Open House for New Teams, New Players April 11, 2009
New league forming in Treasure Valley, Idaho. Click here for their PDF flyer.
Their approach is a good one, that has worked elsewhere – they’ve lined up a pool of pitchers, so that teams without one that want to compete can still join the league, and pick up one of the pool pitchers.
A Facebook Group to go with it. If you “friend” them, tell ’em Fastpitchwest sent you.
Brad Merrill was a teammate of mine, on the 1981 and 1982 Phase Alloy Miner teams. Brad passed away last Wednesday at age of 76. His fastpitch career spanned 62 years. In 2005, he was inducted into the National Senior Softball Hall of Fame. I’ve heard from a number of our teammates from that team, including Carl Catlin, who passed along the news. and Steve Miner who shared their memories of Brad.
That ’82 Phase Alloy Miners team was my first ever trip to a National tournament, and Brad was the veteran leader on the club. Brad was a favorite among an ecclectic collection of talented ballplayers. He was immortalized in a poem written about that championship squad by another teammate, Dave Schneiders, for loving to call the squeeze play from the third base coaches’ box. (“Brad, with his one-touch squeezies….”.) He was the relief pitcher with a sideways rise ball that often defied gravity, and the sluggers of his day.
The photo above captures him to a T. To me, he was the affable, likeable reliever, never far on the bench from our skipper and resident comedian, Ted Jensen, always ready to take the ball when things went wrong, and always quick with a good word to whomever he was replacing. I was a youngster of 26 when I played on Brad’s team, and he was already 59, the senior statesman on the team. He enjoyed the company of the younger players, taking pride in the fact he was still competing. I can still hear Ted Jensen hollering encouragement to him….“C’mon Methusula…”..a term of endearment to be sure. And then he’d sneak that sideways rise ball by a right hander to get out of that inning, flashing that smile that you see above as he headed back to join his teammates in the dugout…
Brad’s obituary appeared here, in the North County Times newspaper, with a legacy guest book here for people who wish to leave a note.
A story paying tribute to Brad by Terry Monahan also appeared in the North County Times (San Diego) reprinted below:
Popular North County coach remembered fondly by former players
By TERRY MONAHAN – Staff Writer
If you played recreational softball in Escondido, you probably knew Brad Merrill during his 62-year playing career.If you watched high school basketball in Escondido in the 1970s and into the ’80s, you knew about Merrill and his 1-3-1 zone defense with Orange Glen High’s boys team and later with San Pasqual’s girls team.
Merrill’s softball playing career, which included induction in 2005 into the National Senior Softball Hall of Fame in Plano, Texas, didn’t end until last fall. He was still coaching in a senior softball tournament in Peoria, Ariz., in late February, just weeks before he died of cancer Wednesday at the age of 76.
Merrill, who was married to his wife Liz for 53 years, coached boys basketball at Orange Glen for nine seasons and five seasons at San Marcos in addition to a short stint with a San Pasqual girls basketball team that reached the CIF San Diego Section 2A finals in 1987 before losing to La Jolla.
Russ Reilly, a point guard at Orange Glen (1978-80), remembered Merrill as an ultra-competitive person who taught his players the art of winning.
In the summer before Reilly’s senior year, the Patriots reached the playoffs in the old Pepsi Basketball League. They beat Madison, Morse and Helix to reach the finals against Kearny, then one of the county’s top programs.
Because teams were not allowed to wear school uniforms, the Patriots wore tank tops from the track team with board shorts for games. But for the finals, which was a warm-up game to the City-County All-Star game at Peterson Gym, teams could wear their school uniforms.
Reilly and Sean Salisbury, then a junior, picked up the uniforms at school, but Merrill wouldn’t let his team wear them. He told them to wear the track jerseys and board shorts.
“He said we were on a run in the other things, so we had to finish with them,” Reilly said Friday. “Kearny was out on the court styling with their cool uniforms and we were in our mismatched board shorts and track jerseys.
“Merrill told us we were on a run, and you can’t break a run.”
