AUSTIN, Texas — "I think it’s just like the best baseball we played as kids on the sandlot,” Jack Sanders said.
It’s not heaven. It’s amateur baseball at the Long Time in East Austin.
"Really just like the scene on the other side of the backdrop, you know?” Sanders said. "At some point, my wife was pretty clear that if we want to keep playing baseball, we have to make it fun for them too."
Co-founder Jack Sanders of the Texas Playboys baseball team took the message to heart, bringing fun and philanthropy to the diamond.
"Being able to recreate that a little bit, part of that is just knowing that if you strike out, it’s not going to matter tomorrow,” Sanders said.
It started as a way to bring local baseball enthusiasts together 16 years ago to be part of a travel squad and has evolved into a great deal more.
"It’s great, makes you feel like you’re a kid,” catcher Howard Carey said. "One time I was standing next to this father and son. He looked at his dad and said, 'I’ve never seen adults have fun like this.'”
The seasonal league is part of a growing Sandlot Revolution where teams with notable players like politician Beto O’Rourke and musician Jack White come from across the state and beyond to soak in these authentic Austin vibes.
"Really special place and special time,” infielder Amy Cook said. “It feels like a community and coming together for good causes.”
You could say it’s America’s pastime with an emphasis on the present. The team uses each game for their "Stepping Up to the Plate" initiative, raising more than $60,000 this season for local organizations.
"That’s really what separates us from other amateur baseball leagues,” Sanders said. “We can get everyone together for a good time, but at the same time, really efficient to raise a couple thousand bucks for a local organization we believe in."
From spring through summer each year, this motley crew of professionals puts on old school jerseys to prove you’re never too young or old to enjoy this old ball game.
"It’s just the most fun thing I do,” Carey said.
"Our ethos is against practicing, so we just come out and play together and have a good time,” Cook said.