Today's amazing story comes to us from Baldwin Harbor, New York. Here's the story as told by Carl Macgowan of NewsDay.com:
That wasn't Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens on the mound Wednesday at Baldwin Park. And the hurler wasn't trying to strike out ageless Mets infielder Julio Franco.
The Yankees and Mets veterans are mere rookies compared to Mickey Werner, 93, of Baldwin, and Paul Rotter, 86, of Woodmere, who faced one another Wednesday in a senior league softball game.
In fact, Werner is older than Clemens, 44, and Franco, 48, -- combined."Oldtimers game" took on new meaning when Werner's Mets took on Rotter's Dodgers. And the senior southpaws, the oldest players in the five-team Long Island Senior Softball Association, said they don't plan to retire anytime soon.
"Why should I?" Rotter said. "As long as I can play, I'll keep playing.
""Pitching is just swinging the arm and pushing the ball forward," said Werner, a retired New York City physical education teacher, who gave up one run in three innings in his club's 9-6 victory.
Rotter, a former special ed teacher, was the losing pitcher after allowing nine runs in six innings.
Werner drew a walk in his only at-bat against Rotter, and Rotter singled the only time he batted against Werner. Both were replaced on the basepaths by pinch runners.
The minimum age requirement to play in the senior softball association is 68. Innings are suspended when a team scores five times, and games last only seven innings.
League commissioner Joe Friedman, 71, of Oceanside, who plays for the Dodgers, said safety is a priority for the league. "If people don't feel physically fit, we ask them to get a doctor's note," he said.
Werner's daughter, Ellice Bekier, 59, of Valley Stream, said she only worries about her dad on hot, humid summer days. She watched Wednesday's game with evident pride.
"He's a kid at heart," she said of Werner. "How many people even have their fathers at 93?
"Werner's and Rotter's longevity amazes their teammates. Rotter pitched both ends of a doubleheader last week, said Dodgers manager Harry Schwarzkopf of Woodmere.
"He also pitches fast-pitch on Sunday," said Schwarzkopf, 76.
Dr. Craig Levitz, director of sports medicine at South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside, said most of his patients are seniors. With minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery, older athletes can stay on the playing field longer, Levitz said.
"One reason they're living longer is they're more active," he said. "The reason they're playing at that age is that they've been playing for 20 years" or more.
The Dodgers and Mets Wednesday looked as if they could keep playing for another 20 years.
"You don't get old from playing softball," said Dodgers player Arnie Raichek, 75, of Oceanside. "You get old from not playing softball."
Whether or not you are a sports fan is immaterial when it comes to a story like this. 96-year-old Mickey and 86-year-old Paul ought to serve as reminders of the great things our more "seasoned" folks can accomplish.
Certainly, some enjoy better health in old age than others. The ravages of time will eventually wear down even the most physically fit (see Ecclesiastes 12:1-8) - even fellows such as the incomparable Jack Lalane!
"The silver-haired head is a crown of glory, if it is found in the way of righteousness."
Proverbs 16:31, NKJV
"The glory of young men is their strength, but the splendor of old men is their gray hair."
Proverbs 20:29, ESV