Orange Glen went on to win the championship.
Ten years after graduation, Reilly crossed paths with Merrill again, this time on the softball field in a fast-pitch game. Merrill was pitching, and quickly got ahead of Reilly with two strikes before throwing a changeup that Reilly blooped down the right-field line for a double.
“He was destroying us and talking trash,” Reilly said. “After the game the first thing he said was, ‘How could I throw a lame hitter like you a changeup?’
“That’s why I loved playing for the man.”
Salisbury, who played football at USC and later in the NFL, remembered Merrill’s competitive nature as being legendary and how it became infectious.
“If you didn’t pick up his competitiveness, you got left behind,” Salisbury said. “We weren’t a big X’s and O’s team. He taught us how to compete with what we had.
“This loss is a very sad day for me. I’m devastated by this loss.”
Lori Becker played for Merrill at Orange Glen, coached with him at San Pasqual and he later helped her with the girls basketball team at Escondido.
“This is a huge loss,” said Becker, the girls volleyball coach at Escondido. “It has left a void in my life.
“The last time I saw him Brad remembered a play he called for me to win the league title at OG. I think it was the old picket fence, but he remembered it in detail.
“That 1-3-1 defense of his stopped so many teams we had no business beating. I know I could never coach basketball again without Brad around to help me with the defense.”
An open-house celebration will be held by Merrill’s family from 1-4 p.m. on March 28 at the Mission Hills Church in San Marcos, 400 Mission Hills Court.
Contact staff writer Terry Monahan at (760) 739-6648 or tmonahan@nctimes.com.
49th ANNUAL SEATTLE INVITATIONAL
Where: Kasch Park
Everett, WA
Class: ‘B’/’C’ Classifications
When: August 1-2, 2009
Format: 3 Game Round Robin – Saturday
Single Elimination – Sunday
All Teams Advance To The Championship Round
At least 5 Game Guarantee
Cost: $300
Contact: Charlie Bendock
(206) 524-0426 (H)
(206) 601-2720 (Cell)
cbendock@comcast.net
Editor’s note: How old were you when this one started?
The second of our ISC stat trivia polls just hit 300 votes in just a couple day’s time. Click here to tally your vote in this week’s poll, “Which ISC pitcher has the most WT wins from 2002-2008?”
Our earlier trivia poll hit 322 votes in 4 days before the answer was announced.
Answer to be posted in Morning Brief on Saturday morning.
Most hits by a player in the ISC World Tournament over the past seven years? Drum roll please: Jarrad Martin. The veteran first baseman leads an elite group of hitters by a single hit, topping out the list with a whopping 60 hits.
The poll drew over 300 votes, in just four days time, among the most popular polls ever posted at Fastpitchwest. The voter tally was at 150 after a two days, and double with a boost from the announcement posted at Al’s Fastball. As you can see from the vote tallies, readers of Al’s and Fastpitchwest know their hitters. Many zeroed in on Jody Eidt and Ryan Wolfe to be near the top of the list. Martin was pegged a bit lower by voters, but still among the top four.
The interesting thing about the list is how close the totals are. A single game, and certainly the 2009 ISC World Tournament could shake up the top 10 in a week’s time.
Editor’s note: Watch for another ISC stat poll soon !
