Lexington Family Practice

Senior Softball League is Family-Driven

In the Lexington Senior Softball, league leader A-team Roundabout Diner & Lounge (11-0-1) clinched first place and a playoff spot Thursday night with a 22-6, six-inning mercy-rule-threatened win over seventh-placed Stone Meadow (1-10) in the second-to-last week of the regular season.

But winning isn’t everything.

Rob MuCulloch -- the coach, player and assistant commissioner of the league, among other things -- talked about the league, explaining that it’s more than 20 years-old, that participants have been playing with each other since high school and that hot dogs and hamburgers are grilled in the school parking lots after wins and losses.

“I’ve had a team since 1981,” MuCulloch said. “I didn’t bring a team into Concord until 1986. I had played two years in Lexington in what they called the Men’s League. The Men’s League started about 1967 and there were some great teams.”

MuCulloch and three buddies of his, who he still plays with, were on a team that won the league four straight years, from 1984-87, back when there were 16 teams in the league, as opposed to today’s eight.

“A lot of these guys (and) I go back 30 years. If not, 27 years,” MuCulloch said. “There’s not a guy tonight that didn’t play last year.”

In 2010, Roundabout was named Alexander’s Pizza , after the local Lexington pizza, sub and salad restaurant on Bedford Street.

“They sponsored my team for 20 years,” MuCulloch said.

Now, the team goes by Roundabout Diner & Lounge, named after, you guessed it, a Portsmouth, N.H. joint with the same name.

“My shortstop, Danny Posternak, he owns the diner,” MuCulloch said. “Matter of fact, the diner, it’s unbelievable. It’s been on Phantom Gourmet; Donald Trump was just there about a month and a half ago.”

MuCulloch began explaining the New Hampshire diner. Black-and-white checkers title the floor, a pastry chef prepares breakfast and there’s a second room for a lounge.

“Then you think you’re done there,” MuCulloch said, “They have a room that’s probably 40-feet-by-40-feet for a function hall.”

A family-oriented, old-school diner that sponsors a family-oriented, old-school softball league. Sounds about right.

“This senior league has been going since 1989,” he said. “It’s an over-45 league and you’re allowed three guys under 45 on your team. The average age of most of the guys on my team are 51, 52, so we’re well beyond it. But you know, we’re pretty competitive.

Poison Ivy: A Real Summer Bummer | Lexington Family

If you or someone you know has gotten poison ivy, you can agree with me that it is not something you want to get again.

Because poison ivy is a common plant found in most parts of the United States, it can be difficult to see and avoid.

Poison ivy has two forms: One that grows low to the ground, usually found in groups of many plants and looks like a weed. The other form is a “hairy” vine that grows up a tree. Both have stems with three leaves.

Most people are allergic to poison ivy, so if you see a plant with three leaves, stay as far away as possible.

The poison ivy plant contains an oil called urushiol that bonds to skin within minutes. Anyone who is allergic to urushiol and gets it on their skin will develop an itchy, red rash.

The oil from the plant can also be carried in smoke when the plant is burned.

If you come in contact with poison ivy, wash the area with a plain cool washcloth as soon as possible. This helps to get some of the oil off the skin.

Products that contain solvents such as mineral oil also may help to remove urushiol.

Because the oil from poison ivy can be transferred from clothes, shoes, tools or anything else that has touched the plant, it is important to wash anything that may have touched the plant.

This includes pets if you think your dog or cat may have gotten into it.

A poison ivy rash usually appears a day or two after contact. Initially, the affected area gets red and swollen.

A day or so later, small blisters begin to form and the rash becomes itchy.

Although it is hard to avoid scratching the rash, it is important to do everything possible to resist.

Bacteria from under the fingernails can get into the blisters and cause an infection.

After about a week, the blisters will start to dry up, and the rash will start to go away.

In severe cases, where the poison ivy rash covers large parts of the body, it may last much longer.

A poison ivy rash should go away on its own in one to three weeks.

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