SPORTS

The Boys of Summer!

SPECIAL TO THE HERALD
Posted 3/22/23

Some are snow birds playing softball all winter in Florida, some are working out at their local gym, some are taking batting practice indoors in Quonset, and most are sitting at home just waiting for …

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SPORTS

The Boys of Summer!

Posted

Some are snow birds playing softball all winter in Florida, some are working out at their local gym, some are taking batting practice indoors in Quonset, and most are sitting at home just waiting for the calendar to turn to May and the start of the 2023 RI Senior Softball League season. 

May 7 will mark the start of the 41st season of senior softball in Rhode Island. The RI Senior Softball League has operated continuously since the 1982 season when seven founders decided that they needed to play softball even though they were in their 50’s. Fast forward 41 years and one of the original founders is still playing in the league.

Joe Giordano played during the initial season and has played and managed in every one of the 41 seasons. Currently Joe is a player/manager of the Blue Cross team, which won the league and playoff championship in their division in 2022. On July 16 at Atwood Field in Cranston, Joe will be celebrating his 94th birthday.

Currently the league has 20 teams divided into three divisions defined by age limits. There are six teams operating in Division 1 which is a 50 year and older division. The division has 146 players where the median age is 58. 

Division 2 has four teams and is a 60 year and older division. There are 68 players in this division and the median age is 67. 

Finally, Division 3 has eight teams (145 players) and the minimum age of the division is 65. The median age of Division 3 is 72 with 43 players at least 75, 11 players at least 80, and then there is Joe Giordano at 94.

The league begins play this year on Sunday, May 7 and will continue through the playoffs which end Sunday, Sept. 17. Teams play doubleheaders every Sunday that begin at 9 a.m. The league uses 11 different fields throughout the state that include fields in: Barrington (Vets Field), Cranston (Atwood, Cooney, Western Hills), East Providence (Agawam-2), Johnston (Mazzulla, Woodlake), North Kingstown (Ryan), South Kingstown (West Kingston Field) and Woonsocket (Bouley).

The league has its own website that contains league news, team rosters, schedules and results/standings at www.leaguelineup.com/riseniorsoftball.

While many of the teams will have a complete roster at this time, there are still a few teams looking for additional players to fill out their roster. These teams are in Division 3 and are looking for players in the 65 and over age bracket. If you are 50 or over and interested in joining the RISSL go to the website at and complete a Player Inquiry Form. A member of the league’s Executive Board will contact teams looking for players and provide them with your contact information.

If you are looking for something interesting to do on a Sunday morning take in one of our games and see how the desire to compete and play the game love continues even in their senior years. You will marvel at the skills and competitiveness each player still possess. They are still the Boys of Summer!

boys, summer, baseball

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