Baseball: Over 40, Not Over the Hill

At an age when most men have given up athletic competition completely, or at the very least switched to less physically demanding sports like golf or softball, the Eastern Baltimore County Over-40 Baseball League plays hardball.

The league, only in its second season, had to expand from four teams in its inaugural season to eight teams this season to accommodate all interested players.

The wooden bat league's average age is 51 years old, and three players are in their 70s. The teams play on Sunday mornings on fields in Dundalk, Rosedale, Kingsville and Edgemere. The league held its All-Star game on July 3 at CCBC Essex. The season runs through early August.

As one would expect, the more seasoned batsmen become better over time, while older arms tend to wear down as pitchers get older. Therefore, the eight-inning games are usually high scoring. The league rules allow for designated hitters and courtesy runners, giving the less-mobile players at-bats without exposing them to fielding and baserunning.

The top 15 league leaders in batting average all hit over .500. Keith Collins of the Reds is batting an astonishing .895 with 19 RBIs by getting hits in all but two of his at-bats.

Lou Christian, pitcher/manager of the Braves, leads the league in strikeouts with 18. The 1985 graduate of Chesapeake High School, who now resides in Dundalk, credits his arm’s longevity with his breaking ball pitch selection.

“It's all about having fun,” Christian said. “I saw an ad in the Pennysaver last year and decided to play. We have a really good mix of players—we have lawyers, cops, doctors.”

Todd Knudsen, the Braves catcher, hadn’t played baseball since he graduated from Kenwood in 1983.

However, “I managed my four sons in Little League and have been an umpire for years,” Knudsen said. “So I never really left the sport.”

Knudsen uses his experience as an umpire to his advantage both at the plate and behind it.

“I have a good eye,” Knudsen said. “If you don’t throw me strikes, I’m going to take the walk. Lou has a large selection of junk balls that he can throw, from the curve to the knuckle to the slider, but he throws them over the plate. I don’t like to have him throw a lot of fastballs, because most of the batters sit on the fastball.”

The league, which is sponsored by the North Point Inn and the Angle Inn, keeps a waiting list for new players and encourages those interested in playing to e-mail ebco40bl@yahoo.com to register