He has a love for America's backyard game

Alfonse stresses rules in boosting softball

Joe Alfonse of Lexington is the new commissioner of the Metro Boston chapter of the Amateur Softball Association, which has 2,000 teams. (PHOTOS BY David Kamerman/Globe Staff)

He goes forth preaching the gospel of softball, armed with a rule book, and a love of the game.

Joe Alfonse is the commissioner of the Metro Boston chapter of the Amateur Softball Association (ASA), the national governing body for the sport, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary.

The 46-year-old Lexington resident oversees 250 ASA umpires and 2,000 registered amateur softball teams in the Greater Boston area, covering roughly 30,000 players, ranging in age from 10 to 75.

Alfonse was appointed Metro Boston commissioner after the death of longtime commissioner Raymond Macone last spring, and after a summer spent reviewing the operations, is preparing to make off-season changes he says will increase the visibility and membership of the chapter.

One of his first orders of business: recruiting more umpires, especially women. Alfonse said more female umpires are a priority, because there is a decreased emphasis on men's fast-pitch and growth in the girls' Junior Olympic program. In addition to training umpires, Metro Boston also offers coaching certification.

He has scheduled training sessions this winter for prospective umpires and those with three years of experience or less.

Last spring, Alfonse was one of the Metro Boston staffers who hosted an ASA national umpire school that attracted 102 candidates from 10 states in the Northeast, and one all the way from Hungary.

"It's all about a better standard of softball for everyone involved," he said.

Alfonse, who recently moved the chapter's office to Burlington, said Metro Boston will also be increasing the number of area championships it hosts. Nationally, the ASA hosts more than 90 national championships for ages 10 and under all the way up to 75 and over.

Alfonse also hopes to raise the chapter's profile by getting involved in charity work and is exploring options such as talking with former Red Sox general manager Dan Duquette about a possible softball tournament complex at Southfields , the development at the former South Weymouth Naval Air Station.

The Metro Boston chapter of the ASA is confronted by a changing softball landscape. Men's fast-pitch has all but disappeared locally, although Metro Boston sponsored a recent fall tournament in the memory of the late Macone. Women's fast-pitch leagues are undergoing slow growth, as some of those who have played the game in high school or college are staying with the sport.

The Junior Olympic program for girls 10-and-over remains popular and two strong areas of growth are various coed and senior leagues; Massachusetts boasts some of the best senior players in the country. The number of slow-pitch softball players has also declined slightly, according to Alfonse, while coed softball is also on the rise for those looking for social interaction mixed in with their sport.

The ASA also plays a vital role when it comes to softball equipment and player safety. It tests bats and gloves, and certifies them for use in ASA-approved competition.

"Even non-ASA groups such as high school federations like the MIAA and even the NCAA abide by the ASA standards when it comes to equipment," said Alfonse.

Alfonse first got into umpiring softball when he was in the service and then became an ASA umpire 20 years ago. Four years ago, he joined the Metro Boston staff as umpiring chief for the Junior Olympic program after serving as the district commissioner for the Northwest area, assigning umpires to games involving ASA-registered teams.

Janet Athens, a district commissioner for Lexington Youth Softball, said that she worked with Alfonse when he was assigning umpires for her league.

"I was kind of drafted for my job and wasn't sure about what I was doing that first year," she said. "But I can't think of a time when he didn't get us an umpire, even when we called with a last-minute request. He always came through."

Alfonse admits it is a challenging time for the sport. High school and college softball programs are being encroached on by the fast-growing sport of lacrosse, which is siphoning off funds and athletes.

Although the US women will still be competing internationally in events such as the Pan American Games and the World Cup, having softball removed - at least temporarily - from the Olympic Games is a setback.

"Ironically, the best thing that could have happened when it comes to making it an Olympic sport again is Japan beating the US for the gold medal" in Beijing, Alfonse said. "That shows it's more than a one-country competition."

For more information about the Metro Boston chapter of the ASA or becoming an ASA-certified umpire, go to www.asaboston.com.

Rich Fahey can be reached at faheywrite@yahoo.com.