LITTLE ROCK — It's the bottom of the eighth inning, score tied, two outs, bases loaded and Lavern Andrews steps up to the plate. With teammates shouting encouragement, her fingers fumble around the tiny beanbag. Eyes narrowing, she pauses, rears back and tosses the bag toward the board.
Miss. Two bags left. In the game of beanbag baseball, that's the equivalent of having two strikes left in traditional baseball.
Andrews is a member of the Hays Center Midlife Retreads and the team is facing the Jacksonville Jitterbugs at the Patrick Henry Hays Senior Citizens Center in North Little Rock. Both are in the eight-team Region 5 (five counties) Bean Bag Baseball League for senior citizens. Most teams, withthe majority of players in their 60s and 70s, practice every week; twice a month they travel to or host another senior-center team for a game.
Mark Oliver, senior-center program coordinator for CareLink, organized the league. "They get some physical benefits, but mostly it's recreational and social," he says. "They get out and go to other centers, so they get some in-state travel and a chance to socialize."
Andrews' teammates hold still in the three chairs that serve as bases so as to not distract her. The others on the bench chairs urge her on as she toes the line. Lavern pauses again and lets the next one fly. It sails throughthe lower middle hole for a triple.
The Retreads hoot and holler as they take the lead. Andrews, arms raised in triumph, rounds the "bases" and sits in the third one. The team scores two more before making its third out.
Here come the Jitterbugs. After leading for most of the game, they are down five runs. Those waiting their turn to toss cheer loudly for Cathy Clements as she shifts her feet until she gets them where she wants them behind the plate. Then her teammates go mostly silent.
As Clements studies the target, the Retreads' Mack Agnew pulls out a noisemaker to taunt her. She gives him a look. Agnew makes more noise, but stops as Clements starts her toss. She shuts him up for good with a home run after the bag goes through the center hole.
Everyone laughs and Agnew holds up his hand to offer her a high-five as she rounds the bases. There are no hard feelings. Clements knew Agnew was teasing.
The competitive spirit is feverish, but playful. Members from one team often compliment those from the opposing team for making good plays.
The Jitterbugs go on to score again, but lose the game by three points. Players of both teams get up to hug each other.
As she walks off, the Retreads' Dorothy Romes says, "We have a lot of fun. We can scream and holler and shout and we don't need a therapist."
Family, Pages 33, 38 on 06/18/2008