One man has been a constant presence in Tracy Babe Ruth baseball for 40 years — and at Saturday's opening day ceremonies for the youth league, Joe "Papa Joe" Saenz was the guest of honor at the new baseball diamonds at Legacy Fields.
Saenz started coaching for the youth league in 1976, three years after he moved to Tracy, when Tracy Babe Ruth was brand new.
All his years since then as a volunteer coach and board member have involved him in all aspects of local baseball.
"I did a lot of work on all the diamonds," he said, adding that league volunteers helped build and maintain dugouts and diamonds at Tracy and West high schools and Monte Vista Middle School over the years.
"I enjoyed it. It's for the kids. Teach them how to play baseball. Teach them how to live a good life on this Earth," Saenz said.
Looking at old photographs of teams he coached in the 1970s, Saenz recalled the years when Tracy Babe Ruth was the only outlet for youth baseball in town and attracted as many as 1,200 players, before the addition of Tracy Little League and the growing popularity of travel ball.
He remembers the names of those he coached in the early years of the league, players who went on to have children and grandchildren who came back to Tracy Babe Ruth. Saenz figures that the biggest payoff for him is the recognition that he was part of something important to the community.
"I didn't expect glory. I just did what I needed to do," he said. "Throughout the years, all these people — 'Hey, Papa Joe, Papa Joe.' That's a good feeling, when people recognize who you are."
Recognition of Saenz on Saturday coincided with his announcement that he is retiring from the league. Saenz, 73, has six children, 17 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, so there has always been a family member playing.
"I had some grandkids coming up, and I coached them last year, but they didn't want to play this year. So I said, if they're not going to play and they're going to do other things, I may as well retire," he said. "Now I can see all my grandkids doing wrestling, rodeo, basketball, baseball. It was a blessing to watch all these kids play and grow up."
Saenz led off a series of first pitches Saturday at one of the new baseball diamonds at Legacy Fields. Also on hand for the opening ceremony was Tracy Mayor Robert Rickman, himself an alumnus of Tracy Babe Ruth, along with league president Troy Camacho and City Councilwoman Veronica Vargas.
The ceremony was the start of Tracy Babe Ruth at its new home at Legacy Fields. Among the new fields that the city of Tracy has built there, four are leased to Tracy Babe Ruth, and one more is planned at the part of the sports complex where Tracy Babe Ruth plays.
Camacho said the league will have 485 kids playing on 44 teams this season.
During the past four years, the league rented city fields at the Tracy Sports Complex. Before that, Tracy Babe Ruth leased fields from Tracy Unified School District at Monte Vista Middle School. Those fields were rebuilt for the use of Tracy High baseball in 2012.
Plans for the 72-acre first phase of the sports complex include five diamonds for Tracy Babe Ruth. Originally, the leagues — including Tracy Little League and Tracy Youth Soccer League — were going to build their own fields, but the city stepped in two years ago with a $5 million investment, followed by $2 million more in October, to make sure players could use the complex this year.
Contact Sports Editor Bob Brownne at brownne@tracypress.com, or call 209-830-4227.
