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From Diamond Dirt Editor, John Thompson:

Click here to view Issue Number 3 for the Sr. Canadians (PDF)

Other “Diamond Dirt” news at Fastpitchwest.

Text version of this issue after the jump.

SCHEDULE CHANGE

FOR CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND

In an effort to accurately reflect appropriate timing and consideration for fastball fans, the following schedule is confirmed for the Playoff Weekend:

Sat. Sept. 5 – Eliminations (8 teams)

Game C3 – 11:00 am – 5th place vs 8th place

Game C4 – 1:00 pm – 6th place vs 7th place

Game C5 – 3:00 pm – WC3 vs LC1

Game C6 – 6:00 pm – WC4 vs LC2

Game C7 – 8:00 pm – WC1 vs WC2

Sun. Sept. 6 – Championship (4 teams)

Game C8 – 10:00 am – WC5 vs WC6

Game C9 – 12:30 pm – LC7 vs WC8

Game C10 – 3:00 pm – WC7 vs WC9

SCORE BOX AUCTIONED

If your local league needs a scorebox, if your kids need a tree house, if you cottage needs a storage shed, inquire about the SUPER DUPER DEAL availability of the 1st base score box. The box, plus roofing from the dugouts will be offered for sale at the end of the week… possibly by auction. Minimum opening bid is half the price of the materials only and winning bidder must dis-assemble the units – details at the media/finance trailer.

Photo here with copy wrap-around

Tammy waves from score-box

Today’s Key Games:

Pivotal Day for Host’s Double “Life-line”

12:00 pm – Jarvis Gamblers vs

ST. THOMAS CENTENNIALS

8:00 – Vancouver Grey Sox vs

ST. THOMAS CENTENNIALS

RESULTS – Monday Aug. 31

Harrah’s Mildmay Picks

(Record to date (8-3)

L 12:00 pm VANCOUVER GREY SOX 1 vs. St John’s Kelly’s Pub 6

Str. John’s Kelly’s Pub – 6R 7H 1E

Vancouver Grey Sox 1R 4H 2E

WP – Rob Greene (1-0) – 28 pitches, 26 strikes; Brad Ezekiel 2×3, 2 HR, 5 rbis; Justin Gill 2×3; Geoff Evely 2×4

LP – Tyson Barkman (0-1); Calem Gardner 2×3

W 2:00 pm – Jarvis Gamblers 1 vs KITCHENER RIVERSHARK TWINS 6

Jarvis 1st Ontario Gamblers -1R 7H 1E

Kitchener Rivershark Twins – 6R 9H 1E

WP – Dean Holoien (1-0) – 6K; 2×3 HR and 3 rbis; Ryan Wolfe 2×4, HR

LP – Rob O’Brien (0-1) – 4K; Ryan Thompson 2×3
W 4:00 pm – CHARLOTTETOWN FAWCETTS 6 vs Glace Bay Mets 0

Charlottetown Fawcetts – 6R 7H 1E

Glace Bay Mets – 0R 3H 0E

WP – Frank Cox (1-1) – 16 K; Mark Arsenault 3×4, 4 rbis;

LP – Trevor McCabe (0-2); Triple Play – late in the game, with Fawcetts runners at 1st and 2nd, a ground ball to 3B Derek “Eeker” MacDonald started a 5-4-3 DP, MacDonald stepping on 3rd, throwing quickly to 2B John J. McCarthey and over to 1B Ernie Pyke. For historic reference in the archives – the ground ball was put into play by veteran Kelly Wenstrom.
W 6:00 pm – Vancouver Grey Sox 6 vs JARVIS GAMBLERS 7

Jarvis made it two comebacks in as many nights, rebounding from 3-0, to tie it 3-3 prior to extra innings; each team scored 1 in the 8th and after the Sox led 6-4 in T9, Gamblers scored 3 in B9.

WP – Rob O’Brien (in relief) (1-1) 7K; Jason Hill 2×4; Jeff Ellsworth 2×5; Ian Fehrman 1×3, 3 rbis; LP – Derek Mayson (1-1) 4K; Calem Gardner, Scott Newitt & Blake Hunter all 2×4

W 8:00 pm – Brookfield Elks 1 vs

ST. THOMAS CENTENNIALS 9

WP Rob Schweyer (1-0) struck out the first 13 Elks, and 14 of 15 overall; Mark Coleman ignited a 7-run 3rd inning as host Centennials remain only undefeated team.

STANDINGS

Tuesday morning September 1

TEAM W L

Playoff Double Life

St. Thomas Evergreen Centennials 3 0

Brookfield NS Elks 2 1

Jarvis First Ontario Gamblers 2 1

Kitchener Hallman Rivershark Twins 1 1

Charlottetown PEI Fawcetts 1 1

Playoff Single Life

Vancouver BC Grey Sox 1 2

St. Johns NL Kelly’s Pub Canadians 1 2

Glace Bay NS Mets 0 3

HARRAH’S MILDMAY

PICKS FOR Tues. Sept. 1

(Winners BOLD UPPER CASE UNDERLINED)

(Record to date (8-3)

10:00 am KITCHENER RIVERSHARK TWINS vs Charlottetown Fawcetts

12:00 pm – Jarvis Gamblers vs

ST. THOMAS CENTENNIALS

2:00 pm – KITCHENER RIVERSHARK TWINS vs Glace Bay Mets

4:00 pm – CHARLOTTETOWN FAWCETTS vs Brookfield Elks

6:00 PM – JARVIS GAMBLERS vs

St. John’s Kelly’s Pub

8:00 – Vancouver Grey Sox vs

ST. THOMAS CENTENNIALS

CANADIAN NATIONALS

*T*R*I*V*I*A*

(answers to Monday Trivia)

1. 1999 and 2005

2. Dean Holoien (2008 Top Performer with Saskatoon and 2009 ISC MVP with Kitchener Hallman Rivershark Twins).

3. British Columbia (Victoria 1975-78)

4. Vandenbrink Farm Equipment and Huron Tractor Supply

5. Saskatoon Aspen Interiors – missing in action this year!

TODAY’S QUESTIONS

1. Three Jarvis Gamblers players made the 2008 Canadians All-Star team – who were they?

2. In 2008 at the Canadian Mens’ Championship in Saskatoon, 10 teams participated. Which provinces from last year are not attending this year?

