A Tribute to Dave From His Baseball Friends
Happy 90th birthday ( April 3 1936 ) to Dave Irving . Dave has been a fixture in the Brandywine Valley Senior Softball Association as a player, coach, scorekeeper , and strategist . Dave is usually willing to share his life long experience in our game -- especially to newer players .
Like many of us , he started his love of this great game as a youth . He was born and raised in northern New Jersey and experienced the joy of viewing the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field as an 8 year old .He continues as a life time Brooklyn / LA Dodger fan.
A lifetime thrill for him occurred in 1996 when he attended Dodgertown , in Vero Beach, Florida as an adult "player participant," interacting with his boyhood heroes -- Duke Snider , Steve Garvey , Tommy LaSorda. Mike Scoscia, etc . Scoscia, an LA Dodger catcher for many years , was from Delaware County. He had a Little League field dedicated to him in Morton, Delco in 2024. Dave, in his Dodger uniform, was invited to throw out the "first pitch" to buddy catcher Mike at the ceremony .! 😂
Dave's lifetime baseball/softball playing follows a familiar track: hardball, fast pitch softball, modified pitch softball, and finally senior slow pitch softball -- spanning 80 years. For many years he played for the Princeton University local Philly grads team in Chestnut Hill until former Brandywine Valley Senior Softball Association player Al Bensley convinced him to play more locally with the champion "Legends" team in the Delco Night league.
Dave then moved on to the Brandywine Valley Senior Softball Association league Morning "Silver Division," where he hung up his spikes about 5 years ago . He continues in the "S D" as a scorebook keeper with continuing advice to his teammates ---- "HIT to the openings on the RIGHT side ! ! , ---Outfielders , PLAY IN for these single hitters ! ! 🙄
So Happy 90th Birthday , Dave . It's a special day for a special guy.
From all your friends and teammates at BVSSA
