you to the game. Angels will be waiting at the tables on the sidewalk near the parking lot at Liberty Field to take your gifts or cash donation (in case you want us to shop for you). Gifts are needed for toddlers to teens. For more information contact Kay Williams at: (623) 566-2895 or email Kay at: kwill30680@cox.net. (Friday) December 12, 2014 "3rd Annual" SCW Christmas Party Briarwood Country Club Sun City West This is the third Annual Christmas Parties. There will be a cocktail hour, dinner and dancing.. For more information contact Nancy Dobbins (623) 792-8993 or email Nancy at: nldobbs@msn.com. December 29-30, 2014 (Thursday ~ Friday) "One Pitch" Fun Day Tournament Liberty Field Sun City West This will be a one pitch games just like last year. There will be lots of fun, food, and fellowship. Contact Rich McAndrews or Art Nelson for more information. (Saturday) February 7, 2015 Bill Bromley Memorial Cardiac Kids Tournament Liberty Field Sun City West Contact Ken Skinner at (623) 546-8983 or email Ken at ken@azsrsoftball.com for more information. Only players who have had a cardiac event are eligible to play. This event is open to both the National and American National League Players. So sign up early. February 28, 2015 Spring Fling Tournament (Thu.- Fri. - Sat.) Liberty Field Sun City West Contact Nancy Dobbins at (623) 792-8993 or email Nancy at nldobbs@msn.com for more information or to volunteer. (Sunday) March 29, 2015 Tin Cup Golf Tournament (2 golf courses) Deer Valley & Grandview Sun City West Contact Nancy Dobbins at (623) 792-8993 or email Nancy at nldobbs@msn.com for more information or to volunteer. Editor s Note: Every effort has been made to include upcoming events on this calendar. Please check the web calendar as it may be updated more frequently. Thank you. ANNUAL CLUB DUES ARE DUE IN JANUARY Dennis Farrar This is only a reminder that your Annual Softball dues of $25.00 must be paid during the month of January. Any dues received after January 31 st may be subject to a $10.00 assessment fee. Sun City Club should make checks payable to Sun City Senior Softball Club and give your check to a Board Member. Sun City West Club should make check payable to Sun City West Softball Club and give your check to a Board Member. Special Note: Please do not start paying your dues until after December 1. Checks will be deposited after that. Thank you. Page 2 of 11
Angels in the Outfield a heartline for our softball family Kay Williams, Chairperson Welcome back to all the players who spent the summer out of Arizona and to all the Sunbirds who weathered our heat in Arizona. Hope everyone had a great summer as we now look forward to the start of the Fall softball season. Angels have a great web page. Just go to azsrsoftball.com and click on Organization, scroll down to Angels, single click and you will find the latest news about your fellow players. Other links will take you to the photo gallery, the Current Angels link gives you a list of those wives, significant others and players to contact to report player incidents or you can email me information by going to Contact Angels. Also check the bulletin boards at both fields to read the news about our softball family. (We only post items on the web page with players/family approval.) Once again we will be selling our red and black SCW hats for $20. Support the Angels by buying our merchandise or with your cash donations. The monies are used for $50 memorials when a player passes away, cards, stamps and other operating expenses. New this year Angels is offering an engraved paver to families who prefer that to a $50 donation to a charity of their choice in remembrance of their loved one. We can always use more Angels to be our eyes and ears at the games, send cards, help with the toy drive, assist with special events at both fields, etc. Please call me at 566-2894 if you would like to get involved. TOYS FOR KIDS 2014 Can you believe it is time to start planning for our annual toy drive at Liberty Field? Once again we will be working with the Sun City West Women's Club on this project. This year the Women's Club has selected the charities where these gifts should go. The Central League drive will be Monday, December 1. The