- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,244,333
- Reaction score
- 59
Jun. 17—ROCHESTER — A few years ago, Jim Goodman had the opportunity to reconnect with his first youth football coach.
Thanks to Rochester Minnesota Senior Softball, Goodman, 61, experienced a full-circle moment as he played with and managed his former coach, Glen Berry.
"I got to give back to him," Goodman said. "I got to be his manager for several sessions. It was like he coached me when I was eight years old and now I'm coaching you."
Goodman, a Rochester native and Mayo High School graduate, has played softball in some capacity for 45 years. He is currently on the RMSS Eagles team, sponsored by the Rochester Eagles Club.
RMSS is a spring and summer slow-pitch softball league open to men 50 years or older and women 40 years or older. Games are played Mondays and Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m. at McQuillan Softball Complex in Rochester. Optional batting practice begins at 8:30 a.m. on game days.
The season is split into four sessions. Session 2 for the 2026 season began Wednesday, June 10 and runs through Monday, July 13. Session 3 begins Wednesday, July 15.
There are eight teams in Session 2. Each team is named after a sponsor.
Goodman, a former Senior Softball Coordinator, a role that serves as the president of the league, played youth baseball but never played varsity for the Spartans. Instead, he competed in recreation leagues in the area and found RMSS in 2019 when he was 54.
RMSS has been a way for Goodman to connect with his son, Andy.
"He just turned 32 in the middle of May, (has) some special needs, but he's living on his own now," Goodman said. "He loves coming out here. Getting to talk to all the players. So I get to keep him involved with it."
RMSS focuses on promoting "fun, fitness and fellowship."
"All of us are still doing this and suffering the aches and pains that come with being in your late 60s because we're competitors, but it's a fun game," said RMSS publicity director Bill Klein. "And when you have a (nice sunny) day like this, this is when you just say, 'Thank you, Lord, for letting me be out here playing the game, having fun.'"
Klein, 68, is a Rochester native and a graduate of John Marshall High School. He is in his third season with the league and currently plays for team Shorewood Senior Campus. Klein recently won the RMSS Summer Session 1 championship with The Legion team, going undefeated.
"It's almost like we're siblings or kids in the same neighborhood," Klein said. "We come from that generation when we grew up, our parents would basically just say, 'OK, if your bed is made and your room is clean, get out of here and don't come back until it's lunchtime or whatever,' then again, 'get out of here, don't come back again until it's supper time.'
"So we kind of grew up having to officiate every one of our neighborhood games and all this. And so we get into some squabbles ... but we figure it out just like we were when we were all 10-year-olds, and we get it all squared away."
Joe Kluck, 69, a Dubuque, Iowa native, is on team Charlie's Eatery & Pub. In high school, Kluck played trumpet in the band and didn't realize his athletic talents until college, when he and his friends tried playing slow pitch. He moved to Rochester in 1978 for work and has lived in town ever since. Kluck has played with RMSS for almost five years after meeting Klein.
"Met up with (Bill) and several other very good players that allowed me to come and try, and pretty much got addicted to the sport," Kluck said.
After games, the players will often hang out in the parking lot to socialize and debrief about how they did in their respective games.
"The camaraderie and the skill level is across the board, so you can get suggestions and hints," Kluck said. "Girls and guys alike, it's been a pleasure, and I don't see myself changing anytime soon."
Klein said RMSS helps seniors stay active, engaged and challenged.
"None of us are 25 or 35 years old anymore," Klein said. "If this game was easy, well, OK, what would the point be? When you're playing sports, you'll do well sometimes, and other times you will not do so well, but you still have the physicality of it, the activity."
The league is always looking for new players. Players can register for the entire year by a certain date for a discounted rate or pay $15 per session. Players aged 80 or older in the 2026 calendar year play for free. New recruits can try out the league by playing their first game for free.
Accommodations can be made for those with varying skills and abilities.
"So if somebody says, 'Gosh, you know, my knees are killing me, but I'd sure like to swing the bat, and I think I could play first base, or I could even be a catcher, or something like that. But I don't know about running,' well, there are guys that are more than willing to run for you," Klein said. "And as you ramp up your activity, and you work through some of those 'I'm older' aches and pains, you start to feel like 'you know what I think I can run, and I may not have to run as hard as I can, but I'll run comfortably, the best I can,' and just work yourself up."
There is no official 20th anniversary celebration scheduled, but it might coincide with the league's end-of-year picnic. RMSS is also hoping to update the 15-year logo it debuted in 2021.
When asked about his favorite memory with RMSS, Kluck couldn't pick just one.
"My best moments are all of the moments here to tell you the truth," Kluck said. "I pitch a lot and I have no trouble getting up on those days. ... I get to talk to everybody (and) I get to play softball. It's awesome."
