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BY NATE ULRICH
nate.ulrich@nwitimes.com
219.933.3374 | Friday, July 18, 2008 | (1 comment(s))
GARY | Manny Rosario mischievously worked the sound effects board at The Steel Yard as if he were a class clown pulling pranks on his buddies in high school.
Jerry Dobosz had the honor of becoming his first victim.
Dobosz raised his glove and positioned himself under a high fly ball in foul territory on the third-base side, but he couldn't make a routine catch. Shortly after the ball fell to the ground, Rosario, a 34-year-old E.C. Central graduate, played a loud, goofy laugh that echoed throughout the stadium as Dobosz shook his head.
Then in the midst of his own giggling fit, Rosario stuck his head outside a window in the press box and yelled, "I love you Jerry!"
Dobosz actually enjoyed being the target of Rosario's joke because his antics showed the true spirit of the Northwest Indiana National Adult Baseball Association.
"I like when they harass me," Dobosz said as he drank beer and watched the Orioles play the Dodgers in another NWINABA game following his Brewers' 14-11 win over the White Sox. "That's part of the fun. That's what we're here for. We're here to have a good time."
Rosario, NWINABA's assistant director, said the league started with just two teams but has evolved into the Region's largest adult baseball organization in its fifth season. NWINABA is a 28-and-older league that has 16 teams, all named after Major League Baseball clubs, and 257 players.
"I had friends that played in the league for a few years, and they brought me into it because I was interested," said Dobosz, 36, who is the Brewers manager and third baseman. "And it's just grown since then. It's a very successful league because there are a lot of old guys out there that want to relive their childhood. They want to come out here and play baseball whether it's win or lose."
NWINABA's growth and popularity has enabled it to do bigger and better things this season. In late June, the league held four regular-season games at The Steel Yard, and another three games are scheduled to be played Saturday JULY 19 at the home of the RailCats.
"This is like a kid on Christmas Eve waking up that next morning," Orioles manager and outfielder Kimie Stewart, a 33-year-old Roosevelt graduate, said of playing at The Steel Yard. "He couldn't sleep the night before, so he was ready to wake up and open that one present that he thinks he knows exactly what it is. I couldn't sleep at all last night. I was tossing and turning, tossing and turning."
Dobosz, a Gavit graduate who works for U.S. Steel, took advantage of his chance to play in a minor league ballpark by recruiting his fans to come watch. His parents, wife, daughter, grandmother and aunt came to watch he and his brother Mike, 31, play at The Steel Yard.
"I told everybody back in February, 'This is the one you need to get out to,'" Dobosz said. "Whether you need to get somebody to work for you or delay your vacation, this is the game you don't want to miss.' It's free to get in, so we told all our family and friends."
Jeovanny DeJesus, a Hammond graduate, has played in the NWINABA since its first season. During the past five years, he has become reacquainted with several men whom he grew up playing against in Little League. He has also seen the league develop into the NABA's largest 28-and-over, rookie league charter in the United States.
"It's getting bigger," said DeJesus, who plays pitcher and catcher for the Cubs. "Next year, we'll probably have 20 teams. It's been fun. It feels like I'm 13 years old again.
"Everybody wants to play because everybody wants to feel young again. Everybody is living their dream."
Dave DalCorobbo was also one of the original members of the NWINABA, and the 51-year-old Munster resident wants to feel young as much as anyone. DalCorobbo said he's one of four players in the NWINABA who are older than 50. The average age of the league's players is about 38, Rosario said.
"Yeah, I'm 51 years old, and I'm playing with these guys who are 30," said DalCorobbo, who played baseball for T.F. North. "I could be some of these guys' dad realistically. But I feel as long as I can do this and not hurt myself and not hurt the team in regards to being a burden to them, I'll continue doing it. It keeps me young."
DalCorobbo has shown he's more than capable as a first baseman for the Yankees. Last season, he hit .387, and he was selected to play in the league's All-Star game two years ago. But more importantly, DalCorobbo has helped his teammates find their version of the fountain of youth.
"If we win fine, but if we lose we'll have a few beers afterward and we'll be OK," said DalCorobbo, who is the general manager for a medical equipment company. "We're here to win, but we're also here to have fun. We're not 18- and 19-year-old kids anymore. We're out here to have a good time. I think a lot of us are just happy that we can play at our age and that we have a good, organized league."
Dog of the Week
Sophie (pictured) is a 4-year-old Staffordshire Terrier mix at the Humane Society Calumet Area in Munster. She has been a featured "Dog of the Week" before, and she desperately needs a home. As of June 1, she has officially been at the HSCA for a year. She is a great dog who often gets overlooked, as she usually lies in the back of her cage relaxing while other dogs are barking and distracting attention for her. All she wants is a happy family looking to add a faithful companion.
For more information on Sophie and the other dogs at the HSCA, visit www.hscalumet.org or e-mail info@hscalumet.org. You also can call (219) 922-3811.
The shelter is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11 a.m.-6:30 p.m., and Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. It is closed on Mondays.
For more animals in need, look for Pets of the Week in Your Saturday.
BACK ON THE BASES
Other adult baseball leagues in the Region
-- Crown Point Parks and Recreation
Roy Hobbs League (ages 19 to 32; four teams)
Over the Hill League (33 and over; eight teams)
Contact information: (219) 661-2271; jburgess@crownpoint.in.gov
-- Hoosier Baseball League (28 and over; 10 teams)
Contact information: (219) 455-3204; ralvalles13@aol.com.
-- Lansing Over 35 League (eight teams)
Contact information: pj@pros.com
-- The New 30s Hegewisch Baseball League (30 and over; six teams)
Contact information: (312) 320-0481
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just Me wrote on Jul 18, 2008 6:14 PM: