No League For Old Men?

In a flat-out softball slugfest that featured two home runs and several bases-loaded walks, Pete's Mark II – which is named after a local Evanston bar – locked up its spot in the Skokie Park District playoffs, winning by a final of 19-15 over the Plungers in seven innings.

"Most of the guys on this team have played for 15, 20, 25 years so we're an old man's team," Lloyde Nelson, 59, said. "Some of the guys we got through the bar and when they see Angie or Pete [Mark II Lounge owners], they always talk about our softball team."

After Pete's Mark II jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the first, the Plungers answered by scoring 12 of the next 13 runs, including seven in the third inning alone. But it wasn't enough as Pete's Mark II rallied from a late 14-7 deficit to win.

Now in its fifth decade, Pete's Mark II has evolved into a tight group of friends who have stayed together in the Chicagoland area.

"You love the game," Nelson said. "If you're into baseball, there's no way to get that kind of fun, that kind of camaraderie."

The Skokie Park District runs different sports leagues throughout the year and typically caters to former high school athletes or those who played sports growing up. The league is predominately made up of young people, ages 18 to 30, but several teams feature players who are older or just learning the sport, according to Bob DeLeonardis, Skokie Park District's athletics supervisor.

"For the most part, people come out for competition in a league structure and being with friends and teammates," DeLeonardis said. "[Laramie Park] has a lot to offer and provides a safe and well-maintained facility, where players can bring their family and friends out to a game."

Although the Plungers started out as a family team, it has since formed into a hodgepodge of teammates that know one another through off-day practices and mutual friends.

"The team name started because my brother's father-in-law owned a plumbing company and they sponsored the team," said Edwin Revilla, 31. "We've had that name for 12 years now."

In their second full season in the Skokie league, the Plungers, who finished third last year, were already out of the playoff race before the game Thursday night. But even though cash prizes and trophies are given out to the regular season and playoff winners, team members reiterated that the game is less about winning than it is about just having the opportunity to play.

"When it comes down to it, it's all about fun," Revilla said. "It's a lot more fun when you win, but what can you do?"