The following is our ongoing effort to keep all members apprised of the latest KCMSSL happenings.
This Newsletter’s Table of Contents:
- Wes Weddle Tournament
- Health & Safety Guidelines
- Our Rainout Line App
- Sonny Maynard
- Do You Qualify as a KCMSSL Ambassador
- 2026 All-Star Games / Picnic / Skills Contests, etc.
- Want to Umpire??
- Are You a Military Veteran??
- Online Store
- Pull Tabs
WES WEDDLE TOURNAMENT
Our Wes Weddle tournament is coming up (starting this weekend), and if receptive, we could use your help.
We have 54 teams registered to participate this year…an all-time high number. The 50’s & 55’s will be playing April 25-26 at Black Bob Park – 14500 W 151st St, Olathe, KS 66062 – https://maps.app.goo.gl/jw4ZhBVRfRvndaZ36 . The 65’s thru 80’s are playing on Thursday & Friday, April 30-May 1 at Frank White Complex – 3901 SW Longview Rd, Lee’s Summit, MO 64081 – https://maps.app.goo.gl/Ryc8bxvb4Rbtksna9 . And then the following weekend–May 2-3–the 60’s will be at Black Bob Park, again, while the women will be playing (same days) at Happy Rock Park – 7565 NE Antioch Rd, Gladstone, MO 64119 – https://maps.app.goo.gl/6y3tYj2ncBViQkF57 .
How can you help? We are always in need of assistance in the early morning hours on the 1st day of each portion of the overall tournament–to help check-in the players. Things slow down after that, whereby we just need to tend to the needs of the teams; i.e., fill the water coolers, pick-up the game cards from the umpires after each game, etc. Every little bit helps. No advance notification toward us is needed. Want to help? Just show up. Just want to watch the games…that’s fine also.
HEALTH & SAFETY GUIDELINES
The care and safety of our members remain our priority. Therefore, using our website as the focal point for valuable information, we ask that you please click on the following link to review some of the basics to maintain your best possible health and safety guidelines during the upcoming season: https://kcseniorsoftball.org/?page_id=31 .
OUR RAINOUTLINE.COM WEBSITE…..AND CORRESPONDING APP:
Ever get to the ballpark only to discover you are the only one there…because the fields are pretty-much flooded from a “very recent” rainstorm? Or arriving there on a sweltering hot day and you again find yourself alone at the park because the games were cancelled due to unacceptable heat-index readings? Or even worse yet, you experience a downpour at your house and you don’t go to the park–thinking the games are going to be cancelled….only to find out later your team ended up being short of players because you, mistakenly, had not shown up?
Immediate game cancellation updates are available to every KCMSSL member via text and / or email, based on how each member wishes to set up his / her preferred method of notification from the Rainoutline.com website: https://rainoutline.com/login .
100% mobile?? Then you may wish to utilize one of these rainoutline phone apps instead: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rainoutline.app2 , or https://apps.apple.com/us/app/rainoutline/id6448003606 .
Your choice. Or you may still wish to call a rainout line phone number. Well, you can still do that–913.586.8080. But at least this is only one number you will need to remember, instead of possibly 6. All 6 of our current park locations are part of the Rainoutline.com – KC Metro Senior Softball League webpage or phone app. You can customize your alerts based on your personal preferences. And if or when we ever do add a new conference location to our venue umbrella, we will simply add that new venue to the listing, and you will continue to be kept as “up-to-date” as possible!!
SONNY MAYNARD
Who remembers Sonny Maynard?? Johnson County Community College sure does! Sonny passed away April 6, 2025, but his legend lives on with the JCCC. Here is a link to JCCC’s story relative to Sonny’s induction into the JCCC Hall of Fame – https://johnsoncountypost.com/2026/04/06/jccc-updates-jccc-to-honor-coaching-legend-sonny-maynard-april-11-283072/ . And below is his information from our website’s “In Memoriam” page.
Sonny Maynard (04/06/2025)
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/legacyremembers/sonny-maynard-obituary?id=58102626
Lawrence (1993), Team Sixty KC, See The Trainer / Team 60 KC, AAA Linen, Knapheide, Antiques, Draft (Thu – Roe) Green
ARE YOU A 20 YEAR KCMSSL “AMBASSADOR”?
The Board of Directors has agreed to expand the universe of those eligible to receive an Ambassador Jacket beginning in 2026.
What criteria are required to receive an Ambassador Jacket in the expanded format? Qualifying service would consist of:
- Years played in the league, and / or
- Years served as a team manager, and / or
- Years served as a conference coordinator, co-coordinator, and / or
- Years of service on the Board of Directors.
