On Dec. 23, 1993, Francisco Arenas was Christmas shopping late at Meijer’s when an item in sporting goods caught his attention.
A hanging softball bat colored a distinctive fire engine red was on clearance for only $9.99.
New to 16-inch softball at the time, Arenas has been playing – and using that discount bat – ever since.
“I’m like, ‘$9.99 for a bat? I’ll take it.’ That’s been my bat. Everyone knows me as ‘Oh, I’ve got that red bat.’ It’s been the love of my life to a certain degree,” Arenas said.
“There’s a saying it’s not the clothes that makes the man. It’s the man that makes the clothes. I feel the same way about softball. It’s affordable to anybody who just wants to go out there and develop a good coping skill for whatever life throws at you.”
Arenas returns to the 57th Annual No Gloves National Softball Tournament as a pitcher with Forty Deuce, a team renamed this year in honor of his good friend’s teammate who died.
Forty Deuce has plenty of experience while enjoying one of its best seasons with a combined 15-7 record for leagues in Forest Park, Melrose Park and Cicero.
Shortstop and long-time teammate Josh Sias is about to turn 54. The third baseman and short center fielder also are 56.
“The left side of our infield, we joke around that we’re 200-plus years old,” Arenas said. “I think we still play relatively young for our age. We’ve called ourselves the Over the Hill Gang.”
Arenas grew up playing baseball in Chicago’s Little Village and just retired working in juvenile probation for Cook County. His second year on the job, Arenas joined his department’s softball team and won the Cook County employees league with Arenas starring at shortstop.
Arenas next joined a co-ed team. Then he learned of a men’s league forming that would play at Chicago’s Piotrowski Park.
Arenas formed the Creators. The team played in numerous leagues until he retired the name about three years ago.
“Since we were creating it from scratch, we called it the Creators,” Arenas said.
Arenas moved to Chicago Ridge five years ago. Retired from working for Cook County, he now is senior director of programs for SGA Youth Services, a non-profit organization associated with his previous job.
Playing softball has remained a constant.
“For the most part, softball is kind of the blue-collar man’s golf so you get to meet a lot of people. I can tell you I bought my house through someone I met in softball, purchased my car, got my house fixed. If you need anything from a haircut to your dog getting groomed, everyone knows a guy,” Arenas said.
“Once I’m on the diamond and having that camaraderie with my friends, that’s my addiction. When you win, the ride home is even that much better. And then when you lose, everyone takes a bite of humble pie.”
Arenas also has created softball opportunities for others. This past weekend marked the ninth annual Slow-Pitch Softball B nationals he envisioned and organized for new and up-and-coming teams not yet ready for the Majors or A levels.
This year’s tournament featured 25 teams.
“I probably could have had 30 teams but it gets to be a lot of games and with only two fields, it’s hard,” Arenas said.
“There’s guys now playing in the Majors level that started in B nationals. It’s a good feeder system but also some of those teams have stayed together.”
When Arenas first proposed his idea, he was told to expect maybe 10 teams. With funding from foundations through his work, Arenas had 29 throughout the Chicago area for the first B nationals, which he named Playing for Peace.
“In general, as a world, we’re segregated, we’re divided,” Arenas said. “My goal was just to bring people together to just enjoy the game of softball and maybe make a friend. It’s really blossomed into that.”
Arenas still plays league games five days a week and regularly fills in on Wednesdays and also Sundays in an unlimited-arc league at Chicago’s Horner Park.
Always a player-coach, Arenas said he’s becoming more of a manager. He’s been a relief pitcher six times in which the team has come from behind to win.
Still in good shape and looking younger than 56 to others, Arenas doesn’t drink nor smoke. He also has 13 marathons to his credit, 11 in Chicago and two in California — one in Los Angeles and the most memorable through Humboldt Redwoods State Park.
“That might have been my fastest time just because there wasn’t that many people and I had to sign a waiver consenting that I acknowledge I may get attacked by bears,” Arenas said.
At the No Glove Tournament, look for Arenas wearing his uniform with Coach on the back and using that red bat.
“I’ve had that bat for a long time and it’s worked for me,” Arenas said. “I have a joke from a fellow player. He said, ‘I’ve had three marriages but I’ve had one bat.’ (My bat) kind of found me.”