Traveling to Fargo by Way of Wisconsin
The "Boys of Summer" that author Roger Kahn wrote about learned to play baseball during the 1930s and 1940s in such places as Reading, Pennsylvania; Anderson, Indiana; Plainfield, New Jersey; Woonsocket, Rhode Island. They went on to to become the Brooklyn Dodgers of the 1950's, in the game's golden era.
The games at the "Boys of Summer" being held in Denmark, Wisconsin this weekend (July 9-11, 2004) are admittedly different than those played at Ebbetts Field. But look a little further and you might find some similarities between the two, and enjoy finding a bit of the past right here in the present.
Like the original "Boys of Summer" that played in those small towns and eventually made the big time, the players converging on Denmark Wisconsin this weekend are chasing their own dream, of becoming champions in their sport, of reaching that final game of the ISC World Tournament. Sometimes that journey takes them to out of the way places, where the local folks delight in a chance to see future greatness, where the teams and their players can discover a bit of America that they had not had the chance to enjoy, and perhaps even a bit about themselves in the process.
One such town for the fastpitch world is Denmark, Wisconsin, which will host its 4th annual "Boys of Summer" tournament starting this evening, and will be run in conjunction with the Knights of Columbus Branch in Denmark, WI. The Knights of Columbus ran the tournament from 1970-1997, and has been revived after a short hiatus by the Circle Tap Fastpitch Association in 2001. The Circle Tap Diamond is located behind Circle Tap Bar and Grill just two miles west of Denmark. It offers fastpitch fans several of the best vantage points from which to watch a game. You can view the games outside on the bleachers or sit at one of the tables on the deck off the bar, or you can also watch the games from inside the bar through the huge windows.
This year's lineup of teams might be the most competitive in the four years that the tournament has been held. Four of the teams are members of the ISC's Top Ten, including the host, Circle Tap, whose #4 ranking puts it right on the heels of #2 County Materials and #3 The Farm. The latter two teams have both beaten the current #1 Broken Bow during the past month, with County emerging from another world class roster of teams with the championship trophy at Monkton last weekend. County boasts living legend Darren Zack, who, like Roger Clemens, still has Hall of Fame abilities into his 40's. Rod Petersen's Farm team has been among the top handful of teams for more than a decade, and will include a player some say is among the best pure hitters in the game, California's own Todd Budke. Houston Houston H.I.S. currently #8 in the world will be there as well, fresh from their tournament victory in San Antonio Texas at the Glowworm Tournament, with Robert Florencia continuing to lead the way.
Three more teams in the "Boys of Summer" find their name in the ISC's Top 20, and will arrive in Wisconsin this weekend with a shot at knocking off one of those top 10 teams and making a name for itself. # 11 Imaging Systems Knights, who added perennial All World pitcher Michael White in their quest for an ISC World title before the home town fans in Fargo North Dakota this year. RWP of Minnesota with Team USA's Chad Boom recently took over the #17 spot in the ISC Rankings from Team Rainey -- as Rainey advanced up the ladder to #15, after victories over 4 higher ranked teams this year.
Team Rainey will be making the trip to Denmark for the Boys of Summer for the first time this year. Most of Rod Rainey's crew will take off from John Wayne Airport in Orange County, where they will meet up with the rest of their contingent from Northern California flying out of San Francisco. You won't find Dodgers and Giants sharing the same dugout in Roger Kahn's book. But on Team Rainey, the all stars from the north have been greeted with open arms, including Mike Butler, who impressed Rose Cup fans with three home runs this year, one against Broken Bow and two more against Victoria, and Nate Devine, who also homered against Victoria, and just missed one against Broken Bown when Rose Cup MVP Ryan Wolfe ran through the portable fencing to rob him of another in the title game. After facing #1 Broken Bow in Rose Cup twice, including the championship game, Team Rainey finds themselves in the same pool as #2 County Materials, who may well rise to the #1 spot in the next set of rankings. Rod Rainey says that he expects "to compete and make a good showing, with the goal of making it to Sunday".
In 2004, the road to Fargo takes many a turn, this weekend, winding through Denmark, Wisconsin, where some of the best fastpitch teams in the world gather, and where men can once again become....."the Boys of Summer".