American League drive will be Tuesday, December 2 and the National League drive will be Thursday, December 4. Please bring an unwrapped new toy (or 2) with you to the game. Angels will be waiting at the tables on the sidewalk near the parking lot at Liberty Field to take your gifts or cash donation (in case you want us to shop for you). Gifts are needed for toddlers to teens. Note: There will be no drive in Sun City this year. All Sun City members are asked to bring their gifts to Liberty Field. Please contact me or Ann Mitchell if you would like to work a shift at the tables on any of the 3 days. I also need workers at 4 p.m. on Thursday, December 4 to work at the Women's Club to help put out the toys for the party on December 5 when Santa arrives about 10 am to visit the children from Nadaburg School. On December 5 they will be distributing toys to the children and representatives from the charities selected. Any players or spouses may attend the toy distribution event at the Women's Club. Last year we set a record by donating 25 bags of toys, 9 bicycles and over $1,900 in cash. I challenge you to top that! Help us show the children of our area the generous spirit of Sun Cities softball players! Page 3 of 11
ANGELS IN THE OUTFIELDS CONTACTS Kay Williams Angels Chairman 623-566-2894 Ann Mitchell Angels Co-Chairman 623-214-6302 Bob Renberg Chaplain 623-544-9572 American League Sheila Cooke 480-658-3129 Ernie Cultum 623-975-9485 Ron Johnson American League Rep 623-815-9893 Gwen Keinath 623-399-8055 Sharon McAndrews 623-544-2837 Mary Nelson 623-556-9263 Judy Raczak 623-556-4698 Pam Willie 623-975-9693 Central League Pam Asan 623-399-8779 Kathy Beymer 623-584-4699 Carol Davelis 623-594-7576 Pauline Dewey 623-977-0440 Karen Downes 623-680-3216 Dorothy Harms 480-818-2811 Dennis Johnson Central League Rep 414-529-9567 Sharon LeMoine 623-975-9291 Barbara McCart 623-556-1248 Carol Ottum 630-391-3735 Jan Peterson 623-584-3265 National League Elaine Boldt 623-374-6239 Martha Emmons 623-243-7576 Gladys Harrison 623-566-4845 Sylvia Johnson 623-815-9708 Margaret Morgan National League Rep 602-689-5701 Linda Swanson 623-584-4178 Sally Wicketts 623-933-3310 WOMEN'S SOFTBALL ~ Carol Bowden ~ The HOT FLASHES the women's softball team will begin practices on Oct. 24, after the co-ed games. All women are encouraged to join our practices to hone batting, fielding, throwing and running techniques. Our first game will be Nov. 8 @ 11 am, at Liberty Field! The entire schedule will be in the next newsletter. We are pleased to have 3 other teams in our area to compete against; Pebblecreek, Grand and Surprise, plus teams from the Mesa/Apache Junction area. We will, also, travel to Casa Grande for a tournament in January. Please contact Carol Bowden @ 337-5131 for additional information. Come and watch! We are awesome! ~ In Memoriam ~ Over the summer we have lost the following members of our softball family: YOU MAKE THE CALL ~ Dan Burke, Umpire ~ Question: A pitched ball hitting the ground in front of home plate is hit by the batter. You make the call Do you know the correct answer? You can find it in the newsletter. Good luck? Don Goble April 28, 2014 Phil Batow May 8, 2014 John Lavaggi June 11, 2014 Roger Stone June 23, 2014 Mike De Luca October 17,2014 Wayne Wilson October 19, 2014 Marilyn Rowe (wife of Keith) May 9, 2014 Louise Douglas (wife of Tait) July 8, 2014 Page 4 of 11
Sun City West Softball Club Christmas Party Friday, December 12, 2014 GRANDVIEW TERRACE 14515 W Granite Valley Dr. Cocktail Hour 5:00-6:00pm Dinner 6:00pm ~ MENU ~ Chicken or Filet Twice Baked Potato Vegetable Medley Salad Dessert Dancing with "The 8 Tracks Band" 7:00 ~ 10:00pm Price $30.00 Visit our website to print out the flier for the dinner selection and payment information. AS I SEE IT! ~ Dennis Farrar ~ This year will mark my tenth season as your Newsletter Editor. I would like to thank you all who have helped make each and every season memorable and better than the last. Many of you have taken your valuable time to keep me supplied with articles every month. Our newsletter would not be the same without your continued support. This year has seen many changes and the changes continue to pop up. This will be the