Old Legion ballplayers never die. They just end up in the men's slowpitch softball leagues.

OK, so I took a little license with the ";Old Soldiers" requiem. But it does apply to more than a few on the softball diamond, according to Jon Danzer.

Danzer, 32, is a member of the Center Stage Gamecocks, who recently placed fourth at the Men's Class B state tournament at Batch Fields. The Gamecocks are comprised of mostly past Legion players, in addition to a few former minor leaguers who played for the Helena Brewers.

Danzer was a member of the Helena Reps and Senators baseball programs, from 1991-95. In 1994, he won the Earl Tucker Award as the Senators' team batting champion.

Prior to his Legion career, he worked his way up through the local youth leagues. He was part of the 1989 Helena All-Stars team, which captured Regionals in Glasgow, and went on to compete in the National Bambino World Series in Bloomington, North Carolina.

Heading into that youth World Series, the local All-Stars had lost just two games all season.

After finishing his Legion career, Danzer hung up his glove for seven years, before joining the City league in 2002. His other activities include shooting pool and throwing darts.

Since then, his clubs have qualified for Regionals four times, including the last three-in-a-row, although they will not be attending this year because they couldn't pick up enough players.

They went 0-2 in Lancaster, Calif., in 2007; and last year they were 1-2 in Portland, Ore. In 2005, his team won the Goosetown ";C" Tournament, and later participated in the Men's Class C National Championships in Hastings, Neb.

Danzer plays the outfield and catches for Center Stage, which are the same positions he played for the Senators. His father, Mike Danzer, keeps score for the team, and reports that Jon batted .600 this year.

";Dad's a certified public accountant, so we trust him with the books," the younger Danzer quipped.

Q What was the highlight of your Legion career?

A Individually it was winning the Tucker Trophy, and as a team, making the state tourney my last year with the Senators with a group of guys I'd been with since I was nine years old. There were quite a few of us from that national Bambino team who later played Legion ball together.

Q What is it like playing against those good teams at Regionals?

A It's very intimidating. A lot of those teams from warmer climates play year around, and they get in about 300 to 400 games a year. Because of our short season up here, it's very unusual for a Montana team to play 100 games, so at Regionals, they're usually in better shape and have more experience.

Q What is the Gamecock's best record since you've been with them?

AI believe we went 93-12 one year.

Q Any memories from Nationals in Nebraska?

AWell, the National Softball Hall of Fame is located in Hastings, so we visited that. I was still kind of new to softball back then, and I didn't realize the magnitude of the facility. I wish I could go again, because I'd pay more attention to the game's history. The longer you play, the more you appreciate the sport.

Q Which do you like playing better, baseball or softball?

A Legion ball is pretty hard to replace. But there are no adult baseball leagues, so for most of us old guys, softball is all we have left to get back on the dirt between the lines.