The 76-year-old Almaden man had open heart surgery last year, so he has been sidelined since then. Last week at De Anza Park, on Meridian Avenue between Kooser and Blossom Hill roads, McMahon donned a baseball cap, kept his eye on the ball and took a few swings at the high-arching slow-pitched balls coming his way. He was joining his teammates for his first batting practice since before the operation, and proved with each ball he knocked out of the infield that he is still in the game.

McMahon is part of the senior softball team based at the Almaden Senior Center that is looking to add players to the roster so it can have a full-fledged game.

Mark Atlas, who has been organizing the softball team, says about eight or nine men come out each week and once they double that number, they will be able to put the ball in play. They don't necessarily need men who can knock the ball out of the park either, he says. The 74-year-old says they don't need to be men either, they just need to have a glove to join in the fun. The only rule is that they be 50 or older.

The Almaden group has been getting together for a few years and attendance was higher before the senior center was displaced from its location on Camden Avenue to make way for the new facilities. The new location is scheduled to open in 2006 at that time the team is hoping to build its roster back up. Until the group grows again the men take turns swinging the bat, each man getting 20 swings.

"At the beginning we had some women come out, but that faded away," McMahon says. "We had a lady come out who was 85 at the time, but she moved away."

Now that she's gone, that leaves McMahon as the senior senior. The baby of the bunch is Rick Simons, 58, who coaches soccer at Leigh High School.

Some of the guys play a couple of times a week with the Fun Division in a Campbell-based vintage softball league--players 50 and older can play in the league, and those 60 and older can play in the Fun Division. Most of the men say they've been playing baseball or softball since they were young boys.

Jack Buchanan, who played baseball in Little League and in high school, says he now comes out to Almaden senior softball field for a little extra exercise outside of the four stretch classes he attends at the senior center, and to socialize and talk baseball.

The Almaden Senior Softball team meets every Friday at 9:45 a.m. at De Anza Park. The cost is free to members of the Almaden Senior Program and joining the program costs $8. For more information visit www.almadenseniors.org, visit the Almaden Winery Community Center where the senior program is temporarily located, or call at 408.268.1133.