HIS SECOND WIND HIS SECOND WIND
BY D E SI RE E KE E GA N P H OTOS BY MO RGA N H A R R I S ON
A 53 - YEAR-OLD SOFTBALL PLAYER DISCUSSES WHAT’S BROUGHT HIM BACK TO THE GAME HE LOVES
a ball.
H
e may work as a heating technician over 40 hours a week, but he still finds time to swing a bat and catch
“My hours are ridiculous. This time of year they’re actually sane, but I get to pick and choose what I want to do at night,” Brian Gleason, 53, of Seldon said. “I work basically 40 hours this time of year, but from October to March I put in about 70 hours a week. But I still play [softball] every single season—Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall.” Gleason, who works for Dart Fuel Oil, Inc. in St. James, grew up on Long Island and played every sport you could imagine; his main sports being baseball and wrestling. Playing until the end of high school, Gleason met his wife and decided he would skip taking the college route to go into work and help raise their sons, James and Ryan. Shortly thereafter, Gleason began playing softball. “My first son was born when I was 23, and I started playing softball when I was 24. I p