Hartley Miller's Slap-Shots Sept.8th Edition

By Hartley Miller

Often, in the sports world, a game, an event, or a tournament doesn’t live up to the hype. However, the Canadian Senior Men’s Fast Pitch Championship in Prince George defied this logic by providing spectators with unparalleled excitement.

The defending champion St Thomas Evergreen Centennials posted a perfect 10-0 record, which included a dramatic final against the upstart Prince George Black Bears. It was only fitting that the last of 38 games would be the longest and that a home run would end the drama as Dale Levy slammed a gold medal winning solo shot over the left field fence, in the bottom of the 9th, to give the Centennials the 4-3 victory.

Black Bears General Manager and the Vice Chairman for the Nationals, Jeff "I’m not over the" Hill, could not have asked for more from his team. "We couldn’t have scripted it any better. Everything fell in our favor. Home team, ranked 8th out of 8, made it to the final, the weather was outstanding, and the crowds were outstanding. It was one of the best events held in Prince George in years" said Hill.

Crowds for the Black Bears games ranged from 1,200 to 2,700, making it the most attended sports event in the city this summer.

The long ball, and high scores were the trademarks of this tournament, or depending on your perspective, the lowlight of the event. Combined runs per game ranged from a low of three to a high of 17. There was also an average of nearly three home runs per contest (108 total) that many attribute to the aluminum bats, which have been banned in many of the baseball leagues. Another contributing factor to the run explosion was that pitchers had to have two feet (as opposed to the old rule of one) on the rubber before they went into their windup.

I’m not convinced having 8-6 (which was the result of the PG semi-final victory over Jarvis, Ont) scores are in the best interest of the sport. Black Bears Manager Nino Fabbro agrees, "I don’t think you saw many bunts and the home runs were incredible". When asked if the game is better, Fabbro replied: "I don’t think so. I think they have to do something about the bats".

A silver medal can be bittersweet, but it’s the first medal for a PG team at the National "A" level and something Fabbro won’t forget. "Well it’s the best I’ve ever done in fastball. I’ve won lots of Provincials but this is the pinnacle for me".

Although the Black Bears 17 man roster included nine out of town players, no one was more valuable than slugger and local resident Chad Ghostkeeper, who was named the all-star catcher for the second straight year at the Canadians. Based on his play (19 for 41, .463 batting average, 8 homers and
and 1.000 fielding pct.) Ghostkeeper should be a candidate for the National team, but father time might be against him. "It could be my age, I’m 35", although Ghostkeeper adds "The peak in times (for fastball players) is 30 to 40 I guess".

The future of the Black Bears may come down to securing a major sponsor. The team ran a budget this year of roughly $60 thousand, and if they wish to remain an upper echelon club, this figure may need to be increased.

Isn’t that always the case? Even in amateur sport, success largely depends on when, and where, the buck stops.

From the quote rack:

Mark Devine of Kokomo, Ind. in Tom Fitzgerald’s syndicated column

Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

----

Contributor Bill Littlejohn of South Lake Tahoe, California 

Bill Littlejohn

-----

Jeff Funnekotter of Calgary in Cam Hutchinson’s column in the Saskatoon StarPhoenix on the movie Snakes on a Plane.

And in case you missed it:

Now available at nflshop.com for just $599.99 US, a sofa in your favorite team’s official colors that includes a logo. As Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times points out: "The Houston Texans model, no doubt, goes well in any basement." 

And how was your week?

Hartley Miller is the sports director for radio stations 94X and the Wolf@97fm. He also writes for the
PG Free Press. Send along a quote, note or anecdote to hmiller@94xfm.com

Email | Print | Facebook | Twitter | Digg | Del.icio.us