By Brian Zanzonico
The 73-year-old Franklin Square resident is the third baseman of the Hempstead Admirals, a slow pitch softball team comprised solely of senior citizens.
Like most of his teammates and opponents, Ytuarte plays with knee braces and wakes up the morning after games feeling like he was hit by a truck. He's gritted through a nagging left hamstring injury and bumps and bruises that he could easily have shrugged off 40 years ago. His reward for the pain - a nationally televised commercial spot.
Last Thursday, Ytuarte appeared in a commercial for Aleve, an over-the-counter pain relief medicine. In the clip, Ytuarte and two teammates turn ground balls into double plays and take batting practice. Ytuarte, who celebrated his 73rd birthday the day the spot aired, gave testimony about Aleve's effectiveness on camera and on the company's Web site in recognition of Arthritis Awareness Month.
On May 1, Aleve began running the first of 31 commercials (a different one each day) featuring real people describing how it has helped them manage pain. Ytuarte, who has arthritis in his wrists, hands, knees and back, said he started using Aleve at the urging of teammates. He said it's a big reason he can play 65-70 games a year - including tournaments which, unlike the regular season, permits runners to slide into the bases.
"It helps me get through the aches and pains," he said. "At my age, everything hurts."
Ytuarte was raised a Yankees fan despite growing up in the shadow of Ebbets Field in Flatbush, Brooklyn. As a child, Ytuarte and his brother would wait for batted balls to be hit out of the small stadium.
"He'd stand on the street behind home plate, and I'd stand outside on the right field line," he said. "We'd struggle with other kids for balls."
He later attended nearby Erasmus Hall High School, playing third base, shortstop and centerfield for the baseball team. His love of the game continued when he entered the service, and he played when he could during his time in the Army.
But after he left the service and began working for WWOR-TV as a broadcast engineer and tape editor, he took a 40-year hiatus from the game. Ytuarte and wife, Molly, moved from Flatbush to Franklin Square in 1963 and raised their sons Eric, who lives in New Jersey, and Greg, who lives next door to his parents.
When he retired in 1999, Ytuarte quickly found himself bored. He spent much of his time in his woodworking shop in the garage, but that soon grew old.
"I got tired of sitting in the kitchen wondering what I would do next," he said.
One day, he saw an ad in a newspaper about a senior citizens' softball team. He hadn't held a bat in years, but was intrigued by the thought of picking up the game again. In 2000, he joined the Admirals. Since his "rookie" season, he's played in hundreds of games. And it got him on television.
A couple of months ago, Ytuarte's friend, Rich Russo, a filmmaker who made a documentary, "For the Love of the Game," about senior softball in 2005, told him Aleve was doing a "reality" advertising campaign about how Aleve helps people deal with pain. Russo put Ytuarte and his team in touch with the commercial production team and Aleve representatives asked the team's manager to assemble the 20 members of the Admirals at Merrick Park Field. All 20 were interviewed on camera. Ytuarte and two others were selected for the commercial.
One morning last month, the three Admirals were picked up by a limo and taken to a field in White Plains. After a quick breakfast, the players were filmed fielding grounders, taking batting practice, and throwing. Ytuarte spoke about Aleve on camera, and it aired last Thursday on NBC channel four during the 6 p.m. hour, and on CBS channel two during the 9 p.m. hour.
"He's my star," Molly said.
Ytuarte said he plans to play another season or two before hanging up his spikes for good.
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