Continue reading...
Thanks to Rochester Minnesota Senior Softball, Goodman, 61, experienced a full-circle moment as he played with and managed his former coach, Glen Berry.
"I got to give back to him," Goodman said. "I got to be his manager for several sessions. It was like he coached me when I was eight years old and now I'm coaching you."
Goodman, a Rochester native and Mayo High School graduate, has played softball in some capacity for 45 years. He is currently on the RMSS Eagles team, sponsored by the Rochester Eagles Club.
RMSS is a spring and summer slow-pitch softball league open to men 50 years or older and women 40 years or older. Games are played Mondays and Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m. at McQuillan Softball Complex in Rochester. Optional batting practice begins at 8:30 a.m. on game days.
The season is split into four sessions. Session 2 for the 2026 season began Wednesday, June 10 and runs through Monday, July 13. Session 3 begins Wednesday, July 15.
There are eight teams in Session 2. Each team is named after a sponsor.
Goodman, a former Senior Softball Coordinator, a role that serves as the president of the league, played youth baseball but never played varsity for the Spartans. Instead, he competed in recreation leagues in the area and found RMSS in 2019 when he was 54.
RMSS has been a way for Goodman to connect with his son, Andy.
"He just turned 32 in the middle of May, (has) some special needs, but he's living on his own now," Goodman said. "He loves coming out here. Getting to talk to all the players. So I get to keep him involved with it."
RMSS focuses on promoting "fun, fitness and fellowship."
"All of us are still doing this and suffering the aches and pains that come with being in your late 60s because we're competitors, but it's a fun game," said RMSS publicity director Bill Klein. "And when you have a (nice sunny) day like this, this is when you just say, 'Thank you, Lord, for letting me be out here playing the game, having fun.'"
Klein, 68, is a Rochester native and a graduate of John Marshall High School. He is in his third season with the league and currently plays for team Shorewood Senior Campus. Klein recently won the RMSS Summer Session 1 championship with The Legion team, going undefeated.
"It's almost like we're siblings or kids in the same neighborhood," Klein said. "We come from that generation when we grew up, our parents would basically just say, 'OK, if your bed is made and your room is clean, get out of here and don't come back until it's lunchtime or whatever,' then again, 'get out of here, don't come back again until it's supper time.'
"So we kind of grew up having to officiate every one of our neighborhood games and all this. And so we get into some squabbles ... but we figure it out just like we were when we were all 10-year-olds, and we get it all squared away."
Joe Kluck, 69, a Dubuque, Iowa native, is on team Charlie's Eatery & Pub. In high school, Kluck played trumpet in the band and didn't realize his athletic talents until college, when he and his friends tried playing slow pitch. He moved to Rochester in 1978 for work and has lived in town ever since. Kluck has played with RMSS for almost five years after meeting Klein.
"Met up with (Bill) and several other very good players that allowed me to come and try, and pretty much got addicted to the sport," Kluck said.
After games, the players will often hang out in the parking lot to socialize and debrief about how they did in their respective games.
"The camaraderie and the skill level is across the board, so you can get suggestions and hints," Kluck said. "Girls and guys alike, it's been a pleasure, and I don't see myself changing anytime soon."
Klein said RMSS helps seniors stay active, engaged and challenged.
"None of us are 25 or 35 years old anymore," Klein said. "If this game was easy, well, OK, what would the point be? When you're playing sports, you'll do well sometimes, and other times you will not do so well, but you still have the physicality of it, the activity."
The league is always looking for new players. Players can register for the entire year by a certain date for a discounted rate or pay $15 per session. Players aged 80 or older in the 2026 calendar year play for free. New recruits can try out the league by playing their first game for free.
Accommodations can be made for those with varying skills and abilities.
"So if somebody says, 'Gosh, you know, my knees are killing me, but I'd sure like to swing the bat, and I think I could play first base, or I could even be a catcher, or something like that. But I don't know about running,' well, there are guys that are more than willing to run for you," Klein said. "And as you ramp up your activity, and you work through some of those 'I'm older' aches and pains, you start to feel like 'you know what I think I can run, and I may not have to run as hard as I can, but I'll run comfortably, the best I can,' and just work yourself up."
There is no official 20th anniversary celebration scheduled, but it might coincide with the league's end-of-year picnic. RMSS is also hoping to update the 15-year logo it debuted in 2021.
When asked about his favorite memory with RMSS, Kluck couldn't pick just one.
"My best moments are all of the moments here to tell you the truth," Kluck said. "I pitch a lot and I have no trouble getting up on those days. ... I get to talk to everybody (and) I get to play softball. It's awesome."
Continue reading...
