COMMUNITY EXPOSURE FOR SILVER LEAGUE

Sept. 1, 2009 – Ho Hoffman Buckeye Classic

BARBERTON, Ohio - The local Silver League senior softball program made the television screen this past summer. In a feature on the 80 year-olds playing in the local league WKYC (Cleveland NBC affiliate) TV's Lynn Olzowy spent a morning at the Barberton complex preparing a story for the evening news.

Olzowy's well-documented and produced piece centered mainly on 82-year-old Al Manzella, John Krochka, (who wears his age on his back, number 86) as well as league founder 85 year-old Mike Staschak.

Following are exerpts from Olzowy's feature.

“In the Silver Softball League there is no age limit when it comes to wanting to win. “The competition is still there,’ says 82 year-old Al Manzella. ”Guys still want to win.” Manzella plays second base in the 68-and-over division of the Barberton Silver League, a softball league with nearly 500 players ranging in age from 45 to 86. The League was founded in 1986 by Mike Staschak.“I just felt we had men that wanted to play ball and stay active,”’ Staschak says.

At 85, Staschak is one of 29 octogenarians playing in the League That includes John Krochka, who wears his age as his number, 86, and credits the league with helping him stay in good health.

“This keeps me going,” he said, after a recent victory in which he played catcher and had a hit. “The enthusiasm the men have, you can feel it.” Staschak says, “They feel like they're 14, 15 years old. They don't know how old they are until they try to run. Sometimes, it's a little hard.”

Win or lose, the men keep true to post game ritual:‘Everyone shakes hands and then we go and eat, Manzella said.

If you would like to see the complete video, go to silverleaguesoftball.com.