By GIB SNYDER III , Observer Today
I highly doubt anyone in the area spent as much time as I did over the past week watching the International Softball Congress’ World Fastball Tournament on the ISC Network.
I do not blame you. After all, it is summer and there are only so many warm days left until the cold and snow finds its way back to Western New York.
For me, however, it was a no-brainer. Over the course of the last five or 10 years, I have grown very fond of watching and following men’s fastpitch softball. Not just the local Dunkirk City League, but the game as it is played at its highest level, both on the international stage and the club level.
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Men’s fastpitch is a wonderful game to watch, especially when it is played at its top level, like it was during the 69th ISC tournament this past week, or like it was a couple weeks ago down in Erie, Pa., during the Ed McCormick Tournament that saw eight of the top club teams in the world come together for a weekend of highly-competitive games. But the men’s game is not just played at the club level.
This summer there were two international events – the World Baseball and Softball Confederation World Softball Championships and the Pan-Am games. Both were held in Canada and both were won by the host nation.
Around these parts, we have the First Ward Falcon Club Fastpitch Tournament, which has been held the third weekend of July for the past 40 years. The tournament draws some of the same players that play in the international events, as they are also members of elite club teams, which compete yearly in the ISC World Fastball Tournament. The ISC tournament was held this year in South Bend, Ind., and for just the third time in its 69-year history, a team won a third-consecutive title. Click here to continue reading at The Observer.