Web page designed and maintained by Maurice Novelle.
© Copyright 2001 Maurice Novelle. All rights reserved.
Every Sunday, he arrives early at the ball field. He brings his folding chair along and places it behind the chain-link backstop. It's a long walk from the parking field so he sits down to take a breather and rests for a couple of minutes. Then he stands up, stretches out a bit, removes his glove from the duffel bag and says, "...grab a bat? I'll throw some warm up pitches" and takes to the pitching mound.
His body is no longer supple but that doesn't mean he lacks competitive fire. He recognizes his limitations and understands what he can and can't do. He says he had his share of surgical procedures too. "I had twelve operations and counting, but... still here! The doctors cut me open all over... everywhere in my body". He may not have the physical condition and stamina of his youth but he maintains a young mind and heart. His catalytic force is his desire to keep playing softball. For him, age, in its intrinsic sense, is only a mere yardstick that serves to measure our days here on earth, and as so, something we should cherish.
That's why Bernie still plays with a zest as passionate as when he was a kid, not because he is a war hero, but because... he's just one of the guys.
September 8, 2001.
Many players give up sports once they reach a certain age. They think they are too old to continue playing and consequently, they deprive themselves of potential years of enjoyment. Although age may be a factor to consider, physical and mental conditions are the real determinants whether someone can, or should, play a sport.
Proof of this is youthful Bernard Heller, 79, who pitched a complete seven-inning game on Sunday morning. Once the game concluded, rivulets of sweat were running down his face; he walked towards third base where I was standing, shook my hand, smiled and said, "good game kid." Softball keeps him going and helps him stay young.
His last name is homologous of the author of Catch-22, the celebrated novel that tells the story of a bombardier during World War II. Alike Joseph, Bernard participated in aerial flight in the Mediterranean theatre of operations. "We flew 50 bombing missions all over Europe... I was in Italy, France and Germany. I was the radar operator. We bombed Berlin... the Mercedes Benz factory twice, you know, because of the ball bearings... oh yeah, I can tell you a few stories."