first year that we have a 3 league tier system in place. Will it be prefect? I hope not. There will be lots tweaking as we move forward so your patience is appreciated. Many of you will be back way before the first pitch on Oct 25, and it won't be long before the words "Batter Up" is heard echoing on the field and though the stands. As you pick up this newsletter you are probably playing ball at either Liberty Field in Sun City West, or the Sun Bowl Field in Sun City. Have a good game and be safe. Many of the "older" and new players are taking the field this session and some will return by the year s end or early January. Please welcome them to our league and remember it shouldn t be all about winning. Play with integrity, be fair and play by the rules. Let s all have fun with each other. My wife Terese and I would like to wish all of you a Happy and bountiful Thanksgiving holiday. Don't regret what you don't have; be grateful for what you do have. Be thankful and grateful each and every day, it could be your last. Finally, if you go to page 9 of this issue you will see some picture of what my wife, Terese and I were up to during the summer while some of you were sweating it out on the field. If you have pictures of some of your trips I would like you to email them to me with a detailed description of who's in the picture and when a where it was taken. I would like to include this little addition for your future newsletters. I'm sure your other teammates would like to enjoy some of your time away from the field too. Thanks you. That s how I see it. Have a great game and get home safe. Editor Page 5 of 11
PHOTOS CAMPAIGN RESUMES AGAIN ~ Dennis Farrar, Website Member Search Chairman ~ Being involved in the Membership Search on the web site I ll be on a campaign once again to take pictures of all the new players that have joined or softball leagues when play resumes. This year will be more challenging as we now will have three leagues with the adding of the Central League which I'll be playing. I don't think the National League will have many new players but the other two will. I will also be taking pictures of those players I may have missed last year and over the summer. I hope that all of you will cooperate in this ongoing endeavor. All the pictures will be taken at Liberty Field in Sun City West on regular league game days with your team jersey and league caps. The pictures are used by the team managers and the Angel in the Outfield for "in-house" purposes only. Moreover, if you have any changes to your address or phone numbers, please let me know via email so I can keep the "Member Search" updated and current. Currently the Member Search and the league database are not connected. I hope to get this taken care of in the future. Thank you for your cooperation. WORD SEARCH PUZZLE SOLUTION REMEMBER: No Cheating The hidden sentence is: AUTUMN IS A SECOND SPRING WHEN EVERY LEAF IS A FLOWER American League Committee ~Bob Dobbins, AL Chairperson ~ With the joint committees working on restructuring the league, the American League Committee was busy as well. For the fall session the American League will have 10 teams. They have elected to play without a rover. All pitchers must wear a face mask. The AL will allow sliding and diving back to a bag. There will be some restrictions on sliding. Please refer to the AL rules. The AL will also play with the infield fly rule. All other rules will remain the same. The AL committee will evaluate the new rule changes after the fall session. HAPPY VETERAN S DAY November 11, 2014 Page 6 of 11
food Bank ~ Carol Bowden & Julie McGlynn ~ Julie McGlynn has been in contact with the food bank in Sun City. Although, they appreciate our monthly, specialty items, they would prefer we just accept any donations from our softball club. Therefore, beginning in NOVEMBER, we will be anticipating ANY food items donated!!!!! DO NOT hesitate to toss an extra cereal box, container of pasta, juice boxes, etc. in your shopping cart at the grocery store. The need is always great and our generosity never goes unnoticed. We are all thankful for what we have and share when we can. Thank you for participating!!!! SUN CITY WEST BOARD ~ Bob Dobbins, Club President ~ The SCW board was very busy over the summer. The SCW and the Sun City boards charged the Joint American League and National League Committees to investigate changing the structure of our league based on the number of players in each league. The joint committees recommended splitting our league into 3 leagues (American, Central, and National). The joint committees worked all summer on how to structure the 3 leagues. This work has been completed and the 3 league format will start with the Fall Session which starts October 27, 2014. The joint committees believe there will have to be some minor changes, but have decided to go thru the fall and spring sessions and then re-evaluate what was good and what could be changed. Please bear with them as this was a monumental task. A recommendation was made to both boards to make it mandatory for all pitchers to wear a face mask. Both clubs agreed unanimously. Roger Pribnow made a model of a remodel to Liberty field which was approved by the Rec. Center and our board and will now go to the general membership for approval on November 5, 2014. Election of board members will take place at the general membership meeting on November 5, 2014. Members coming off the board are: Bob Dobbins, John McFarland, and Ron Eppley. Members staying on for their second year are: Les Olerich, Barb Waddell, Gordon Kinkead, and Pat Regan. The nominees for the board are: Jim Willie, Joe Gallo, Bob Lee, Kevin Bruns, Ron Groff, Marcel Mantha, Bob Luebben, and Brian McArthur. You will vote for 3 of these 8 nominees. Repairs to the turf are to be made prior to the start of the fall session. Thanks to Mel Bentley, Ron Power, Jerry Bianchi, and Dave Toepel for installing a new closet upstairs to store uniforms. The welcome back cookout for players and sponsors, for all SCW members, will be held on Friday October 24, Let s all have a great fall session, Page 7 of 11
HALL OF FAME ~ Carol Bowden, Chairperson ~ It is time to consider nominations for the 2015 Hall of Fame. There are many wonderful people in the Sun Cities softball club that deserve recognition for their years of service! Qualifications include: 7 full years of membership (member since 2006 or before) contributions to the club above and beyond what is expected or needed committee work, managing, special events, making a difference serving on 1 of the 2 softball boards, and so on. Even if you think someone has been nominated, please consider offering additional information. The selection committee can never have too much information! The nomination form is included with every newsletter! The deadline is Jan. 20, 2015 (That sounds like a long time from now, but get those nominations in). Place all nominations in the LIBERTY FIELD mailbox, labeled "Hall of Fame". Thank you for honoring our dedicated softball players. NATIONAL LEAGUE COMMITTEE ~ Joe Emmons, NL Chairperson ~ Ah, realignment the word can produce an emotional response similar to downsizing or restructuring. Or, it can be an opportunity to change your viewpoint both literally and figuratively. Imagine, playing the game on the right side or behind the batter for session after session, but now find that because of realignment new positions and skills are possible. While there will be little time to adjust and perfect new position skills just take comfort that a bobbled catch, or a dribbled throw will still more than likely beat the runner to first. For the outfielders there will be less turning your back to the infield and making that trip to the fence. There is a good chance even if that is necessary; a good double cut will probably get the runner trying to snag an extra base. By the time this article is published the NL will have assigned and assembled our teams and the fall session will be underway. The NL will still be the home to Hall of Famers, tournament players, and will be equally representative of the same softball skills as the American and Central Leagues. All we need to do is change our viewpoint. Realignment has not happened without entailing a lot of thought and planning. The new NL Committee has been re-constituted from 2 to 6 members. Our team manager core of 2 has expanded to 10. All the game day chores i.e. write-ups, announcing, refreshments have had to be addressed and re-assigned. The NLC is very appreciative of the willingness of our players to adapt to the realignment and accept the new responsibilities. We looking forward to, seeing our friends and to the enjoyment of playing the game we love, howbeit from a slightly different viewpoint. Page 8 of 11
