The play's the thing for beer leagues

Too bad they couldn't figure out the lineup for that night's game.

With players from three work details constantly shifting on and off the team, it's no surprise the Hose Monkeys had yet to win a game entering last week's tussle with the Cool Arrows.

Good thing the end result, a narrow 13-12 loss, was of no matter to them.

"This is a good stress release," said Hose Monkeys coach Jared Gonzalez, 27. "We have fun, we try to compete, but if we lose, at least we had fun."

That rare blend of competing and enjoying oneself simultaneously is what drives the interest in adult softball leagues. Tucson SportsPark, on Interstate 10's westbound frontage road just south of Ina Road in Marana, is an athletic haven where men and women can continue to play the games of their youth without needing to be very good at it.

"I think a lot of it is people wanting to get out, get some exercise and have a good time," said Dave Rauch, SportsPark's general manager.

Not that the participants aren't trying.

"You do run into some Uncle Ricos," said Gonzalez, referring to the character from the cult film "Napoleon Dynamite" who remains so stuck on his high-school playing days that he videotapes himself throwing footballs. "But most of our team has seen its time come, and knows it."

Six fields busy

From 6 to as late as 11 on some weeknights, and all day Sunday, droves of Tucsonans flock to SportsPark's six dusty fields ready to strut their stuff.

And though such leagues are often associated with pitchers of beer, it's more likely the competitors will be seen guzzling water and sports drinks. Besides, alcohol is not allowed in the dugouts or on the field, so when Tom Howard wants to sip a cold one he must scoot over to the stands and have his wife, Kathy, pour him a quick cup.

"It's doing something besides sitting on the couch," said Howard, 37, a member of the Sargent Control team whose attire includes a replica Damon Stoudamire UA basketball jersey. "We just come out here to have fun. I told my wife if I hadn't married her, I'd be out here five nights a week."

Some in uniform, some not

While most show up in clothes that might double as chores-around-the-house garb, others don tight-fitting baseball pants, batting gloves and sometimes even full-scale uniforms.

Vicholudos, which is in the same division as the Hose Monkeys — Men's E, the lowest level of play — sport slick black sleeveless jerseys with numbers and their first names on the back, along with a menacing logo of a musclebound man with wings holding both a bat and . . . a football.

"We were planning to play football also, but it didn't happen," said coach Arnold Castro, 22.

Vicholudos fell to 0-4 with a 17-16 loss to the Desert Dwellers. Even so, their fan club — mostly wives, girlfriends, younger siblings and children — cheered at every possible moment.

"We don't try to take it too seriously," Castro said. "We're all friends. We know each other from back in the day."

SportsPark's summer softball leagues last 10 weeks (the next season starts July 10), with the first week determining which classification each team will play in, followed by a week of playoffs. The overall talent, or lack thereof, can be seen in the fact that none of the clubs at SportsPark plays at the A, B or C levels.

Dad and son on team

Jack Gerrettie couldn't care less how good he or his team, Apache Dental, is. What means more to him is that this 49-year-old, who by day is postmaster of Sahuarita, gets a chance to play on the same team as his 22-year-old son, Tony.

"I used to have him tag around with me since before he could walk," said Gerrettie, who has played in adult leagues for 29 years. "For me it's a time to get together with some people I really like. We want to win, and we're as competitive as anyone, but if we lose 50-0, we're not going to go home crying."

The same goes for Wayne Randolph, though he might find some time before the next game to tweak his defensive alignment depending on what his scorebook shows him.

"He likes to see where the guys in the outfield make the errors, and he can adjust if he needs to," said Carolyn Kellam, whose role as church secretary at the Ina Road Church of Christ — where Randolph, 34, is the minister — includes keeping the book on the church's team.

"We're probably the only team here who keeps score," she said.

Rauch, a former adult league softball player, understands the lure of such leagues. His complex also offers volleyball, flag football, dodgeball, kickball and horseshoes, and soon could be adding wiffle ball.

"There are some teams in town that travel all the time to Phoenix for tournaments," Rauch said. "I'm all the more willing to get it going."

If you go

What: Adult sports leagues.

Where: Tucson SportsPark, 6901 N. Casa Grande Highway.

When: Weeknights beginning at 6; all day Sunday.

Cost: For softball, it's $250 per team and $15 per player. Other prices vary; check out the Web site listed below for more information.

Notable: SportsPark offers leagues in dodgeball, flag football, horseshoes, kickball, softball and volleyball.

For more information: Call 744-9496 or go online to www.playatsportspark.com.