Celebrating 40 seasons

The Oasis Adult Softball Association had an extra celebration during its end-of-season tournament last Friday.

The long-running team Eileen’s celebrated the end of its 40th season last week and was recognized with a commemorative plaque. Mike Berney, the only remaining member of the original team, said it was cool to be celebrating so many years of playing ball.

He recalled it started as a group of high school friends pulling a team together to play softball — the team name came from Eileen’s Boutique, a shop owned by one of the player’s grandmother who donated some money for them to start up. Over time players cycled through the team, but it was always a group of friends having fun.

“It’s pretty cool to come out here and play with all these guys,” Berney said. “When we first started, it was just all a bunch of friends who were in high school together … It’s a great group of guys and we made a lot of friends.”

He recalled they have made long-time friends with people they played with and against, and are now forging friendships with the children of those players. Larry White, the team’s manager and 25-year veteran of the team, said it was fun to now be playing against the kids of some of their original teammates and opponents.

White also noted some of the players were children when the team was founded. While Berney and White both noted getting older changes how they play, neither had any intention of leaving the team any time soon.

“My wife got me a plaque a few years ago that said ‘you don’t quit playing when you get old, you get old when you quit playing,’” White said. “That fits this group.”

Berney added he hopes there are many more years the team can play together.

“We’ll go as long as people are silly enough to come play with us,” he said.

White said they would love to see more younger people entering the league and playing softball. He noted the only way the league will continue is with younger players joining. The Oasis Adult Softball Association plays from May to the end of July and has coed as well as all-men’s teams.