John’s smile shows his love of the game; photo by Cathy Purcell.
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.
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—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, 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 1 came out on top with five wins and three losses. John Vosper was the pitcher for this team. Coming in second place was Off the Wall Furniture Solutions, led by Pat Brennan, with three wins and five 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 seven wins and four losses. Close second went to Orbitel Communications with Ron Quarantino in charge, finishing with six wins, five losses. SaddleBrooke Remodeling came in third with three wins, seven losses. Jack Graef made those lineups.
Tuesday Competitive League – Ron Quarantino managed winner Patrick Shaffer, DDS, to a solid six wins, two 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 two wins and six losses.
Tuesday Community League – Shelves That Slide, with Captain Debbie Seguin, came out on top with five wins and three losses. Players Pub, with manager Terry Mihora, came in second with three wins and five5 losses.
Thursday Coyote League – The Shifren Physical Therapy team, led by Mike Hamm, dominated this league, finishing with six wins and only two losses. Coming in second was Pride Mechanical with Ron Quarantino writing line-ups. They ended with two wins and six losses; run differential was 40 in eight games.
Friday Community League – Jim Dunlap was in charge of league winner Robson Communities Inc., with a record of five wins and three losses. Paul Zalewski managed second place Stifel to a record of three wins and five 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 four wins, four 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 at [email protected].