AUTUMN Find and circle all of the Autumn words that are hidden in the grid. The remaining letters spell a secret message - an Albert Camus quotation. ACORN APPLE BIRD MIGRATION BLOWING LEAVES BLUSTERY DAY CANNING CHESTNUTS CHILLY COLD CROPS EQUINOX FALL FARMING FEAST FROST HALLOWEEN HARVEST HAYSTACK HICKORY NUTS LONGER NIGHTS NOVEMBER OCTOBER ORANGE LEAVES PIE PUMPKIN RAKE RED LEAVES SCARECROW SCHOOL SEASON SEPTEMBER SHORTER DAYS SQUASH SWEET POTATOES THANKSGIVING TURKEY WINDY YELLOW LEAVES Copyright 2014. All rights reserved. ~ "ON THE ROAD" WITH DENNIS & TERESE FARRAR ~ Here I'm standing in front of the largest ball of Sisal Twine in the world and it's located right in town on the south side of US Hwy 24 in Cawker City, Kansas. I was on my way to call square dances in Colorado a short stop to take a picture on my way was in the plan. Started in 1953 and completed in 2006. A total of 7,801,766 ft. and weighs 17,886 pounds. A definitely offbeat attraction to see if you're in the area or in route through the area. ~ Photo by Dennis Farrar ~ Photo by Dennis Farrar My wife, Terese flew into Durango, Colorado to join me for my last 3 square dances on my tour. Here my wife Terese and I hiked all the way up Chimney Rock in Colorado and walked around the ancient ruins. This is a must do if you are physically able. The views from here on top at the Great House are breath taking. Hope you all had an enjoyable cool summer doing what you like to do also. Page 9 of 11
THANK YOU SPONSORS WE SUPPORT YOU! A Thank You to all of our wonderful sponsors who have continued to sponsor our recreation! Your ongoing support to our league allows us to exist as we know it. You are truly a blessing that has helped us more than you will ever know, and allows all of us another chance to be that "little kid" again. ABRA Auto Body & Glass Ace Hardware Albrecht Paints Ameriprise Financial Arrowhead Cadillac Arrowhead Lexus Arvid & Kay Peterson Realtors AZ Center for Cancer Care AZ Smiles Dentistry Bashas Bell Ford Brenda s Kitchen Broward Factory Ser (BFS) Bug Stuff Camino Del Sol Camino Eye Care Canyon State Air Chiro Care Wellness Convenience Carpet Cleaner Cool Touch Cooler Tymes Cranstoun Ct Jewelers Daily News Sun Desert Golf Carts Desert Rose Desert Sun Embroidery Edward Jones Farrar Chiropractic & Acupuncture Fast Signs Fishell Screen General Exterminating Golden Eagle Dist (Budweiser) Grandview Terrace Hayden s Flooring Hole N One Liberty Buick Moore Graphics Northern Trust Ott Realty Paul Tone Farmer s Insurance Peoria Volkswagen Pinnacle Financial Pruitt s Furniture Reategui Law Firm Rosie s Italian Café Ryan s Touchdown Sportswear Sidewinders Softball Solar City Sun Cities Tire & Auto Sun Devil Auto Sundome Plaza Merchants Town Cryers Trusted Plummer Van s Pro Shop Vital Care VW of Peoria Wilhelm Automotive YOU CAN FIND OUR SPONSOR S BUSINESS CARDS IN RACK AT LIBERTY FIELD IN THE CLUBHOUSE Page 10 of 11
Hall of Fame Selection Do you know of a softball player who is or has worked to make our softball program in Sun City and Sun City West better? If you do, please submit a nomination form available from your team manager or in the club house of Sun City or Sun City West. The process has been simplified for your convenience. 1. Get a nominating form from your team manager or at the club house. You can also use the form in the Newsletter. 2. Name the person you would like to nominate. 3. Sign and date the form. (No co-sign required) 4. Put the form in an envelope, drop in the box at Liberty Field (by the west bleachers). 5. A review panel will do the rest When we receive your nomination, you will be notified that your selection has been recorded. Please get involved, this could be your way of saying Thank You to a deserving person. NOMINATIONS CLOSE JANUARY 20, 2015 HALL OF FAME Nomination Form I would like to nominate: Comments: Submitted by: Date Page 11 of 11