Update, August 30, 2010: One more for the road – a post-ISC-World-Tournament “bonus edition”, issue # 9. Click here to view.
Kudos again to John Thompson, editor Diamond Dirt, which he somehow managed to get into print each day – on top of his other duties, including presenter for Darren Zack’s Hall of Fame induction and the release of his new book, Z-Man”. Thanks, John !
Diamond Dirt Issue # 2
Diamond Dirt Issue # 3
Diamond Dirt Issue # 4
Diamond Dirt Issue # 5
“PRAWN” is the acronym for “Player Representative All World Names”, a “restricted list” of the games top players, based on those named to All World teams at the ISC World Tournament over the past three years. The list and rules are designed to foster parity among teams, limited the number of “PRAWN” players and pitchers that a team may have on its roster.
PRAWN RULES
(click link for official ISC posting)
(click logo for original story)
By Geoff Mott | The Saginaw News
President of the International Softball Congress Dean Oscar, of Reedsburg, Wis., leads the opening ceremony for the 2010 ISC World Tournament held at Emerson Park in Midland on Saturday, Aug. 14. The ISC was pleased with the results from the tournament and may tab Midland for future tournaments. (Photo by Emily-Rose Bennett)
MIDLAND — It takes a world-class effort to put on a world-class event.
That was quite evident during nine days of International Softball Congress World Tournament action at Midland’s Emerson Park last week.
The only complaint I heard was in regard to ISC brackets, which included an ISC II bracket for the first 24 teams eliminated. With some teams needing three losses to be eliminated, one wondered if the ISC tabbed a physicist down the road from Dow Corning to come up with the bracket formula.
Emerson Park’s three fields were well-manicured, bright flowers greeted fans at the entrance to Currie Stadium and an estimated crowd of 15,000 found time between the Great Lakes Loons homestand and the Midland County Fair to create their own festive atmosphere for the 180 games.
“It was a total success from the host’s standpoint,†said Kyle Beane, co-chair of the ISC Host Committee. “The weather was perfect, nothing got backed up and everything I heard from teams, players, officials and fans were all positives.
“It was a long year-and-a-half, but it was well worth it.â€
Beane and his crew modernized Currie Stadium quickly, running Internet into the pressbox and razing an infield that had built up over the years. While razing the dirt infield, workers uncovered a wooden slab believed to be used to anchor a pitching rubber back in the day. When isn’t clear, but officials think it could date back as far as the Dow AC’s of the 1940s.
This year’s tournament had 45 shifts, using 12 to 15 volunteers for each shift to keep track of stats, scores, traffic direction, water refills, beer tent and cleanup.
“The Midland community really got involved,†Host Committee member Peter Finn said. “It went better than I thought. A month before the tournament, you’re scrambling, thinking we need this for this and that for that.â€
Midland became just the second city in Michigan to host the ISC Worlds, the other being Saginaw in 1981. Saginaw had the memorable 34-inning marathon game that is talked about to this day.
Midland provided its own memories.
There was hard-throwing Adam Folkard, an Aussie for the Jarvis (Ont.) Travelers who hurls the softball equivalent of a 104 mph fastball in Major League Baseball. New York Gremlins Rhys Casley, another Australian native, smashed a grand slam in the 10th inning on the first pitch he saw after a 40-minute delay was needed for his teammate, who was knocked unconscious with a pitch to his helmet.
The Travelers knocked out two-time defending champion Kitchener (Ont.) Riversharks Twins in an entertaining title game that was close until Jarvis hit back-to-back homers in the sixth inning. There were 2,000 people in the stands Friday and Saturday night, despite the fact that the hometown Midland Explorers were eliminated early Thursday.
“With the Loons, Midland County Fair and Mount Pleasant’s fair, I think we showed there’s still a lot of fastpitch softball fans around here,†Beane said. “Our goal was to run a great tournament and pay our bills and we’re right on track for that.â€
Midland may be on track to host the top players in the world again in two years. Kitchener dropped its bid to host the tournament in 2012 and rumor is because of the added pressure of holding the extra games in the ISC II.
“There used to be three to five cities bidding to host this, but with the economy and everything, there’s not as much interest,†Finn said. “ISC officials were pleased and I heard people say it’s the best ISC they’ve been at in 10 years.
“Without a doubt, they want to come back here. I think people here need to recharge our batteries from this week, but a fair amount of work that was down to put this on won’t have to be done again.â€
And the novice softball fans and the aficionados just might again be able to enjoy the best fastpitch players who hail from Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Argentina and the United States.
