Like most American boys, Bob Pitney played a lot of baseball growing up, even earning a spot on legendary Pitt coach Bobby Lewis' roster in 1961.

“I soon realized that I wasn't going to take (Bill) Mazeroski's spot (with the Pirates),” said Pitney, 70, of Murrysville. “My grades were (also) in need of some help ... so I quit after one year.”

Pitney became a veterinarian and wouldn't play baseball competitively for nearly another 50 years, when he found out about a local league tailored specifically for older players.

The Latrobe Derry Old-Timers' 55-and-older senior baseball league began play in 2008, when older players from the over-40 league decided it might be more competitive to play with people their own age.

“We realized as we approached 55 and 60 and some even a little older that we couldn't play with these guys in their 40s,” said league founder Gib Stemmler, who also created the over-40 league in 2000. “But we still wanted to play because we enjoyed it so much after being away from baseball for so long.”

Many of the members of the senior league hadn't played baseball competitively for decades until recently. Some played in the over-40 league, while others, like Pitney, didn't find out about the league until later.

Stemmler said the league has grown from two teams in its first season to four this year, with players coming from as far away as Greene County.

“I could see this growing each year by one or two teams as the word spreads,” he said.

The league makes some adjustments for its over-55 crowd, which includes several players in their 70s and another who's 81. Players bat oldest to youngest, pitchers' innings and runners' base advances are limited and catchers can use a seat if they need to.

But it's still baseball, and everyone can still play.

“I'm always impressed at some of the things guys can do,” said Jerry Sopko, 63, of Penn Township, who manages and plays in the league. “Some of what the pitchers can do is pretty amazing. (Hitters) still have that eye for the ball and can hit.”

Sponsors for the league include Latrobe Legion, McCabe Funeral Home in Derry, Hartman-Graziano Funeral Home in Latrobe and Westmoreland County Coroner Ken Bacha — providing a source of amusement for the players.

“We kind of think there might be a little conspiracy going on here for business or something,” said Bill Bush, 62, of Saltsburg. “But to a man, we all look at each other and say, ‘If we fall over of a heart attack here doing this, we'll die happy.' ”

That all comes from a love of the game. Bush said all the players have tried softball at one point or another over the years, but it just wasn't the same.

“Baseball gets in your blood and becomes a spiritual thing,” he said.

The league prides itself on being a “gentleman's league.” A committee divides players into teams of equal skill level to keep the games competitive, and while the players say they still want to win, they enjoy playing the game even more.

Players said they're in the league for the love of the game and for the camaraderie they experience playing it.

“We're not the fastest, (and) we can't throw as hard as we did or anything like that,” said Ray Lininger, 72, of Latrobe, who plays in the league with two of his brothers. “But we still enjoy playing.”

Doug Gulasy is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at dgulasy@tribweb.com.

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