WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — One of the largest senior baseball organizations stopped in West Palm Beach for the weekend, holding its annual fall tournament.
Chances are if someone told you that men ages 18 to 65 can win a national championship by playing baseball, you might think they’re lying.
Well, it's all thanks to the Men's Senior Baseball League, which arrived here in Palm Beach County for one of the biggest tournaments for seniors in the country.
The league was started in 1986 by a group of men from Long Island, New York.
"It was just a group of Little League fathers wanting to get back to baseball. We formed some teams, and it was such a novelty it quickly caught on," Gary D'ambrisi, the MSBL Fall Classic tournament director, said.
The organization now has chapters in every state and offers teams for men ages 18 through 65.
The MSBL arrived in West Palm Beach for one of its biggest events, the Fall Classic.
"Tournaments like this are baseball players Disneyland," D'ambrisi said.
The Fall Classic winners get a championship ring and gear.
With so much at stake, it's no surprise that teams travel from all 50 states to participate.
"I played Indy professional baseball for a couple of different teams, but I really wanted to continue playing the game," Steve Simmons, a Detroit MSBL member, said.
He recently retired from baseball and began working as a health care professional, but he wanted to stay around the game.
"We all kind of have an opportunity to step away from our daily lives and enjoy kind of letting go and also chilling with our families," said Simmons.
Speaking of family, that's exactly what this league has been like for John Alutto for the past 25 years.
"I started playing in 1999, and I have to tell you, my baseball friends are my life," Alutto said.
He plays for Long Island in the 65 and up division and remembers being a newcomer to the league and how his team gathered around him.
"We're there for each other; my mother dies [and] 75 baseball players are at the wake. It's a band of brothers," Alutto said. "You have to be a baseball player to understand."
While many of the tournament's players are well past their physical prime, being on the diamond gives them a final jolt.
"I originally thought about it when I was 50 and playing this," Alutto said. "Oh, when I start playing at a lesser level, I'm not going to play. Yeah, right, these guys are my brothers."
If you would like to find out how you can play in a local MSBL chapter, call (631) 753-6725 or email info@msblnational.com.