“Emerson Park is ideal for this tournament,†Beane said. “We have three fields that are good for it and a fan can watch action on all three fields in 10 minutes. We’re an added benefit because of our proximity to Ontario.
“We still have a hotbed of softball right here.â€
You can find the rest of MLive’s outstanding coverage of the 2010 ISC World Tournament here.
Winger: ISC, Midland a good match
By Don Winger
Some things never change. That includes Midland’s ability to host a world class men’s fastpitch softball tournament.
In the 1970s and 1980s, it was the Amateur Softball Association’s national championship. This year it was the International Softball Congress’ World Fastpitch Tournament.
The host committee for the ASA tournaments was the Midland Redcoats, who were a group of dedicated volunteers who gave hundreds of hours toward making the tournaments a success.
For the ISC tournament that concluded last Saturday the same volunteer spirit existed for the Midland Explorers. Kyle Beane and David Lach, co-chairs of the 2010 ISC host committee, received the same kind of cooperation for their tourney as the Redcoats did for theirs.
Wherever you went at Emerson Park or the Redcoat Softball Complex, there were always volunteers in bright yellow shirts ready to lend a hand. They were available to answer questions to assist the many softball fans who flocked to Midland for the tourney.
Particularly visible were tourney co-directors Lee “Ike” Isenhart and Jim Volk as they rode their golf carts from diamond to diamond to make sure things were running smoothly.
As usual, Marcie Post and her Parks and Recreation Department staff did a superb job of keeping the ball diamonds in tip-top playing shape. Consequently, players had to worry about few if any bad hops turning routine ground balls into base hits. Even when called on to fix the landing area for pitchers, as they did on Emerson 3 one day, they were quick to respond.
Away from the playing fields, the highlight of the tourney was the ISC Hall of Fame induction breakfast at Valley Plaza Resort.
I had the pleasure of giving the invocation before sitting back and listening to the accolades afforded the various inductees.
As pitcher Darren Zack — who celebrated his 50th birthday that day — was introduced, I thought back to the previous afternoon. That was when he pitched his Cobourg (Ontario) Force to victory in their first tournament game. Although he did not strike out a lot of hitters as he might have in earlier times, his veteran presence on the mound was not that of a 50-year-old player.
My hope is that the ISC officials were sufficiently impressed to want to return to Midland in the future. If that opportunity arises, I urge the Explorers to go for it. If we did it once, we can do it again.
Don Winger is the retired executive sports editor of the Daily News.
(click for original news story)
BY CHRISTINE RIVET, RECORD STAFF
KITCHENER — This city should get back in the world softball game.
That sentiment comes from Dave Bailey, a player and coach with the two-time International Softball Congress’s world champion Kitchener Rivershark Twins.
Bailey’s team just returned from the ISC world tournament in Midland, Mich. where the R-Twins earned the silver medal.
“This tournament belongs in Ontario,†said Bailey who also runs his own senior men’s fastpitch tourney in his hometown, Tavistock.
“I had a lot of questions (about the new format), too,†he said. “But everything I saw said Midland was a great success.â€
Back in March, a group of Kitchener-based organizers abruptly pulled out of hosting the 2011 worlds because the American-based ISC had changed the event’s format.
“We wouldn’t make the money that the groups expected to make,†Duncan Matheson, slated to be the 2011 tournament’s chair, told The Record in March.
“And I’m not about to lead a group of volunteers down a rocky road.â€
The local organizing committee, comprised of ball associations and service clubs who would have split the proceeds, voted unanimously to walk away after the ISC combined the elite men’s bracket with the its second-tier tourney, thereby diluting the product, the Kitchener group said.
The Kitchener committee’s decision led to an acrimonious divorce with the ISC, leaving some to wonder if the sport’s governing body would ever return to Kitchener.
This city previously hosted some of the ISC’s most successful world tournaments, in 2002, 2006 and 2007.
Kitchener’s organizers estimated they raised close to $100,000 and drew about 50,000 fans for each of those events.
Local organizers also said the 2006 and 2007 events pumped about $7-million into the region’s economy through spinoff spending.
The Midland tournament’s co-chair David Lach said his committee’s objectives were more modest because it didn’t have the army of volunteers available in Kitchener.
“We were able to break even and meet our budget goals. All along our intent was not to make money on the event.
“The entire host committee was made up of members who were passionate about fastpitch softball and who wanted to leave a lasting memory. . .â€
Bailey said differences between the Kitchener group and the ISC should be patched up for the good of the game.