(Games begin this evening, with the three top Wisconsin teams, County Materials, the Farm, and host Circle Tap all seeing action) For more information, click here.
The games at the "Boys of Summer" being held in Denmark, Wisconsin this weekend (July 9-11, 2004) are admittedly different than those played at Ebbetts Field. But look a little further and you might find some similarities between the two, and enjoy finding a bit of the past right here in the present.
Like the original "Boys of Summer" that played in those small towns and eventually made the big time, the players converging on Denmark Wisconsin this weekend are chasing their own dream, of becoming champions in their sport, of reaching that final game of the ISC World Tournament. Sometimes that journey takes them to out of the way places, where the local folks delight in a chance to see future greatness, where the teams and their players can discover a bit of America that they had not had the chance to enjoy, and perhaps even a bit about themselves in the process.
One such town for the fastpitch world is Denmark, Wisconsin, which will host its 4th annual "Boys of Summer" tournament starting this evening, and will be run in conjunction with the Knights of Columbus Branch in Denmark, WI. The Knights of Columbus ran the tournament from 1970-1997, and has been revived after a short hiatus by the Circle Tap Fastpitch Association in 2001. The Circle Tap Diamond is located behind Circle Tap Bar and Grill just two miles west of Denmark. It offers fastpitch fans several of the best vantage points from which to watch a game. You can view the games outside on the bleachers or sit at one of the tables on the deck off the bar, or you can also watch the games from inside the bar through the huge windows.
This year's lineup of teams might be the most competitive in the four years that the tournament has been held. Four of the teams are members of the ISC's Top Ten, including the host, Circle Tap, whose #4 ranking puts it right on the heels of #2 County Materials and #3 The Farm. The latter two teams have both beaten the current #1 Broken Bow during the past month, with County emerging from another world class roster of teams with the championship trophy at Monkton last weekend. County boasts living legend Darren Zack, who, like Roger Clemens, still has Hall of Fame abilities into his 40's. Rod Petersen's Farm team has been among the top handful of teams for more than a decade, and will include a player some say is among the best pure hitters in the game, California's own Todd Budke. Houston Houston H.I.S. currently #8 in the world will be there as well, fresh from their tournament victory in San Antonio Texas at the Glowworm Tournament, with Robert Florencia continuing to lead the way.
Three more teams in the "Boys of Summer" find their name in the ISC's Top 20, and will arrive in Wisconsin this weekend with a shot at knocking off one of those top 10 teams and making a name for itself. # 11 Imaging Systems Knights, who added perennial All World pitcher Michael White in their quest for an ISC World title before the home town fans in Fargo North Dakota this year. RWP of Minnesota with Team USA's Chad Boom recently took over the #17 spot in the ISC Rankings from Team Rainey -- as Rainey advanced up the ladder to #15, after victories over 4 higher ranked teams this year.
Team Rainey will be making the trip to Denmark for the Boys of Summer for the first time this year. Most of Rod Rainey's crew will take off from John Wayne Airport in Orange County, where they will meet up with the rest of their contingent from Northern California flying out of San Francisco. You won't find Dodgers and Giants sharing the same dugout in Roger Kahn's book. But on Team Rainey, the all stars from the north have been greeted with open arms, including Mike Butler, who impressed Rose Cup fans with three home runs this year, one against Broken Bow and two more against Victoria, and Nate Devine, who also homered against Victoria, and just missed one against Broken Bown when Rose Cup MVP Ryan Wolfe ran through the portable fencing to rob him of another in the title game. After facing #1 Broken Bow in Rose Cup twice, including the championship game, Team Rainey finds themselves in the same pool as #2 County Materials, who may well rise to the #1 spot in the next set of rankings. Rod Rainey says that he expects "to compete and make a good showing, with the goal of making it to Sunday".
In 2004, the road to Fargo takes many a turn, this weekend, winding through Denmark, Wisconsin, where some of the best fastpitch teams in the world gather, and where men can once again become....."the Boys of Summer".
(Games begin this evening, with the three top Wisconsin teams, County Materials, the Farm, and host Circle Tap all seeing action) For more information, click here.
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