Those old-timers
still got it!

By Melissa Yerkov
Times Sports Editor

They’re competitive.
They’re talented.
And they’re proving that age is nothing but a number.
Meet the guys of "Looking Good," a 50-and-older softball squad that competes in Northeast Philadelphia. The 15 oldies but goodies on the team’s roster gather twice a week to compete with seven other teams in the Not Quite Over the Hill League.
"It’s a fun league," said coach Jerry Bevenour. "We really enjoy playing together. All the teams get along beautifully."
Other teams in the arc-softball league include the Right Stuff, Dinosaurs, Morrell, Whiz Kids, City Line, Dawgs and the Stingers. Some of the teams hail from Bucks County and New Jersey, but most call Northeast Philly home.
For example, the Looking Good crew — who range in age from 50 to 70 — play their games at the Mitchell Playground, at the intersection of Morrell and East Crown avenues.
The team got its start in 1992, becoming one of the first squads to take part in the Not Quite Over the Hill League. The squad originally played at the Naval Depot in Lawndale, then relocated to Northeast High School for a short time before finding its permanent home at the Mitchell Playground in 1997.
"It’s a pleasure to be in Philadelphia, in my opinion," said Bevenour, a resident all his life. "I just love this city."
Bevenour, a Roman Catholic High School graduate, has been a regular on the diamond for more than five decades. In the 1960s he played for the Red Roosters squad at the Jardel Playground, at Cottman and Whitaker avenues, and then moved on to Looking Good.
"We played there for many years, then when we became too old to play there and compete, we generated an over-fifty team," Bevenour explained. "I’m a stayer. Once you got me, I’ll milk you dry," he added with a laugh.
Over the years, Looking Good has specialized in fun competition. The team won titles in 1998 and 2000.
"We’ve progressed and rotated and we’ve come a long way," said Bevenour, one of the founding fathers of Looking Good. "But winning the league in 1998 is something that will always be instilled in my mind. It was incredible."
Thus far this season, Looking Good stands at a respectable .500. The softball squad defeated the league’s first-place team, Right Stuff, by a 17-4 score on June 26, raising their record to 6-6. They were scheduled to play their final regular-season game on July 1, after the Times had gone to press.
"The team is great," said rookie Al Marone, a Northeast resident and 1974 Father Judge grad. "We’re playing really well together, but the guys are the best part."
Arc softball is similar to regulation softball, but with a few adjustments. The ball is pitched at an arc that must be between 6 and 12 feet high; if it isn’t, the pitch is declared a ball. If a batter has two strikes and hits a foul, that’s considered strike three and the batter is out.
Bunts and base-stealing aren’t allowed. There also are two home plates and two first-base bags, laid out side by side. One set is for the runner; the other is for the player on defense. It’s intended to avoid contact and injuries from collisions between players.
The games last seven innings, but neither team is allowed to score more than five runs per inning for the first six, in an effort to keep the games competitive and close. When the seventh inning rolls around, both teams are free to score as many runs as they can get across home plate.
"We all really love the game," said Alex Page, one of Looking Good’s top hitters. "It’s about playing softball and getting out and participating. It’s better than being a couch potato. It’s good as you get older to keep active, and we all really enjoy ourselves out here."
Page joined the team five years ago, after hearing about it from a friend. He has always been a baseball fan, having played with a Lawncrest Recreation Center team for "many, many, many years," he explained.
Looking Good was a perfect opportunity to stay in the game. When he’s not on the field, Page has spent his time working as a state employee for the past 15 years.
While all the players who aren’t quite over the hill share a mutual love for America’s Pastime, they have a variety of day jobs.
"We have lawyers, doctors, teachers — a little bit of everything. But most of the ballplayers here are frustrated athletes," said Bevenour with a laugh. "It can be tough when you can’t run and swing a bat like you used to. We still have muscles, and we still pull them."
However, judging from their speedy doubleplays, their ability to chase foul balls and their competitive spirit, the guys of Looking Good still have plenty of spunk.
"We’re pretty competitive," said Bevenour. "We love to win. We enjoy each other’s company and we love the game. We have one of the best teams as far as camaraderie goes. Win or lose, we still enjoy ourselves."
Bevenour switched gears to coaching a few years ago. But he still plays first base on an over-60 squad, the Arnos, which plays weekday mornings at Holme Avenue and Willits Road.
"You tend to lose a little bit in the field once you hit sixty, which is why I play in a sixty-and-over league," he said. "I play here (with Looking Good) if we don’t have enough players, but I embarrass myself," he said, laughing. "I’m still pretty good, but this might be my last year."
After a lifetime on baseball fields, Bevenour — who worked in the brokerage business for 41 years before retiring in 2002 — has decided the time has come to pack away his bat and glove and give up the game.
"From day one, when you’re an athlete, you try to be competitive but you have to know when it’s time to hang them up," he said. "The only thing that’s kept me going this long is the people around me. I hate to leave them all. But my legs aren’t what they used to be. I can’t run.
"So I’m going to give it up and hope there’s something else I can find to do. I have to do something, I just don’t know what yet," he explained. "If you think about getting old, it’s scary. But if you stay busy and just enjoy it, it’s a beautiful thing." ••
Sports editor Melissa Yerkov can be reached at 215-354-3035 or myerkov@phillynews.com