Baseball players in the old Broadway and movie hit “Damn Yankees” used to sing about heart.

Members of The Daily Gazette’s softball team also have miles and miles and miles of heart. After Sunday’s first practice of the year, we also have a few sore muscles from swinging, throwing and batting.

Softball used to have a cult following here at the newspaper. We would often rouse 15 or so players for our Sunday morning games; just about all summer weekends revolved around infield, outfield and batter’s box. After games — which we took far too seriously — there were always hours to embellish upon run-saving plays or deep home run shots. Games might end at noon; some of would still be at the field at 3 or 4 p.m., basking in glory and sunlight.

Our roster is a little thinner these days. On a muggy Sunday, we only had eight guys on the field at Collins Park in Scotia, our longtime pitch-and-catch home. But we called this session at the last minute.

I’ve pitched for most of my Gazette career, and if I had a company baseball card, it would say I first started playing first base in 1981, after a call-up from Glens Falls of the Eastern League. Decent fielding — at least in the infield — has put me on the mound since the late 1980s. That’s why I was pitching Sunday, as everyone got about 20 swings.

Doug Hopkins, our imposing composing room foreman and a guy fond of barbells, got off some vicious swings. He’ll play first — at 6-foot-4, he’s a big target.

Don Dalby, one of the tech wizards at the plant, will get time in the outfield. Donnie plays in a bunch of leagues already, and is our most experienced hitter. Might bat him fifth.

Sports writer Jim Schiltz will play shortstop. He’s been there for about 20 years, ever since Gazette legend Tim Layden vacated the premises for greener journalistic pastures. “He makes the hard plays look easy, and the easy plays look hard” has always been the book on Jim, who takes the compliment/joke with a smile. Good bat, too — sneaky.

Dan Beck started playing with us in 2006, and looks like a lock for third base. The paper’s general manager is a natural shortstop, but we can’t move our traditionals. Dan might bat lead-off, though. Good speed!

Bill Buell, the old commander of the outfield, played his usual competent center. But he only took a few swings, bad hand. And Monday morning, he hobbled into the news room on crutches ... he’s the only guy I’ve ever known who can strain a muscle in his sleep! Anyway, Bill is on the disabled list at age 55 ... maybe forever.

Mike MacAdam has always been dependable in left or center. At 45, Mike can still run, and that’s an asset for a team stocked with fortysomething and fiftysomething players. Another good bat, and quick on the bases.

Mike Goodwin might put in work at second base. True, he left The Gazette a few years ago and now works for a Truly Unique news gathering organization in Albany. But once you’re on this team, you’re on it for life. Kind of like serving on the Flying Dutchman.

We expect other players at our next practice. Mark Landolfo will pitch, catch and play a little first, and provide us our only righty bat. Gazette alumna Karen Roach will see time in the outfield, and spell Schiltz at shortstop. Newspaper alumnus Roger Gaboury also will test his legs in the pasture, and probably his shoulders and arms, too — he dives for balls like a maniac. Brother Tim has retired ... even though he has promised to help Hopkins with his swing. So I’ll put him on the coaching squad.

News reporters Justin Mason and J. Jude Hazard are two of our rookies, young guys who are the future of Gazette softball. The twentysomething Hazard told me last fall he used to catch in high school. No matter — anyone in his 20s plays the outfield on Team Gazette.

We were all drenched in sweat after about 75 minutes in the field. I was able to launch a few deep shots to center, but at 53, they are becoming fewer in number. While some are slower in the field and at the plate, the post-game conversations are still quick and witty. A few Sunkists, Budweisers and Coors “golden bullets” — my new, non-alcohol fave — came out of coolers. And we predicted great things in future games, possibly against our friends at Time-Warner Cable, the City Mission of Schenectady and Pinhead Susan’s tavern.

As for equipment, our bats are fine — experienced, still loaded with hits. And just about everyone has a new baseball-style gray “Daily Gazette” shirt, with blue ink spelling out who we are. But we need new softballs — the current crop is old, lopsided and beat-up ... kind of like some of our players. May have to ask Dan Beck if he would also like to become general manager of the softball team.

Actually, I think I still have a couple “Skyhawk” softballs in the basement.

For now, the summer game is alive on Maxon Road. All I have to do now is find Mr. Applegate’s address from “Damn Yankees” ... maybe we can swing another one of those Joe Hardy deals, and restore some youth to our pitcher.