“Diamonds are a girl’s best friend,” according to Marilyn Monroe, who famously sang those words in the 1953 film “Gentlemen Prefer Blonds.”
And I agree. But I’m not talking about the kind of diamond you wear on third finger of your left hand.
I’m talking about the dusty kind, with three bases and a home plate.
A baseball diamond.
I was never much of an athlete as a girl – a little intramural field hockey in high school was as far as I ever ventured – but when I became the mom to a boy, things changed.
I learned to throw a passable football spiral. I also learned to dribble and shoot a basketball. I even figured out to throw a decent baseball pitch and catch one.
I also got the privilege of helping coach a little league baseball team.
I was what the head coach called his “bench coach.” My job was to make sure the boys – all under the age of nine those two seasons – didn’t squabble too much, stayed in (and knew) the batting order and didn’t hit anyone while warming up their bats. I had one young player who wouldn’t stay still. I put him to work collecting and organizing the bats after each hitter went to the plate. It worked like a charm.
I was also responsible for making sure our players – and especially our catchers – didn’t suffer from heat illnesses during some of the steamy summer night games. I carried lots of extra water and frozen towels in a cooler, and I’m proud to say nobody on any team could help a catcher get out of his heavy chest plate and helmet faster than I could.
Why am I sharing all this nostalgia this month? Because on a perfect summer evening, I’d give anything to be back on a bench shepherding a group of unruly boys through a little league game. Those were some of the best summer nights of my life.
It’s those memories that help me understand the draw of the diamond to the men, all over the age of 60, who play softball in the Western Mass Relics league. I attended a recent game, and what I saw in the play, and heard in the banter, was that same kind of yearning for something that you loved. The league gives these men a chance to recapture some of the memories of their youth, and play a game they once, and still, love.
Through the tireless work of one member of the Relics, some of these men will get to take their batting and base-playing skills to a new level this July, as Men’s Softball finds a place again among the competitions in the Massachusetts Senior Games.
I spoke with the player who made the pitch to bring softball back, and the games coordinator who helped make the play a home run for men’s softball leagues across the state.
You’ll find the story, and a bit about the Relics, too, in this month’s feature.
When the grandkids come to live with you
Sometimes, life throws families a curve ball, and grandparents have to become pinch hitter parents. Unfortunately, this trend seems to be increasing, fueled in part by the ongoing opioid crisis as well as alcohol and mental health concerns, according to Maureen Viturale, who has helped facilitate a Westfield-based support group for grandparents raising their grandchildren for the past 15 years. If you – or someone you know – is living this new normal, check out this month’s Three Big Questions column, where Viturale shares tips, advice and where to find resources and help making this new family arrangement work.
Whatever you do this month, I hope you make the most of your summer.
And as always, thanks for reading
Debbie Gardner
dgardner@thereminder.com
