HERNANDO COUNTY, Fla. -- A Hernando County man is proving that age is just a number.
- Ruben LeBron plays softball every week
- The 87-year-old is the oldest player in his league
- LeBron says softball helps him maintain a healthy lifestyle
Ruben LeBron is nearing 90, but he stills plays softball every week.
The 87-year-old started playing baseball when he was a young boy in Puerto Rico.
"In Puerto Rico, usually parents once their kids start walking, first thing they do (is) give them a bat and a glove and a ball," LeBron said.
LeBron kept it up through the years, and when he retired, he knew he wasn't going to stop.
"They used to call me 'The Man Behind The Mask,'" he said. "Every time there was a ball game the pitcher would ask, 'who's going to catch? Ruben? Ok!' They used to go like that."
LeBron is part of the West Hernando Athletic Club for Seniors or “WHACS”, a slow pitch softball league made up of men 55 and older. He is the oldest, and the younger players say watching him out on the field each week is inspiring.
"I always thought I was in pretty good shape and I come down here and I see these guys you know 10, 20, 30 years my senior and I just shake my head sometimes at you know what an amazing job they do," Rob Sypek said.
LeBron said the league has helped him maintain a healthy lifestyle even at home.
"I am a fan of the Tampa Bay Rays," he said. "When I'm watching a ball game I lay down too much on the recliner every other inning I get up and I do some running around the table because if you stay too long sitting down and doing nothing it's not good."
"In order to keep in good physical shape when you get old, you have to move your skeleton," he added.
Lebron was inducted into the “WHACS” Softball hall of fame in 2014.
For more information on adult sports leagues in Hernando County click here.