3. Two provinces represented at the 2009 nationals have never won a Sr. Men’s Title since 1965. Which provinces?

4. Which of these two provinces has the best opportunity to win a Sr. Men’s Title in the future, based on the province’s Jr. Men’s team success this year?

5. This week, which local restaurant is promoting TW0 CAN DINE for $12.99?

BASEBALL QUOTES

“When I started baseball was played by nine tough competitors in graceful ball parks. By the time I finished, there were ten men on each side, the game was played indoors on plastic, and I had to spend half my time watching out for a man dressed in a chicken suit trying to kiss me”. MLB Umpire Ron Luciano

50/50 – Monday August 31

Draw #3 – #01146 – $300+ – won by the “Blue Crew”

Draw #4 – #01564 – $337 – unclaimed
YOGIsm – “I always thought that record would stand until it was broken.” from the great Yankees’ catcher Yogi Berra

DD Revisions – Umpire Terry Burr is from Puslinch, ON; Softball Canada Supervisor Bob Abbott is from Huntsville, ON (and coached in Shedden in an earlier fastball career); Umpire Dominic Germain is from Donnaconna, QC; hard to believe, but, YES, there is only ONE Jay Hart who is officiating at this event.

TOURNAMENT RULES

Up-Date

In yesterday’s Diamond Dirt the following Tournament Rule was cited… but it turns out that it is incorrect. Can you spot the error? Here it is again –

International Tie-breaker – if a game is tied after 7 innings, each following half inning, teams will start with a runner at 2B (the last out from prior inning) to assist in generating offence.

Indeed, offence has been generated in two games to date in this tourney – with teams tied at 1-1 after 7 innings in two games the final scores were 5-4 (Brookfield over St. John’s) and 7-6 (Jarvis over Vancouver)

Correct answer in upcoming issue of Diamond Dirt

MERCY RULE UPDATE – This tourney has a 7 run mercy after 5 innings (see yesterday’s DD). In ISC play, in 2010, the mercy rules shall be 7 runs differential after 5 innings, 12 after 4 or 15 after 3. Is this pro-active anticipating blowouts in 2010?

COMMENTARY FROM A FAN– What’s with 2 & 1/2 hour fastball games?

It’s a luxury hosting a tournament that embraces a schedule that starts at either 10 am… and some days only 12 noon. No more than half a dozen games to be played in a facility possessing five diamonds. So why does a “feature game”, scheduled for 8 pm to entice local fans to support the host team, start two hours late? On a weekday night, 10 pm is hardly prime time.

Monday night, a solid crowd was in attendance by 7:30 pm at Doug Tarry Sports Complex to cheer on their Evergreen Centennials, billed to meet the Brookfield Elks. A host committee’s dream – two undefeated teams, one the local heroes, with not a cloud in the sky and only a whisper of wind.

Instead, local fans were treated to an alternate match-up, albeit a cliffhanger as Jarvis rallied to nip Vancouver 5-4 in nine innings. At 7:30 pm, the opening pitch was just thrown for the 6:00 pm game. When the winning run crossed the plate just past 9:40, it was obvious the featured game would be 2 hours late in starting. Question – in the early evening, at 7:30 pm, how could the schedule be more than 90 minutes behind? Only three games had been played from 12 noon to 7:30 pm – an average of 2.5 hours each.

How has this great game of “fastball” turned agonizingly into “slow-ball?” If fans are stake-holders in this tournament, and gate receipts are key to the revenue and financial success, then the fans have a right to be catered to. In the 15 minutes required by grounds crews to prepare the infield for the day’s wisely-scheduled match-up involving the Host Centennials, fans should be filling the stands, not fleeing the park.

Yogi Berra stated – “If people don’t want to come out to the ball park, how are you going to stop them?”

In the past, a well-contested fastball game, with “Pete-Rose like” hustle and attitude evident in abundance everywhere, would be 7 innings played in 1.5 hours. This week any game played in less than 2-hours is a rarity (and a treat when it happens). Wanna keep people from returning to the park? Keep on dragging games excrutiatingly.

SUGGESTIONS TOMORROW – how to cut 20 minutes from an average game – everyone can help pitchers, catchers, batters, managers, umpires and officials. Let’s put “fast” back into fastball. Eliminate the opinion that if fans want to enjoy a “fast” softball game, they have to attend a slow-pitch tournament.

IT’S A NEW MONTH TODAY as September has pounced upon us, after such a “memorable” summer. Famous dates in the 9th month include Sept. 21 (1st day of autumn), and Sept. 1st, birthdays for Roseanne Allen of Owen Sound, a hard-working video streaming volunteer with the ISC and a long-time fastball fan, as well as Don “Rico” Carty, a memorable fastball character, the one so many “fondly loved to hate” in his role as Umpire in Chief for the St. Thomas & District Fastball Association. Happy Birthday Roseanne & Rico. One of these celebrants is 69 today! Which one? (Hint – one would ne

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