Team ceasing operations, can’t find a major sponsor

By Darryl G. Smart
Sports Editor

INNERKIP — The glass slipper the Innerkip Eagles wore during the International Softball Congress world tournament this summer has been smashed to pieces. “It is with great disappointment that I announce that the Innerkip Eagles are ceasing operations for the upcoming 2008 fastball season,” manager Jeff Whetstone said in a press release. “Due to the inability to secure a sponsor, we will be unable to operate.” Whetstone said for the team to survive another season, it needed $20,000. Despite that, the writing was on the wall.
“We could have waited until Christmas to make a decision, but it wouldn’t be fair to the players,” Whetstone said. “But we all knew that this would happen eventually.”

This end comes on the heels of the team’s best season, which included an eighth-place finish at the ISC world tournament in Kitchener. “Finishing eighth at this year’s ISC tournament was one of our team’s highlights,” Whetstone said. The Eagles began their journey in 2000, winning the South Perth Men’s Fastball League, the Ontario Amateur Softball Association eliminations, the North American Fastball Association ‘AA’ and eastern Canadian championships.

“We won everything possible so the guys wanted to try it,” Whetstone said. So the Eagles’ next obvious step was to senior. For seven years, the Eagles gradually began to make a name for
themselves on the world stage, moving up the world ladder. In league play, the Eagles captured the 2005 title and lost to the Jarvis Merchants in the season’s final.

“The Eagles have been a mainstay in keeping the ISC Travel League alive and it is the unsung effort of the Jeff Whetstones in the game that sadly gets lost when a team can no longer operate,” ISC Hall of Famer Larry Lynch said. “Take pride in the fact that you have given
a lot of players the opportunity to play at the highest level and continue at the highest level. Teams across North America have bolstered their own by recruiting from small- town Innerkip.” And that’s exactly what is starting to happen.

While catcher Pat Humphries recently signed with the current world champion Farm Tavern, the rest of the Eagles will try to latch on with another senior team. Unfortunately, the numbers game may play a factor, thanks to a merger between the Kitchener Hallman Twins and Orillia Riversharks. As part of the merger, it was agreed the new team will consist of players from both squads, meaning a full team’s worth of players will be looking for a place to play.
Despite the Eagles folding, Whetstone said there were no regrets. “If you see where we started, not many people heard of Innerkip,” Whetstone said. “Now they know most of our guys.”

Darryl Smart
519-537-2341 ext. 258
dsmart@bowesnet.com
www.woodstocksentinelreview.com

From

[Denmark, WI USA] – The Circle Tap Fastpitch team is ready to announce the recent commitments for the 2008 season. With the recent transactions, the team feels confident that we have put together a team that will compete at the highest level and have an outstanding 2008 season. We look forward to playing in front of the home crowd in Kimberly at the ISC’s.

Here are the newest members of the Tappers.

Don Garvey
Jess Ellestad
Chris Miljavac
Kelly Wenstrom
Ryan Brand
Glenn Ormsby

Hope to see you all at the ballpark. Consider making a trip to Denmark, WI and take in the Boys of Summer Open which will be held July 11-13, 2008

Zakk
CT Fastpitch
zakkflash(at)greenbaynet.com

Editor’s note: To date, Circle Tap is the biggest beneficiary of the Kitchener/Orillia merger. Four of the six come over from the Orillia Riversharks, following their merger for 2008 with the Kitchener Hallman Twins — Miljavic, Wenstrom, Brand and Ormsby. Ellestad was on the CT roster for last year’s ISC World. Garvey’s name does not appear on the preliminary rosters submitted for the 2007 WT, but has been a Tapper in the past. Garvey is among the best American players in the game, retired after the 2006 season, but will be back after a year layoff.

Last year’s Boys of Summer tournament came down to The Farm of Madison, Wisconsin vs. the So Cal Bombers — the same two teams that would square off a month later in the ISC World Tournament championship game.

From

Midland, MI

The Midland Explorers are pleased to announce that pitcher Brian Urquhart will be joining the team for the 2008 season. pitching last year with Jarvis, and previously with Heflin and Fedlock, Brian has established himself as one of the top up and coming pitchers on the ISC circuit.

At this time, all starting position players have confirmed their return to the team, as have pitchers Grant Patterson and Mike
Joseph. Also, Scott Stasik has joined the team in a General Manager capacity as he will be helping manager Clint Beane and coach Del Benson in player recruitment and scheduling. Scott helped run the Frankenmuth team that made appearances at the ISC from ’02 to ’05.

Finally, outfielder Dave Frick has decided to retire from the Explorers. Patrolling centerfield since 2001, Dave has been one of the most underrated defensive center fielders in the game. The entire team wishes him the best on his post-Explorer career.

Kyle Beane
kbeane8(at)yahoo.com