Glenbrooke News

Photo courtesy of the Sacramento Buds; Kneeling, left to right, Stan Chan, Cal Okamoto, Russ Uda, Mike Jordan, Don Nakao, Bob Riola and Dan Severson. Standing, left to right, Bob Nishimoto, Tom Nakamura, John Dearing, Bill McMahon, Jim Luttrell, AJ Petruzzi, Frank Newcross, Ted LaTona and John Yoshikawa.

It was inspirational to read of a senior softball team winning a divisional championship, but when our neighbor is on the team, it is really special. The original article appeared in the Pocket News and is reprinted below with permission from the publisher.

Glenbrooke homeowner, AJ Petruzzi, age 61, helped his team win the 2010 AA Softball division title at the Las Vegas Masters Tournament. AJ said, “I'm 61, feel like 40, except after tournaments, then I can feel like 90 because of the workout I get.”

For the last six years, AJ has been switching back and forth from the Sacramento Buds (where he has won 1 championship ring) and the Sacramento Islanders (where he has won 4 rings).

AJ is quick and a skilled centerfielder. Although he is 61 he is one of the youngsters on the team of 60 –66 year olds. Plying on the team takes commitment. Practice varies; last year playing ball on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, in leagues, is where most of the tournament practice takes place. Then the team practices on Wednesdays and plays tournaments twice a month, usually Saturday and Sunday. However, big tournaments can run Friday through Monday.

The best part of being on the team is the friendship. They really care about each other and according to AJ; they never have a harsh word between them. He cites a recent example of their closeness. When their coach was diagnosed with cancer before the Las Vegas Division Championships, he under went Chemotherapy and lost his hair. The team shaved their heads so he wouldn't feel out of place. The coach did well and motivated the team to the win the Winter World Championship –and AJ’s 5^th ring.

AJ says his goal is to be the oldest living softball player in America. After that is accomplish then he wants to be the oldest player in the world! Many of you know AJ as a Sommelier who has brought wine tasting to Glenbrooke events (he works at a local vineyard). “The guys tell me that with the amount of wine that I drink before, during and after the games that my "medicine” I should be able to accomplish that goal” he joked.

Sacramento Buds win AA division softball title in Las Vegas

Pocket News writer Benn Hoddapp  benn@valcomnews.com

For the many of us who figured that our athletic glory days were behind us when we graduated from high school, the Land Park-based Sacramento Buds softball team might just be the inspiration we need to go pick up that old glove rotting in the closet.

The group of 18 men, ages 60 to 66, took home the AA division title at the Las Vegas Masters Tournament during Labor Day weekend.  The double elimination tournament consisted of approximately 60 teams from all over the country. In the AA division alone there were teams from southern California, Arizona and Florida as well as host state Nevada.

The Buds ended up playing six games over the three-day span, winning all of them. In the final they went up against the hometown team from Las Vegas and obliterated them by a score of 23-11.

Buds manager Russ Uda talked a bit about how this team came together. “A lot of us have been playing softball together for 30 years,” Uda said. Most of the players know each other through work and school associations, he added. Uda became the player/manager five years ago when the Buds were a 55-and-over team. While many of the players on the Buds’ roster have played together for 30 years, the actual Buds team formed five years ago.   Pitcher/outfielder Don Nakao is one of those players from 30 years ago.  “We played against each other a lot and years later we formed a team and started playing in tournaments,” said Nakao.

Nakao grew up in Watsonville and his time was often taken up by helping his parents on their farm. He didn’t get a chance to play sports as a kid, so he jumped at the first chance he saw to play softball. He started playing with a Caltrans work team when he moved to Sacramento at age 21. Forty-five years later and it’s clear that 66-year-old’s enjoyment of the game has not dissipated. As far as the Buds are concerned, Nakao said that the reason for the team’s success is simple: the players genuinely like each other. “There’s no pressure on anyone,” he said. “Everyone does their best and afterwards we all hang out.”

The Buds’ season is over now, but Nakao said that come March it will be time to start tossing the ball around and getting ready to play.

There are several slow pitch softball organizations for seniors in the Sacramento area.

The Northern California Senior Softball Association (NCSSA) is one such organization. Details can be found on its website at www.ncssa.info;

information on the Golden Seniors Softball Club of Sacramento (GSSCS) can be found at www.gsscs.org

Roseville residents have a league called the South Placer Seniors Softball Club (SPSSC) and more information can be found at www.spssc.org.

The leagues run during the warm weather months and some have teams for people all the way into their eighties.  For people looking to stay active in their retirement years, Nakao said that senior softball is a great way to do it.