He pointed out that 19 teams from Ontario competed in Midland, earning a clean sweep of all four division titles.
Bailey also said Kitchener’s Peter Hallman Ball Yard is a perfect venue for the ISC tourney’s new format.
“I’d love to see Kitchener get back in the game,†said Bailey whose R-Twins won world titles in 2008 and 2009.
The ISC’s 2011 world tournament has since been awarded to the Quad Cities area of Iowa and Illinois.
The R-Twins are in Charlottetown starting this weekend to defend their Canadian senior men’s fastpitch title.
crivet (at) therecord.com
(click logo to visit the new “Clips” section of ISC Broadcast site, another of the great features from Meridix)
Some great Canadian TV (CTV) news coverage of the Kitchener Rivershark Twins, courtesy of our friends at CTV.
Click here or thumbnail to view News coverage on Thursday, August 19, 2010
Click here or thumbnail to view News coverage on Saturday, August 21, 2010
Cap tip to Al Doran for connecting us with CTV.
(click logo for original news story)
Cleary, Mullaley and Blair Ezekiel all named to first all-star team
Sean Cleary
The 2010 International Softball Congress (ISC) men’s world fastball tournament in Midland, Mich., featured star turns by many of the 13 Newfoundland natives who participated.
Topics : Pennsylvania Power , Albaugh , Diamondbacks Fastpitch Club, Charlottetown , Port Huron Shawn , New York.
None shone brighter than Sean Cleary.
The Harbour Main native, playing for the Pennsylvania Power, was a perfect 4-0, with two no-hitters at the ISC tourney and was named the first team all-world pitcher.
Cleary, who plays locally for the Kelly’s Pub Molson Bulldogs of the St. John’s senior league, registered his no-nos in a 15-strikeout win over host Midland Mickey’s Sleds and a 17-strikeout, 7-1 win over the Port Huron Shawn Chiropractic.
Overall, Cleary allowed seven hits, 14 walks and two earned runs over 31 innings, giving him a tournament-best 0.45 ERA while striking out 64. At the plate, he hit .313, scored three runs and had a pair of RBIs.
The Jarvis Travelers, whose roster includes St. John’s natives Sean and Robbie O’Brien, won the ISC crown, defeating another Ontario-based team, the Kitchener Rivershark Twins, 4-1 in Sunday’s championship game.
Sean O’Brien scored and drove in a run in the title match and was named the all-world second team catcher.
The O’Briens have lived in and played out of Ontario for a number of years, however Sean will play as an import for 3 Cheers Pub/Bud Light, one of two Newfoundland entries for the 2010 Canadian senior men’s softball championship, which begins in Charlottetown, P.E.I., later this month.
Brothers Brad and Blair Ezekiel of Harbour Main played for Kitchener, as did Darrell Joy, yet another native of that Conception Bay Central community.
Blair Ezekiel was selected a first-team all-star after hitting .450 and driving in five runs. Also named a first team all-star selection was outfielder Stephen Mullaley of Freshwater, who scored four runs and drove in four more for New York/Chicago Fastpitch.
Other Newfoundlanders competing in Midland included Jason Hill (New York/Chicago Fastpitch), Ward Gosse (Albaugh Inc.), Geoff Evely (Saskatoon Diamondbacks Fastpitch Club), Mike Noftall (Quyon Combat Flyers), Sean Whitten (Taylor Farms California A’s), and Ryan Boland (Minnesota Angels).
Hill, Brad Ezekiel, Evely, Gosse and Mullaley will also be playing for 3Cheers in Charlottetown, as will Whitten, who is considered an import as he now resides in Calgary.
Spidey.(Photo by Maddy Flanagan, www.maddysphotos.com (click to enlarge)
Can anyone ID Spidey? Looks like it might be an Albaugh uni?
Email jim (at) fastpitchwest.com
Editor’s update: Lucas Goring of Albaugh IA, they tell me. Toby Maguire beware – he’s after your job. Reminscent of another wall climber.
