Mike ‘Pank’ Pankow Uses a Turfed Yard and Plenty of Golf to Stay Active
By Steve LaMontia, Director of Communications
Mike “Pank” Pankow lives in Shingle Springs, California and has played the last 25 years in the Tri Valley MSBL, most recently in the 40+ and 55+ divisions. He has also been a major participant in the MSBL World Series, having never skipped a year since 1994. He is also a 2017 inductee to the MSBL World Series Hall of Fame. “This year I am planning on playing in the 50+, 55+ and 60+ divisions along with the Father/Son division,” said Mike
Mike is obviously well accomplished within the MSBL world but the current pandemic has put a wrinkle in his world, as it has in all of ours. I asked Mike what he is doing to stay active in our sport and what he is doing to stay ready for action when it resumes.
What is your biggest takeaway from our current coronavirus outbreak? The concern for my parents, and compromised health of my niece, as well as our elders everywhere and the wisdom that can be lost
What are you doing to stay engaged with baseball? My yard is a Turf field, with a cage, offering a great option for workouts with social distancing and this is an opportune time for maintenance.
Are you still able to work out regularly during this period? Yes, with the above, walking around the lake, jogging and a personal Lifecycle.
What special activities are you and/or your family able to participate in? I play lots of golf with my son Brett, with his now being an assistant golf professional and having access to a closed private country club. Plus, the Sacramento area courses remain open with safety precautions. We all are walking only without golf carts, so thank goodness for the pull carts!
It has been an opportunity to gain interest and understanding in Shane’s, my older son, life of Live Streaming as Chef Swag06, in his Gaming Life, which is so entertaining, and a connection to some Live sports entertainment!
Any comments about what is going on right now in our world?
Please note that Baseball is just a reason and excuse to gather! We do this to join with our friends of mutual interest, to root, bet, argue, trash talk or just share conversations and families! What MSBL has offered is the opportunity to extend the chance to play together well into aging groups giving us hopes of maybe growing up!
This camaraderie is the greatest blessing in life for many of us! An escape from business, an outlet to relieve stress, an excuse to stay fit, and we even have games with a scoreboard for a sense of competition! After losing six World Series Teammates, and 3 more to permanent injuries in 2019, I have an even greater appreciation for my friends, constantly reaching out to our MSBL history of current and former players to check on them, encourage them, and Love them!
There are a lot of guys that need their team more than the team needs them, and we gotta be sensitive to this, especially now. Getting back to our season extends lives!