For the love of the game: St. Albert seniors keep active in 70-plus slo pitch league
A slo pitch league in St. Albert is helping seniors stay active and have fun on the field.
The St. Albert Men's Slo Pitch Association, with 1,100 members, has a team for any age group, including open pools, 40-plus, 50-plus, 60-plus, and 70-plus divisions.
Malcolm Parker, a pitcher and coach for the Esso Bees, has grown up playing in the league.
"I've been in the league since '82, until now," Parker told CTV News Edmonton. "So a lot of time."
"When you ask me my age, I'm not telling ya," he added with a laugh.
Esso originally sponsored the team in 1984 — hence the name. Parker said the play on words was too good to give up.
"Esso Bees, you can read into what I'm trying to say with that without me trying to say it," he said.
Playing in the 70-plus division, most players are not strangers to the diamond, but experience doesn't always mean success.
The team's last win was in August 2018.
Parker is quick to point out that there was no season in 2020 due to the pandemic and an abbreviated one the next summer.
"We can't stretch it (the streak) to four," said Ryan Markowski, 68, Esso Bees left field.
Winning is not the team's priority, Parker says.
"We're all competitive to a point that we do want to win, but the main thing for us is the friendships that we have and how we get along and the fun we have doing it," he said.
"It's no point getting upset about," Markowski added. "Not like any of us are going to the majors or anything."
Al Weinger, who has played ball for 50 years, said it's more about the exercise and the friendships.
"I love the game," Weinger said. "We go out and have fun. That's what we do. If we lose, we lose. If we win, fantastic, but it's the game. We play to get out and get some exercise."
Parker is optimistic the team will shatter their losing streak in the coming season.
"It's just a matter of when," he said. "And when we do, we'll call you."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.