Fred Dresser
The 31st season of PebbleCreek Senior Softball Association (PCSSA) will get underway on Saturday, Oct. 18.
Let’s step back in time to how it all began.
September 1995: A group of guys get together at the Eagle’s Nest Clubhouse to discuss interest in playing softball. As a result, Jim Snyder was appointed to spearhead resident interest in playing softball. PebbleCreek Softball begins to take shape as two teams were formed with a total of 21 players from PebbleCreek.Tuesdays and Saturdays were selected as play days. The games were played at the Old Litchfield Park field across from the fire station on Old Litchfield Road.
November 1997: Games begin play on a field that became known as the “rock pile” in PebbleCreek. The field was located north of where the current tennis courts in Eagle’s Nest are currently located. The field received its name due to the players needing to pick up the small rocks on the field to avoid an injury to a player. In addition, two PebbleCreek teams also played in Glendale in the 55-plus division and the 60-plus division.
October 1998: The league consisted of six teams. There were two teams from PebbleCreek along with teams from Sun City Grand, Rosie’s Restaurant, Happy Trails, and El Mirage. Arizona Traditions joined the league in 1999 raising the number of teams to seven. As the popularity of the sport grew, the Robson organization was contacted by Dave Smith, Del Chafe (passed on), Ron Van der Hei, Mick Mauer, and Don Wyman about the possibility of a ballfield being constructed that would accommodate the growing interest of softball in PebbleCreek. Mr. Robson was instrumental in the development and construction of the current Field of Dreams.
January 2000: The Field of Dreams is now a reality. The backstop and bleachers were moved from the infamous “rock pile” to the new field. Seven teams now play on our field. Four teams from PebbleCreek and three outside teams. Between 2001 and 2003, the league grows to six teams that are made up of exclusively PebbleCreek residents.
PCSSA Growth:
2004: 10 Teams, 160 Players
2015: 12 Teams, 144 Players
2016: 14 Teams, 165 Players
2019 (25th Year): 15 Teams, 180 Players
2025: The PCSSA continues to grow as it currently has 23 teams, with more than 300 individuals involved as a player, manager, umpire, or a volunteer.
The question that remains: What draws the individuals who play this game at this stage of their lives back to playing a game they played in their younger years? There is not one answer but rather many answers.
The individuals who play in the PCSSA today more than likely played in their younger years and then laid down the bat and glove to focus on their careers and families as evidenced by the many walks of life that these individuals came from.
Now in their golden years they once again picked up the glove and bat and returned to the diamond to play a game that basically hasn’t changed that much over the years. What has changed was the speed that they once enjoyed is now just a little bit slower, the throws don’t travel as far, and the swinging of the bat is sometimes not as accurate as it once was. In addition, muscles that haven’t been used in a few years all of a sudden become pulled and take just a little longer to heal. The one thing that hasn’t changed is the good-natured bantering that takes place between the players before, during, and after the game.
As mentioned earlier, there are many answers why these men and women play this game called softball, however, I believe the following statement pretty well sums it all up:
It’s unbelievable how much you don’t know about the game you’ve been playing all your life—Mickey Mantle
The PCSSA from its humble beginning at Old Litchfield Park to the “rock pile” to our current Field of Dreams ball field could not have happened if it were not for 21 players who had a vision of what could be.
Play Ball!