Six players are members of the 50 hit club:
Jarrad Martin 60
Jody Eidt 59
Paul Rosebush 57
Ryan Wolfe 54
Donnie Hale 50
Rob Gray 50
Two more will get there with their next hit:
Todd Budke 49
Colin Abbott 49
Actual Hit Totals – ISC World Tournament – 2002-2008
(voter projected ranking in parentheses)
Jarrad Martin 60 (4)
Jody Eidt 59 (1)
Paul Rosebush 57 (10)
Ryan Wolfe 54 (2)
Donnie Hale 50 (9)
Rob Gray 50
Todd Budke 49 (5)
Colin Abbott 49 (3)
Chris Miljavac 48
Darren Box 47
Patrick Shannon 46 (6)
Chris Delarwelle 45
Thomas Makea 7 45 (8)
Keith Mackintosh 44
Jeff Goolagong 43 (5)
Rhys Casley 42
Bill Simmons 41
Pat Mackintosh 38
Don Garvey 37
Jeff Ellsworth 37
Brad Rona 37
Here are the final voter guesses from the poll:
Selection Votes
Jody Eidt 20% 65
Ryan Wolfe 16% 51
Colin Abbott 12% 40
Jarrad Martin 9% 30
Todd Budke 7% 23
Jeff Goolagong 5% 15
Patrick Shannon 4% 14
Thomas Makea 4% 13
Donnie Hale 3% 11
Paul Rosebush 3% 9
Chris Miljavic 2% 8
Rhys Casley 2% 7
Jeff Ellsworth 2% 7
Bill Simmons 2% 7
Darren Box 2% 6
Rob Gray 1% 4
Chris Delarwelle 1% 4
Pat Mackintosh 1% 3
Brad Rona 1% 3
Keith Mackintosh 1% 2322 votes total
Friday is the final day to vote for the player that you think has the most hits in the past seven ISC World Tournaments combined. (2002-2008). Click here to vote
Answer to be revealed on Saturday.
Jeter, USA Teammates Arrive at LAX for WBC
(Photo by Maddy Flanagan, click to enlarge)
Derek Jeter arrives with his USA Baseball teammates for the final round of the World Baseball Classic to be held at Dodger Stadium this weekend. The USA and Venezuelan charter planes landed away from the central terminal, where the players deplaned and were whisked away by bus to their hotels. Maddy was able to borrow a camera, and snap a few shots, including the one shown above.
Editor’s note: Well, OK, it’s not fastpitch, but it is Derek Jeter, and the WBC is a great sporting event, no? No truth to the rumor that Jeter will be with Team USA in Saskatoon in July.
Cap tip: Here’s a group taking some concrete steps to develop the game. We encourage support of this novel idea.
Freeport Men’s Fast Pitch Mentor / Novice Tournament
Format: Date(s), August 1st & 2nd, 2009 – Double elimination -* Progressive pay
Cost: Entry = $120.00 +* Progressive pay (Entry fee due 10 days prior to tournament date)
* Above entry fee guarantees team two games, after which advancing teams pay $25.00/game to
continue play in the tournament (umpire fees), maximum pay per team will be $220.00
Contact: Rich Kunde – 616-765-5338, e-mail – ra1kunde@yahoo.com
P.O. Box # 101, Freeport, MI 49325-0101
DEFINITIONS:
Mentor / Novice Play – A competitive format designed to develop new pitching and/or players.
(Open roster)
Mentor Pitcher – An experienced pitcher willing to advise and develop new pitching.
(Open to all classifications)
Novice Pitcher – One in pursuit of skill and confidence to compete in league or state level play.
a.) As the primary pitcher, never championed in League or Tournament Fast Pitch.
b.) As a primary pitcher, never won a game at any state class or level of Fast Pitch.
(“Novice Pitchers†must be submitted with entry confirmation for review)
RULES: A.S.A. except for the following.
1 – Novice pitcher must throw to 3 batters per inning.
2 – Teams may have more than one novice or mentor pitcher.
3 – Everybody bats, free substitution, batting order stays same.
4 – Limit of 3 runs per inning except for walk off hits of any kind.
a.) This includes singles, doubles, triples, home runs.
b.) A batters hit with two (2) outs or less, must be played through until play ends, time
out is called or three (3) outs are recorded.
Example: Two (2) runs have scored, bases loaded with two out. A single is hit and
scores two runs lacking an out being recorded and play ends. Result: Two
outs, the team batting has scored four runs in their at bat, inning ends.
5 – In a last inning, be it the 7th inning or by time limit, visiting & home team will be allowed
unlimited runs. (This allows both teams an opportunity to win the game.)
