Howie Heatherly took his regular place at third base last Sunday morning for the Bergen Yankees of the “League of Their Own,” a baseball league for players 40 years old and older. The temperature was rising with every pitch, rising into the 90 degree range, but the Union City native was still out there, handling the hot corner on a very hot day.
“One guy said that the heat was getting to him,” Heatherly said. “I said, ‘Well, wait until you get to be my age.’ He said that he wished he could be like me.”
That’s because Heatherly is clearly the eldest player in the league, a regular Satchel Paige of the Bergen County baseball set. Heatherly, a retired Jersey City police officer and now a teacher in the Jersey City school district, turned 63 years old on his last birthday.
“People always ask me how I’m able to keep going,” Heatherly said. “I’m able to hold my own. I’m in pretty good condition. Before a game, I stretch and pop about three Advil and I’m ready to go. Sometimes, it gets tough. Sometimes I need until Wednesday before I recuperate. My knees are starting to go a little bit, but I still get out there.”
Heatherly has been playing for one team or another in the Bergen County over-40 baseball leagues for 18 years.
“I used to play softball with the Jersey City Police Department team for about 25 years,” Heatherly said. “One guy asked me once if I wanted to play baseball. I hadn’t played baseball in such a long time, but I gave it a try and got hooked.”
To Heatherly’s credit, he’s always been an excellent athlete, going back to his days in high school and college. He was an All-Hudson County football player during his days at St. Michael’s of Union City in 1963 and when that school closed, Heatherly transferred to Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey and earned All-Bergen County honors, making All-County in two different counties, a definite rarity.
Heatherly then continued his athletic prowess to the college level at Jersey City State College (now known as New Jersey City University). Heatherly was JCSC’s Most Valuable Player in 1970 and earned All-New Jersey State College Athletic Conference honors twice. Heatherly was a key figure on the Gothic Knights’ best football season ever, in 1972, when they went 8-1 and tied Montclair State for the NJAC championship.
After spending 21 years as a police officer in Jersey City, Heatherly retired and became a teacher. He is now the crisis intervention teacher at Middle School P.S. 7 in Jersey City and also serves as an assistant softball coach at Snyder High School, working with veteran coach John Cossolini.
So Heatherly has lived a healthy and active life.
He’s able to play baseball every Sunday, even playing into the fall months.
“I really enjoy it,” Heatherly said. “It’s the real game, but it’s not really cutthroat. When players slide into second base, they don’t try to drive you into left field.”
Heatherly said that there are always new, younger players joining the league every year, but he keeps finding a team that needs a 63-year-old infielder.
“I hold my own,” said Heatherly, who has played shortstop, second base, first base and now third in the over-40 league that features 20 different teams. “We get new guys coming out all the time, but I’m still out there. There a couple of guys who kid me when they find out my age. My wife thinks I’m nuts, but I really enjoy it. The camaraderie is really great between the guys.”
Heatherly isn’t the lone senior citizen in the league.
“There’s one guy who is 60 and another who is 59,” Heatherly said. “So I don’t feel all alone.”
Heatherly played for a team a few years ago that went to the national Over-40 championships in Florida. He played on the same team with former New York Giant offensive lineman Doug Van Horn. In that tournament, Heatherly played against such former major leaguers as Bill “Spaceman” Lee, Rick Burleson and Ron LeFlore.
Heatherly said that he wants to continue playing baseball for as long as he is capable.
“I very rarely strike out,” Heatherly said. “I shorten my swing to make sure I make contact. I usually put the ball in play.”
Last Sunday, Heatherly had a sacrifice bunt that keyed a rally, but he also made the last out of the game when he grounded out to second base.
“I don’t want to be anywhere else on Sunday,” Heatherly said. “I’ll never complain about the heat. I’m just glad to be out there and playing every Sunday. I was walking off the field with a guy who’s close to me in age and asked him, ‘Are we crazy for doing this?’ He thought that maybe we were.”
Crazy about the national pastime, that’s for sure. We should all be so lucky to be playing baseball in our golden years…
This will conclude this summer’s Extra Innings features. As you meander around Hudson County, you will see goalposts being put in place on baseball fields, which means only one thing. Football season is rapidly approaching.
Thanks to all who contributed story ideas for Extra Innings this summer and we’ll look forward to doing more baseball and softball features come June 2010. – Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.