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From Diamond Dirt Editor, John Thompson:
Click here to view Issue Number 6 for the Sr. Canadians (PDF)
Other “Diamond Dirt” news at Fastpitchwest.
Text version of this issue after the jump. (more…)
Archive for September, 2009
Diamond Dirt No. 6 – Sr. Canadians
Friday, September 4th, 2009Take me out to the virtual ball game
Thursday, September 3rd, 2009
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Toronto writer provides play-by-play from World Men’s Softball Championship
Al Doran, of Alsfastball brought the ISF Championships to the World
Take Me Out to the Virtual Ball Game
For most people, watching softball means beer, popcorn and hot afternoons in the stands, cheering on your favourite team.
Some fans of the World Men’s Softball Championship, which started July 17 in Saskatoon, are getting their fix in a different way – glued to their laptops.
It’s thanks to Ontario’s Al Doran, who is writing play-by-play from almost every game of the 10-day tournament.
At Wednesday afternoon’s Argentina versus Indonesia game, Doran sat hunched at his laptop computer in a green, caged-off press booth behind home plate, typing out the results from every batter’s visit to the plate.
He also included some casual observations: “It is a bright, sunny, and hot day with light breeze, great day for a suntan in the stands,” Doran wrote early in the game.
Baseball strike spurred interest
Doran’s interest in writing play-by-play came during the Major League Baseball strike in 1994. Unable to watch baseball on TV, he travelled to a softball tournament in Prince Edward Island.
“I was surprised and disappointed [to] get back to Toronto and nobody knew that the Toronto Gators had come number two in the world. It wasn’t in any of the media,” Doran told CBC News.
Softball fan Al Doran does live play-by-play from his laptop at an international tournament in Saskatoon. (Kathy Fitzpatrick/CBC)Doran, who lives in Brampton, Ont., travels to tournaments and posts his commentary and play-by-play to his website, simply for the love of the game, and to provide a service no one else is.
He updates his website with plays twice every inning.
Doran has received emails from people who follow his website in some far-flung places, including a Canadian, Rick Warford, who is working on a research ship in the South China Sea.
“There’s four [Newfoundlanders] on the Canadian team so I like following them as well,” Warford told CBC News by telephone from the waters near Singapore.
Softball federation catching up
Organizers of the tournament in Saskatoon are reaching out to softball fans through their own website.
For the first time, fans can watch live video of all 72 games, for about $60.
“When you put on a big softball tournament, it’s almost expected in some ways that you’re able to show some sort of live broadcast out there through the web,” International Softball Federation organizer Mark Loehndorf told CBC News.
There are 16 teams from five continents playing in the tournament in Saskatoon, including the United States, the Philippines, South Africa and host Canada, which was undefeated after six games as of Wednesday.
The ISF World Men’s Championship wraps up Sunday, with the gold medal game at 3 p.m. CT.
Heart Walk 2009 – Remembering Dwight “Dewey” Thompson
Thursday, September 3rd, 2009A note from Roberta Thompson:
Hello Fastpitch,
I haven’t bothered anyone like in years past. It’s time however that the emails get sent and action be taken. The 2009 Heart Walk in only 10 days from now. We desperately need you help with donations and/or participation this year.
As most of you know, Dwight died suddenly and of course very unexpectedly on March 6, 2004. If we had know about the genetic defect in his heart, we could have gotten treatment for him. It’s quite possible he would still be here with us all today.
Please do what you can, I know it’s hard. We all are having tough times in this very troubled economy. We are walking in Dwight’s memory in an effort to help raise needed funds to help in the diagnosis & treatment for all heart disease & stroke victims.
You can help me raise funds and protect those you love by making a donation online. Click on the link below to visit my personal donation page where you can make a secure online credit card donation. The American Heart Association’s online fundraising website has a minimum donation amount of $25.00. If you prefer to contribute a smaller amount, you can do so by sending a check directly to me.
Roberta Thompson
623 S Gilbuck Drive
Anaheim, CA 92802
714-956-7258
I also have a donation envelope with me at all times, for any amount of donation you are able to give this year.
We can’t do it alone, so I am pleading with you today to please help us, help others and possibly yourself or one of your loved ones in the future.
“A good deed is never lost: he who sows courtesy reaps friendship; and he who plants kindness gathers love. = BASIL
Please show courtesy with a response to this message.
Thank you very much,
Roberta Thompson
Follow This Link to visit my personal web page and help me in my efforts to support American Heart Association – Orange County, CA
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Some email systems do not support the use of links and therefore this link may not appear to work. If so, copy and paste the following into your browser:
http://ocheartwalk.kintera.org/4roberta?faf=1&e=2670951372
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Our original post, “In Memory of Dwight “Dewey” Thompson”
Argentine Championships
Thursday, September 3rd, 2009From our friend, Martin Jorge, Head of Press and Communication, Softball Confederation Argentina
Click here to visit Martin’s own website, “SoftballNewsLA.com” (“LA” as in “Latin America)
[Google Translation]
Santiagueña Softball Federation announced the fixture of the Argentine Championships Men’s Softball and Women’s senior team, to be played in the city of Santiago del Estero from tomorrow Friday until Sunday. A total of six selected male and eight female settled in the diamond and circle Caranchos maximum national softball titles.