6 – No A.S.A “game ending runs ahead rule in Mentor/Novice play.
7 – In any event a team cannot field a “novice pitcher†(injury, unavailable, no volunteer, etc.), a mentor pitcher†may start the inning. However, the batting team places runners on base, beginning at first, for each batter that a novice pitcher did not pitch to. (This rule is intended to prevent “faked injury†and allow a game to continue.)
8 – Home team will be determined by flip of coin and considered the “official score bookâ€.
Our view: Great news for the Midland economy
Published: Sunday, March 15, 2009 3:11 AM EDT
All we can say is … “YES!!â€In the midst of a tough economic climate, it sure was nice to hear the City of Midland is going to host the International Softball Congress 2010 men’s world fastpitch tournament in August 2010.
That’s great news for our economy, with an anticipated $2.25 million shot in the arm for our region.
Retailers are happy.
Restaurant owners are happy.
Motels and hotels will benefit as well.
It’s a win-win-win situation. Lots of local businesses should benefit from this tournament.
Midland has hosted big fastpitch softball tournaments before. In the years 1984 and 1996, Midland hosted world tournaments, like the one that is going to be here in 2010. Midland also has hosted men’s and women’s national tournaments and state tournaments. Midland also has had the women’s Olympic team at Currie Stadium.
We have the experience and know-how locally to make the ISC tournament a first-class production.
Credit should go to Kyle Beane of the Midland Explorers — and the entire Explorers’ operation — for pursuing the idea of a tournament in Midland.
He and fellow committee co-chairman Dave Lach made their pitch to ISC officials, who apparently liked what Midland had to say. Some final details need to be addressed, but the tournament is tentatively slated for mid-August, about the same time as the Midland County Fair.
Coming up this August, Quad Cities, Iowa will host the ISC tournament, so Midland has more than a year to before its ISC tournament, which typically attracts 32 teams from around the world and lasts about 10 days.
For decades, Midland has had a well-deserved reputation for being a community that loves softball.
This honor enhances our reputation, and, probably more importantly at this point in our history, enhances our local economy.
Editor’s Note: More coverage from the Midland Daily News on the 2010 ISC World Tournament plans.
Tournament to boost local economy
projected gain from ISC tournament $2.5 million
By Dan Chalk
of the Daily News
Published: Sunday, March 15, 2009 3:11 AM EDT
The 2010 International Softball Congress World Tournament will have a “tremendous†impact on the local economy and will hopefully return to Midland again in later years, said Jim Peckrul, executive director of the Midland County Convention and Visitors Bureau.The Midland Explorers Booster Club is working on finalizing a contract with the ISC to host the World Tournament and two other concurrent ISC men’s fastpitch softball tournaments over an eight-day period in August of 2010 — bringing about $2.35 million of projected revenue to the Midland area.
“This would be one of the larger economic impact events that we’ve had in Midland,†Peckrul said. “If you take a look at the history of the ISC and the number of cities that have hosted this event, this is a tremendous opportunity for Midland.â€
Up to 80 teams will be in town during the tournaments, representing more than 1,000 individuals from around the world. And as many as 20,000 fans are projected to attend the games, which will be played at Currie Stadium and the two other softball fields at Emerson Park, and at Redcoat Softball Complex.
Peckrul said the revenue that comes into the area from the tournament will sustain 29 jobs for the course of a whole year, according to figures from Michigan State University and Travel Michigan.
In the past, Emerson Park and Currie Stadium have been the sites of numerous major fastpitch softball events, including the ASA Men’s Major Nationals, ISF World Championships, USA Men’s National Team and Women’s National Team tryouts, and Olympic Softball team exhibition games.
Peckrul noted that not only does Midland offer a great softball venue, but it has a lot of other things to offer to fans who come watch the ISC.
“We’re a sports mecca,†he said.
And if players and fans like what they see in Midland, the likelihood increases that the city could host the event again in the future.
“If you can get (the ISC) to say, ‘We want to come back,’ that’s what we want to try to do,†Peckrul said.