Team’s talent knows no (age) limits

Published 9:13 pm Saturday, September 5, 2009

The Joseph Chevrolet All-Stars have all but run out of competition.

The senior softball team, based out of Cincinnati, plays in the 75-Major Plus age division and is in Dalton this weekend for the Softball Players Association’s 2009 national championships at Heritage Point. This is the third consecutive year the park has hosted the tournament.

The problem for Team Chevrolet is it has been so good for so long, it’s run out of competition — it was the only team among 35 competing this weekend in its age division. In order to play, Team Chevrolet took on the task of playing against the 70-plus major age group.

But with nine National Senior Softball Hall of Famers on the squad, the challenge actually lies in the hands of its opponents.

Team Chevrolet has already eliminated a highly-rated team from Texas and, after beating Ed’s Aluminum All-Stars from Pensacola 25-10 in a five-inning mercy rule victory Saturday, it has advanced to today’s final rounds of the double-elimination event.

Jack Hatter manages Team Chevrolet and has been involved in senior softball since retiring at 56.

“Someone told me I should sign up and I just pictured a bunch of old people making fools of themselves on a softball field,” said Hatter, who is 79 and still plays tennis three times a week. “Twenty-three years later, I’m still doing it. I’ve traveled all over this great country and I even went to Australia for 18 days playing in tournaments like this.”

Hatter estimates his teams play in more than 200 games a year including local leagues, and participate in more than 50 travel tournaments. Team Chevrolet has a 20-man roster with an average age of 77, Hatter said.

Though Hatter’s team sponsor is based out of Cincinnati, he is allowed to recruit any players east of the Mississippi River because of the limited number of players in the 75-major plus division from the East Coast.

“All the teams are out west,” Hatter said. “We’re going to travel to Phoenix next month to play a lot of those teams in a tournament.”

One of Hatter’s players, Ray Bosetti, is a former baseball coach of 37 years for his alma mater of Moon High School in Township, Penn. He joined the team a year ago and says he loves meeting different people while traveling.

He uses the trips to sharpen his pickup lines.

“I’m single … and have a lot of money,” said the 75-year-old Bosetti.

However, a lot of his teammates bring wives along. SPA director Ridge Hooks, who helped bring the tournament to Dalton, said there are also activities planned for the wives, including a luncheon Thursday where prizes were given and more than 100 ladies attended.

“Dalton really takes this tournament to another level,” said Hooks. “The players and wives love coming here because everyone here is so embracing of the SPA community.”

Mary Ann Schmidt, 75, is the wife of Team Chevrolet player Don Schmidt, 78. Mary Ann said the couple, who are from Akron, Ohio, uses softball and other activities to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

“My husband has had triple bypass surgery, knee replacement surgery and rotator cuff surgery and he keeps bouncing back,” said Schmidt who serves as scorekeeper for Team Chevrolet. “He plays on two local teams and a travel team and we also play golf and go to the gym in the wintertime to keep active at our age.”

The SPA tournaments will run the next two weekends through Sept. 22, with a new round of tournaments each weekend.

Hooks said more than 130 teams will compete at Heritage Point Park, with the age groups ranging from 55-75. The event will also return to Dalton next year.