John’s spring season teammates. For those who wonder if ladies play softball, please note there are four ladies on this team; add one more that was missing on photo day. Photo by Pat Tiefenbach.
John’s smile shows his love of the game; photo by Cathy Purcell
Carol Chiarello and Pat Tiefenbach
The SaddleBrooke Senior Softball Association (SSSA) recently ended its eight week spring season. This article usually details the records of the teams and who became the champs, but this time things are a little different.
A guy named John Vosper plays softball, and he is 85 years young; he will turn 86 in January. He is the oldest softball player in our leagues. He’s been playing ball for 75 years, since he was 11 years old growing up in Seattle. He’s a pitcher that specializes in the drop ball, very hard to hit. When John moved to SaddleBrooke he played on teams in downtown Tucson and also went to the Senior Olympics. In 2005 when we decided to build our own ball field, John donated a large sum to get the project going.
If you have ever played ball but have never been to our softball complex, please find some time to check it out. You can get details on our daily schedule at saddlebrookesoftball.com. Games start at 8:00 a.m. most days, and our players play year round.
Spring season results:
Monday Recreation League-Managed by Janice Mihora, SaddleBrooke HOA One came out on top with 5 wins and 3 losses. John Vosper was the pitcher for this team. Coming in second place was Off the Wall Furniture Solutions, led by Pat Brennan with 3 wins and 5 losses. Only nine runs separated these teams, and the second place team actually scored more total runs on the season.
Monday Community League-Stone Canyon Painting, with skipper Bobby Carbone finished first in a tight race with 7 wins and 4 losses. Close second went to Orbitel Communications, with Ron Quarantino in charge and finishing with 6 wins, 5 losses. SaddleBrooke Remodeling came in third with 3 wins, 7 losses. Jack Graef made those lineups.
Tuesday Competitive League-Ron Quarantino managed winner Patrick Shaffer, DDS, to a solid 6 wins, 2 losses season. They scored 183 runs in eight games, the most of any team this season. Rick Keagy was in charge of second place Sheftel Associates Dermatology. They finished with 2 wins and 6 losses.
Tuesday Community League-Shelves That Slide, with captain Debbie Seguin came out on top with 5 wins and 3 losses. Players Pub, with manager Terry Mihora came in second with 3 wins and 5 losses.
Thursday Coyote League-The Shifren Physical Therapy team, led by Mike Hamm dominated this league finishing with 6 wins and only 2 losses. Coming in second was Pride Mechanical with Ron Quarantino writing line-ups. They ended with 2 wins and 6 losses; run differential was 40 in 8 games.
Friday Community League-Jim Dunlap was in charge of league winner Robson Communities Inc, with a record of 5 wins and 3 losses. Paul Zalewski managed second place Stifel to a record of 3 wins and 5 losses. This was closer than it appears as only four total runs separated these teams.
Friday Competitive League-It was a tie! Competitors Stu Kraft and Charlie LaNeve managed Ray Szpakowski, CPA and Splendido at Rancho Vistoso to matching totals of 4 wins, 4 losses. Only six runs separated these teams, so I guess this talent pool was very evenly matched. Over 350 runs were scored by these sluggers.
Ah, the joy of softball. You win some with great offense and defense, and you lose some in a frustrating manner. Drop in during summer season and see the magic happen. And one more thing, John Vosper’s mom lived to be 97. With those genes it’s easy to believe and hope that we will be watching John on the mound for years to come. SaddleBrooke softball—it’s more than a game.
Questions about softball? Contact Stu Kraft: [email protected].