Winter Haven Senior Softball

Simple Man

We had a rock solid game, on Field C, between Teams 9 and 7. It was “Old Time Rock and Roll”. The way we were playing ball, we could ‘Rock and Roll All Night”.  With those songs in mind, this write up will center around the music of the 70’s. See if you can recognize the songs in this article and maybe sing a few verses from the songs.  Just don’t sing too loud, I don’t want you to annoy your neighbors, or hurt your dog’s ears.

Team 9, Visitors, “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”: Witmer, Gonzalez, Toro, Jacobson, Quinones, Brock, Pepin, Zelazny, Demmie, Constantine and Benson.

Team 7, Home, “Sultan’s Of Swing”: Ford, Stier, Doerbaum, DeRidder, Wiltshire, Alumbaugh, Burns, Gazarek, Matta, Thirey and Pinnick.

The Sultans of Swing lived up to their name. We had two 5 run innings, early in the game, in the first and third innings, to jump into the lead. We were “Reeling In The Years”, playing ball like young sluggers,  it left us with a “Sweet Emotion”, 

Ford, Stier, Doerbaum, DeRidder, Wiltshire, Alumbaugh and Burns all had big hits, we did our best to “Get It On, (Like Bang A Gong), Dave Dorbaum did his “Rocketman” impersonation and launched a HR into the palm trees, in left center.

Team, Heaven’s Door, must have thought, “What’s Going On”, They were on the “Long And Winding Road”, they were shut out in the first three innings, it would be a difficult task to climb back into the game, being down 10-0. They were on a “Bridge Over Troubled Water”,  But climb back they did; in the 4^th inning they hit the ball so hard they had smoke coming off it, you had to pour water on the ball to cool it off.  Even that did not help, they had “Smoke On The Water”, their hitting put them right back in it. Heaven’s Door wound up scoring 5 runs. Big hits came off the bats of Benson, Witmer, Gonzalez, Toro, Quinones and Zelazny.

The Sultans had no intention of singing “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”, we put our hands to the plow, we had a lead and wanted to keep it. We continued to give our opponents some “Hot Stuff”, by spraying the ball all over the field. The way we were rounding the bases, baby, “We Were Born To Run”,

Meanwhile, team Heaven’s Door developed a case of “The Rockin Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu, they had trouble scoring.  By the top of the 9^th inning the score was Heaven’s Door: 9- Sultans: 22.

In the 9^th inning Heaven’s Door shook off their case of pneumonia and caught “Saturday Night Fever”, their bats were burning up the field. They sang, “You A’int Seen Nothing Yet”, as they pounded the ball. It took them a while to really get into the game, but now they were “Taking Care Of Business”,  They had the Sultan’s tumbling, like “Tumbling Dice”, Heaven’s Door hit through their batting order and scored 9 runs, in the 9^th inning. With this big rally going on, you would think the Sultan’s would fold, like a cheap tent, instead we decided to follow the Eagles advice and “Take It Easy”,  We retired the last two batters that we faced and ended the game. It was The Sultan’s who climbed the “Stairway to Heaven”. We won the game by a score of 22-20.

WP: Pinnick, with relief help from Doerbaum.

Gold Record Performers For The Visitors:

Jacobson: 3/5.

Quinones: 3/5 with a double.

Benson: 3/5.

Gold Record Performers For The Home Team:

Ford: 3/5.

Stier: 5/5.

Doerbaum: 5/5 with a HR and a double.

Wiltshire: 4/5 with a double.

Alumbaugh: 4/5.

Burns: 4/5 with a double.

Gazarek: 3/5 with a double.

Matta: 3/5.

We all enjoy competing and playing softball, but after the games are over, winning and losing is not the most important thing. What’s important in life is love and faith.

Simple Man.

Mama told me when I was young
"Come sit beside me, my only son
And listen closely to what I say
And if you do this it'll help you some sunny day"

"Oh, take your time, don't live too fast
Troubles will come and they will pass
You'll find a woman and you'll find love
And don't forget, son, there is someone up above"

"And be a simple kind of man
Oh, be something you love and understand
Baby be a simple kind of man
Oh, won't you do this for me, son, if you can"

"Forget your lust for the rich man's gold
All that you need is in your soul
And you can do this, oh baby, if you try
All that I want for you, my son, is to be satisfied"

"And be a simple kind of man
Oh, be something you love and understand
Baby be a simple kind of man

Write up by Nick Matta