Fast Pitch, Big Plays

As former athletes ripen with age, they still need an outlet to feed their competitive juices.  It's no different for Springfield's own Bart Fraenkel.

Fraenkel, 57, Springfield's former mayor—and current deputy mayor—has found his vehicle, in the form of an adult modified fast-pitch softball league ["This is how I can stay calm everywhere else," he quipped]. As the league's president of the past 10 seasons and the player-coach of his team, Fraenkel said what really makes the 50-year league special is how it's adapted over the years.

The league is now a combination of three Springfield teams—after paring down from six teams in 2009 to only three this summer—and nine teams from Fanwood. Adaptation has been the key to keeping the longtime league alive but at the same time Fraenkel and Tommy Smith, the Fanwood league's commissioner, had to make sure league costs remained reasonable.

And that's where the sponsors come in. "We worked it out that Springfield only pays for its three teams, while Fanwood pays for its nine," said Fraenkel. "We get sponsors every year to take care of the $525 fee and that takes care of the balls, umpires, and whatever else we need. All the town does is chip in with any extra fees."

Fraenkel then proudly plugged his sponsor of six years, Antonelli Chiropractic on Morris Ave in Union, and said it's been a great marriage. "He's been the sponsor for us for about five or six years. And we've done good by him, too, as we've won a couple of championships during that time," he said.

Smith said fees for the Fanwood teams are about "$750 for the entire season but it covers everything." He added the merge made too much sense not to do. "It turned out to be the perfect relationship, like chocolate and peanut butter," Smith retorted. "We had teams but no field to play on, while Springfield was down to three teams but had the field, so it made sense to join forces and play a 12-team league."

He added that like Springfield, most Fanwood teams collect money from sponsors, while others have men on the team who are self-employed and will put up their own money. However it's done, both sides are just happy to be playing.

Currently, Fraenkel's team stands at 5-9, as it nears the end of its 16-game schedule, but there's been more to this summer league than just wins and losses. The camaraderie and bi-nightly happenings are what really make the guys appreciate this league.

Players have come and gone, careers have curtailed guys' outings, and many more have started families and gravitated away from the diamond, so these times are special to the participants. "I've been doing it a long time," said Smith, who plays for Fanwood's Poplar team. "But I've been lucky enough to stick around long enough that I now get to play with my two sons."

It means a lot to Fraenkel, too, and not just because he's still able to get down in his customary catcher's stance and still have the hand-eye coordination to keep up with the fast pitches.

He's also thankful because his wife of 34 years has no problem with his little nightly getaways. "I've got a wonderful wife, Lisa," Fraenkel gushed. "I can't say anything other than that. Who else would let me be out here so often?" Fraenkel, who's been playing for over 25 years, may be the exception to the rule of this league because some guys aren't as lucky to have free time or an understanding wife to let a grown man still play a kid's game.

"What happens is that when you get to a certain age, guys start getting married and start having kids," he reasoned."When the kids are born, you can still find time here and there, but when they get older you want to coach them, so that's how we lose them."

Such situations allow the league to enforce loose regulations when it comes to rosters, meaning almost anybody can fill in. As the game's 8:30 p.m. starting time neared, Fraenkel could be seen anxiously watching the entrance, hoping late arrivals get to the field on time. He was practically going around asking anyone if they could play, just in case; even going as far as asking a certain scribe if he played. Alas, his team had enough players to field and the game went on as scheduled.

"We always run short because it's harder and harder to make time to play," he said. "Plus, with the economy, everyone is taking a hit. Some people have two jobs, so it's tough to play a full roster."

Luckily for Fraenkel he had enough players, including former Dayton High baseball star Sammy Dushkin. The Fraenkel and Dushkin families used to neighbor each other and are still quite close. A reliable left fielder on Dayton's 2010 conference championship team, Dushkin filled in admirably, including a couple of hits, an RBI, and a great catch in right- centerfield. Dushkin, who's soon headed off to Rutgers, took time to talk JDHS baseball.

He assured that the "team's still in great hands," noting that revered head coach Mike Abbate will have his young talent pick up the slack for lost senior leadership. Fraenkel's leadership was on full display as he tried to coax his starting pitcher, 40- year softball veteran Leon Valentine, into a win. Alas, Antonelli Chiropractor ended up on the wrong side of the scoreboard but the opportunity to play nightly is what's really important.

Sure, the ultra-competitive Fraenkel still wants to win every game ["I don't like to play and to not have the ability to win," he said] but he can still cherish the fact he's still playing on the diamond. A star high school pitcher in Pennsylvania during the late 1960's-early 70's, who was on the fast track to a college scholarship, Fraenkel wound up blowing out his arm during his senior season, effectively ending his baseball career. With no scholarships being offered, he ended up at American University in the Washington, D.C. area.

Although he no longer had baseball, he found something far more valuable, his future wife. "I ended up meeting my wife there, so all good things happen for a reason," he beamed. "There's kismet." What also seems like good fate is the fact that the Springfield-Fanwood league keeps going along, taking men like Fraenkel and Smith on a joyous ride back to their youths.