But when Al Lavender recovers, he'll be back on the field, playing his heart out with his team, the current senior world champs, as they aim for the 1998 Senior Softball World Series in Fort Worth, Texas.
Lavender is no spring chicken.
He's not any kind of chicken. He's got a keen eye and a barrel chest and an arm that will knock a 12-inch softball deep into the outfield. Thirteen percent of all those surveyed said they engage in such activities once a week, although 26 percent said they never engage in sports or outdoor leisure. Dr. Chhanda Dutta, a gerontologist with the National Institute on Aging, said it's hard to tell whether today's seniors are exercising more than they had been in generations past. Dutta said there's been no scientific assessment of whether certain age groups have changed their levels of activity.