Any member who accumulates a total of 20 qualifying credits, in any combination of playing, managing, coordinating, or serving on the Board, would be eligible for an Ambassador jacket. Qualifying service is limited to four credits per calendar year – one credit each for managing, coordinating, playing, and/or serving on the Board of Directors.
If you believe that you qualify, please contact Barry Gordon barrygordo@aol.com, 913-827 7722, to receive a KCMSSL AMBASSADOR JACKET APPLICATION to see if you fulfill and meet the necessary requirements.
The existing 20-year player pathway remains; this proposal simply adds leadership and board roles as additional qualifying service toward the same Ambassador recognition.
“CHANGES” TO OUR 2025 ALL-STAR GAMES / PICNIC / SKILLS CONTESTS VENUE
The only thing constant is change!…correct?? Where are we going with this? Well, we were unable to keep the Lee’s Summit Parks & Recreation department personnel happy enough in 2024 to retain the use of Hartman Park for our annual All-Star Games / Picnic / Skills Contests. The success of our event, seemingly, overwhelmed the capacity of Hartman Park’s parking lot…restricting parking availability for the citizens of Lee’s Summit. Therefore, we were asked to find a new location. So, we moved it to Black Bob Park in Olathe, KS in 2025. Repeat…”the only thing constant is change”. That means Black Bob Park is unavailable to us in 2026 (due to scheduled young-men’s tournament play there on 9/5 and 9/12), so this season’s event will be moved to the September 12th date at Happy Rock Park – 7565 NE Antioch Rd, Gladstone, MO 64119 – https://maps.app.goo.gl/t92wxnDUG6E8cYMq9.
The food service, i.e., whether we will preparing that ourselves, or if we will engage in the services of Two Guys and a Grill again this year, has not yet been decided.
More details to come in future monthly newsletters. Nonetheless, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact any of your board members — https://kcseniorsoftball.org/?page_id=70 .
“YOU” MAKE THE CALL !!!!
Have you ever considered being an umpire? Sure, there are times you will take heat for a bang-bang call that one of the teams feels you got wrong, but the satisfaction of knowing you got it right is what counts.
The pay is good, and John (Dehan) will work around your playing schedule so you can umpire and still play. Regularly bringing home some extra pay can’t be all bad!! Heck, you may even be able to budget the cost of that new bat or glove you’ve been craving.
If interested, or if you have any questions, please contact John A. Dehan at Ref@callthegame.com – 913-897-7500. “YOU” make the call!!
ATTENTION ALL MILITARY VETERANS!!!!
Our search continues for more KCMSSL military service veterans to add to our website’s “Military Service Wall”: – https://kcseniorsoftball.org/?page_id=7781 . We have already collected information on 108 of our current or deceased members. Please help grow this list.
Provide the following:
- A Photo of the subject military service person. We would prefer a recent picture (we simply want those viewing the individual’s information to be able to “put a familiar face with a name”):
- Full Name:
- Branch of Service:
Send your information to John Mondi – jmondi@kc.rr.com, or mail it to John — 10517 W 102nd Ter., Overland Park, KS 66214. Questions? Please give John a call – 913.284.6005.
KCMSSL ONLINE STORE
Don’t forget to visit our online store for a variety of KCMSSL hats, shirts, and outerwear: https://kcmssl.itemorder.com/shop/sale/
CONTINUE TO SAVE THOSE PULL TABS!!!!
For any one of you who did not see Deb Brown’s Facebook posting (with Alan — from Ronald McDonald House) feel free to click on the following link: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10225715126397297&set=a.10200124881657172&__cft__[0]=AZWIXWDHWJ31llfXmHMuSMOky99xDe-2dkKg8GziaIwim3F9pLMZnwx2xeWeQdvLibYLMsupGcZxgJYmcGJJVhLd3SY_S0bt-kuWUKbNf1RL2Jy2YNpds_6lP5dY8OUBr44&__tn__=EH-R
The KCMSSL continues to work with Ronald McDonald House to assist with the needs of long-term care children’s families. If you haven’t already done so, start saving your “pop tabs” (ring tabs, pull tabs, or whatever you call them). Bring them to your manager! Managers, give them to your conference coordinator! Conference Coordinators, bring the tabs with you at your specific conference venue, because Deb Brown plans to stop by a couple of times during the season to pick them up and deliver them to our local Ronald McDonald House location. Or you can always give them to one of our Board of Directors–https://kcseniorsoftball.org/?page_id=70 …and we will get them to Deb. For more info, please click on our website link: https://kcseniorsoftball.org/?page_id=6836
If you have any questions on any of the above, please get in touch. We hope to see you on the playing field.