Notably, in Santiago will bring together many of the members of the Select Argentina Male and Female, who less than two months ago had an outstanding participation in its international commitments. Recall that the Men’s National Team won the seventh place in World Championship Saskatoon, Canada, while the Women’s Team won the fifth place in the Pan American Maracay, Venezuela, and was classified at the 2010 World Cup, and Pan American Games in Guadalajara 2011. Thus, the Argentine championship this weekend is presented as an ideal opportunity to observe the greatest exponents of the national softball diamonds Santiago del Estero.
On the boys side, Paraná, Bahia Blanca, La Pampa, Buenos Aires and Tucumán will join the local, Santiago del Estero, to see who will be the Argentine champion older male. These six teams will cross all against all, going to the playoffs the first 4 classified. The playoff will be played under a simple page, which on Sunday will crown the champion Argentina. The team is defending champion Paraná, which fell last year with an honor, to overcome in the Bahia Blanca final by 2 to 0 in the tournament played at Santa Rosa, La Pampa. Entrerriano team this weekend seek to repeat the title, while the rest try to unseat the red team’s national softball throne.
Meanwhile, for the women’s eight selected will meet in Santiago del Estero, divided into two zones of four teams. After the draw was made last Saturday at a meeting of Confederation Argentina, Area A was composed by James, Olavarria, Tucuman and Bahia Blanca, while Area B is composed of Buenos Aires, Parana, La Pampa and Cordoba. The competition includes the four teams from each zone pass to the playoffs, so that while a good position in the group stage makes things easier, the real tournament starts at the stage of the playoffs. This event marks a significant increase in the number of participants last year, when only four teams (two of them in Buenos Aires) participated in the Argentine Olavarria. The defending champion is Buenos Aires, which last year exceeded the Olavarria final by 9 to 2.
The schedule of both tournaments is as follows:
Diamond Dirt No. 5 – Sr. Canadians
Thursday, September 3rd, 2009
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From Diamond Dirt Editor, John Thompson:
Click here to view Issue Number 5 for the Sr. Canadians (PDF)
Other “Diamond Dirt” news at Fastpitchwest.
Text version of this issue after the jump. (more…)
Diamond Dirt No. 4 – Sr. Canadians
Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009HOST CENTENNIALS PERFECT
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From Diamond Dirt Editor, John Thompson:
Click here to view Issue Number 4 for the Sr. Canadians (PDF)
Other “Diamond Dirt” news at Fastpitchwest.
Text version of this issue after the jump. (more…)
Kansas Team Wins NAFA Wood Bat World Series
Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009Local softball team wins NAFA wood bat tourney
J Train wins four straight after starting 0-2
Newton Kansan
LONGMONT, Colo. — The J Train of Newton won the North American Fast-Pitch Association Wood Bat World Series, which concluded Sunday in Longmont, Colo.
The tournament drew 11 teams.
J Train lost its first two games of pool play but won the next four games for the title. J Train downed the Denver Dawgs 4-1 in the championship game.
Pitcher Ray Foster was named the tournament MVP.
“We were on it today. Everything was just clicking,†J Train coach Ray Jaso said. “Our hitting came around. We were just on top of our game today.â€
“We went in there with the mindset that we were swinging aluminum — don’t change anything, just go with your regular approach,†left fielder Ray Jaso Jr. said. “Just swing the bat like usual. On defense, you have to play a lot more shallow, because not everyone can hit the ball 275 feet.â€
Foster, of St. Joseph, Mo., led the Houston Diablos to the past four Latin national championships. He also pitches for the Maynard, Texas, Dirtbags and the Ohio Battery 50-and-older team. It was his first wood bat tournament.
“It was great. It’s an experience I will never forget,†said Foster. “… We’ve known these kids for quite a few years. They’ve come up through the hardball leagues. Now they’ve started into fastpitch as young men. They’re starting to develop pretty good. We had a real good time.â€
J Train lost to the Denver Dawgs and the Colorado Rage in pool play, beating Los Camoesinos.
In tournament play, J Train downed the Englewood (Colo.) Dragons and the Colorado Rage 5-3 in the semifinals. J Train scored four runs in the fifth inning of the semifinals on RBI hits by Ray Jaso Jr. and Rico Garcia.
In the championship game, the Dawgs scored in the bottom of the second on a sacrifice fly. J Train tied the game in the top of the third. Andy Jaso and Donavan Scott hit RBI singles for J Train the fourth. J Train added a run in the sixth.
“We had a great day,†Foster said. “We had a rough time (Saturday) with our sticks. The wood bats were a little different for us. Today we kind of put it together and our sticks came around. It took a whole team effort to win it.â€
Ray Jaso Jr., Tony Jaso Sr., Rico Garcia and Albert Garcia were all named to the all-tournament team.
Diamond Dirt No. 3 – Sr. Canadians
Tuesday, September 1st, 2009
(click logo to visit official site)
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. (more…)
ToC coverage on cbcsports.ca
Tuesday, September 1st, 2009
Ballpark Radio’s Lance Winn, producer at cbcsports.ca, files this report on the 2009 ISC II Tournament of Champions. Click the image below to play the video.
