SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — As temperatures warm, baseball and softball players are getting out onto the fields.

In this week’s Flashback Friday, KELOLAND’s Travis Fossing takes us back to 2003 and introduces you to a man involved at multiple levels of the game.

Dennis Simon is a Larchwood, Iowa baseball icon. A slugger that’s dedicated half of his 46 years to amateur baseball. Denny owns 300 career home runs, 4th on South Dakota’s long ball list. But don’t talk stats with this king of swing.

“I don’t count those things, I don’t play for those things. I just like to compete and play. That’s what I’m about, nothing else.”

Simon coaches high school baseball at Washington, and little league in Brandon, kids. His amateur foes aren’t much older.

“I think that’s a large part of the competition that I like, is playing against the younger players and seeing if my skills are still there.”

Simon says if the pops not there and the club is better without him, he’ll call it quits.

“When I hurt the team. If I can no longer produce or do some of the things that I know I am capable of doing, and I’m hurting the team, then I know it’s time to quit. I want to quit on my terms though.”

He’s creeping up on a half-century, but I wouldn’t bet on this bat cooling off any time soon.

“It’s just about having fun. I have nothing else to prove to anybody.”

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