From the Quad City Times:
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By Steve Batterson
A world champion will be crowned in the Quad-Cities later this summer when the International Softball Congress returns its world tournament to a place where it has solid roots.
The Quad-Cities hosted the world men’s fastpitch softball championship from 1961 to 1969 and again in 1973 at Rock Island’s Douglas Park, and players who were part of those teams won’t be forgotten when the ISC plays its 2009 world tournament in Moline in August.
A special all-tournament pass, for $19.60 and available through iscquadcities.com, is being offered to players on teams from that era. Back then, teams carried the names of sponsors such as Harrelson Motors, Hamm’s Beer, Rock Island Sport Shop and Miller Container and ranked among the nation’s elite.
“We would all work our day jobs, play in the (metro) league at night, and then go play in tournaments out of town on the weekends,” said Moline’s Gary Dobereiner, named in 2000 as an ISC hall of fame outfielder. “The level of competition here was exceptional.”
Dobereiner was a member of the only Quad-City team to win an ISC world title, the 1967 Harrelson Motors team. Then, as now, former player Gene Leibovitz of Silvis, Ill., said success began with pitching.
“I never knew if I could catch a fly ball because there were times when I went three weeks without seeing one,” Liebovitz said. “The pitchers were that good.”
Dick Stiles of Moline said there was mutual respect despite the competitive nature of local teams.
“We all wanted to win, but I think we had as much fun as anything,” Stiles said. “At the end of the day, it was still a game.”
From the commitment of sponsors to top-flight teams to fan support that averaged 3,500 per session during the tournament’s earlier run in the Quad-Cities, the sport’s rich local history will be celebrated as part of the 2009 world tourney.
The Quad-City Sox are the host team for the tournament that runs Aug. 14-21 at Moline’s Greenvalley Sports Complex, where opening ceremonies will be at 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15. Recognition of legendary teams from the Quad-City metro area is scheduled to be part of the opening activities.
“The sport has a real history in the Quad-Cities with players from both sides of the river,” Davenport’s Dick Hoeksema said. “The games at that time were so competitive, and for a lot of teams it was easier to leave town and win a tournament than it was to win the league.”
In conjunction with the ISC world tourney, an ISC II tourney designed for top teams of younger players, will be Aug. 18-22 at the Campbell Complex in Rock Island.
Ken Hackmeister, the executive director of the ISC, is scheduled to visit the Quad-Cities this week as tournament preparations continue.
