Weekday warriors take the field

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the sandlot field beside parking lot 8 at Eisenhower Park a ragtag group of smart alecks, a group of self-proclaimed “m-u-t-t-s,” convenes for two games of slow-pitch softball. They call themselves the Over the Hill Gang.

Their roster consists of more than 50 retired men, age 60 or older. They are divided into three groups, two of which are scheduled to play on a given day, but members of the third group are always welcome to participate in some capacity.

“We’re fortunate enough to have a group of guys that are very compatible, and we just enjoy each other,” said Gig Properzio, who has been the manager of the Over the Hill Gang for the past eight years.

The inherent self-deprecation in the name of the group hints at one of its distinguishing features, a penchant for witticisms, wisecracks and tomfoolery. After being hit by a blistering 15-mile-per-hour lob on the left knee, Bernard Schwartzberg feigned anguish with a groan. The pitcher yelled, “I’m taking you out, Bernie!” to which a defiant Schwartzberg chuckled and quipped, “That was my replacement knee.” A retired cosmetic store employee who now writes adventure novels, Schwartzberg proved one of the main tenants of the Over the Hill Gang: Getting the last laugh is as important as getting the most runs.

Frankie Dichiara is the Gang’s senior member. At 91, he has been playing with the group for 22 years. He explained that he joined after his wife died, when he was 70. These days Dichiara seems to thrive on the companionship of the Over the Hill Gang. Once a pitcher, he now plays a position known in lob softball as “right rover,” situated between the center and right fielders and the second baseman, roughly equidistant from each.

Like any great ball-playing organization, the Gang even draws players from Latin America. “Did they tell you they came to Havana to pick me up?” asked Marino Pelaez of North Merrick. As the cleanup hitter on the Blue team, the Cuban-born Pelaez is sort of like the Jose Canseco of the Over the Hill Gang. Then again, Pelaez emigrated from Cuba in 1956, before Fidel Castro took power — and eight years before Canseco was born — perhaps Canseco should be called the Marino Pelaez of Major League Baseball.