Brad Rona Auckland, NZ
Ben Enoka Auckland, NZ
Nick Shailes Canberra, Australia
Adam Folkard Canberra, Australia
Jeff Ellsworth Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
Tim Macumber Halifax, Nova Scotia
Frederik Terkelsen Horsholm, Denmark
Trevor Ethier Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Rob O’Brien Elora, Ontario
Sean O’Brien Brockville, Ontario
Ian Fehrman Townsend, Ontario
Andrew Phibbs Hagersville, Ontario
Allan Phibbs Hagersville, Ontario
Chad Staats Townsend, Ontario
Greg Corneyea Hagersville, Ontario
Will Fehrman Townsend, Ontario
Brandon Horn Waterloo, Ontario
Pat Graham Paris, Ontario
(click logo for original news story)
By JACOB ROBINSON, SIMCOE REFORMER
Over the years, the Jarvis Travelers have won plenty of big name tournaments, but there was one — the ISC World Championship — that elude them. Making matters worse, the team had to sit and watch their Ontario rivals from Kitchener win each of the past two summers.
This year though, with a revamped roster, Jarvis finally climbed to the top of the mountain, winning their first ISC World Tournament Title in Midland, Michigan, Saturday night.
“It was amazing really, that’s what you live for,” said pitcher Andrew Phibbs. “That’s what you play the game for and it was really a dream come true.”
There was no shortage of storylines heading into the final game either. Three straight wins — one in extra innings — to start the week left Jarvis within shouting distance of the one-game, winner-take-all showdown.
The team hit a snag along the way though. A loss to the New York Gremlins 3-1 on Thursday in the “winner’s bracket” meant the club would have to win once on Friday, which they did, and then back-to-back contests Saturday just to have a chance at facing the undefeated Kitchener Rivershark Twins in the final.
“We knew that we had to win three games to win the championship, and we’ve beaten all three teams before, so before we left the hotel we said, ‘Let’s just take it one inning at a time, one game at a time,'” explained Travelers GM Clarke Staats.
After a 3-1 victory over Harrisburg Friday, things took what seemed like a disastrous turn in the quarter-final. The team’s ace, Aussie Adam Folkard, was taken out due to a shoulder injury and would be unable to return.
Unfazed, Jarvis turned to Trevor Ethier and Phibbs, who hadn’t been used for the entire week.
“Andrew didn’t get the ball at all…I talked to (coach) Daryl (Fehrman) during the week and said, ‘We’d better get Andrew throwing because we’re going to need him.’ He threw batting practice, and nobody likes to do that, but he did and when he got the call to come in, he was pretty excited. I know a few people that were nervous, but Andrew is such a competitor and a great athlete, and he wants the ball,” said Staats.
Phibbs held strong and the Travelers scored two on a passed ball in the eighth inning to edge Chicago/New York 6-4.
The semifinal against the Gremlins also went into extra innings, where shortstop Ian Fehrman hit a three-run home run in the 10th to give Jarvis a lead. They would hold on despite giving up two in the bottom half to win 5-4.
In the final, the powerful Rivershark Twins were waiting.
The Twins were without their ace Todd Martin, and so both teams took to the diamond looking for their depth pitchers to provide the biggest win of their careers.
Jarvis took a 2-0 lead in the second with two runs on three hits. Kitchener cut the deficit to 2-1 in the bottom half, and with the bases loaded, Jarvis took out Ethier and turned to Phibbs.
“Facing their number four batter Pat Shannon — it was a tough situation, your heart is pounding for something like that,” said Phibbs. “I just threw the ball and things worked out.”
Phibbs retired the next two batters to get out of the inning and, at that point, a world title seemed very possible.
“You got the sense right then and there that we have a good shot at winning,” said Staats.
“Andrew settled right in, hit the targets and proved that he’s a world class pitcher. We knew that Adam’s shoulder probably wasn’t going to allow him to play, and I can’t say enough about the job (Phibbs) did. He made the difference for us.”
Nick Shailes and Brad Rona hit back-to-back solo home runs in the sixth to extend the lead. In the seventh inning, with two down, Phibbs got Kitchener’s Ryan Wolfe to ground out to Ian Fehrman, who delivered a strike to Travelers veteran Pat Graham at first to end it.
“When I saw that ball go to Ian, we knew he would make the play, and Pat is always sure-handed, that’s why he was in the game,” explained Staats. “And when it hit Pat’s mitt, it was party time. It’s a pretty amazing feeling — it’s still sinking in.”
The script was something out of a movie for Phibbs, who didn’t look like he’d be called upon at the start of the week.
“It was like, I didn’t really believe I was in that predicament,” he said. “When you’ve got someone like Adam Folkard, he should be pitching in that situation, but he wasn’t able to go. For me to be in there was just awesome. We had a lot of guys that hadn’t won the ISC Championship before — we figured we had only 4 guys had won it — to be able to help them and be a big part of it was pretty special.”
Jacob Robinson
jrobinson (at) bowesnet.com
