Editor’s note: We gratefully thank Sports Editor Jim Swanson and the Prince George Citizen newspaper, both for granting permission to reprint their stories here at Fastpitchwest, and for providing the fastpitch community with such great coverage in the first place. Readers will recall that during last year’s Senior Canadian National Tournament, they ran feature stories on teams and players every day, in addition to the game by game reports, remarkable coverage for men’s fastpitch in this day and age, where many papers ignore the sport altogether. Today’s story, reprinted below is another well-written piece. Ghostkeeper moving from the hometown Black Bears to the arch rival Vancouver Grey Sox? Tantamount to Johnny Damon signing with the Yankees ! So to the folks at the Citizen, we say “well done — again”. Your newspaper’s coverage of men’s fastpitch is among the best in the nation. We’ve posted from a few more newspapers graciously providing coverage for men’s fastpitch, including the Argus Leader in Sioux Falls SD, the SE Missourian and the Du Quoin Evening Call in Illinois. Know of any others providing good coverage for men’s fastpitch? Let us know.
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GREY SOX CATCH A CATCHER FROM P.G.
by JASON PETERS, Citizen staff
At the 2006 Canadian senior men’s fastpitch championship in Prince George, Chad Ghostkeeper was front and centre in pulling down the hated Vancouver Grey Sox.
When this year’s nationals step on the diamond in St. John’s, Nfld., Ghostkeeper will be there. And he’ll be wearing a Grey Sox uniform.
Ghostkeeper, a 35-year-old Prince George resident, has signed on with the Grey Sox for the Canadian championship tournament, set for Aug. 26 to Sept. 2.
Has he crossed over to the dark side? He doesn’t see it that way.
“I don’t really see them as an enemy,” said Ghostkeeper, the all-star catcher at the 2006 nationals as a member of the now-defunct Prince George Black Bears. “They’ve been bugging me throughout the year (to play for them at nationals). There were a few teams that were bugging me, and I just thought I would go to Vancouver. I know a few guys on the team, and it’s a lot closer.”
During the 2006 tournament, played at Spruce City Stadium, the Grey Sox — loaded with national-team talent — were one of the favourites to leave town with the title. Because of their star-studded roster, they became a target for other teams. The Sox ended up 2-5 after the round-robin portion of the event, won their first playoff game, and were then eliminated after a 4-1 loss to the Black Bears. The Bears had also beaten the Grey Sox in round robin. That game, won 8-1 by Prince George, was cut short by the mercy rule.
The Black Bears had no problem getting motivated when they faced the Grey Sox. For two years leading up to the national tournament, the Grey Sox skinned the Bears routinely.
This season’s Grey Sox are still anchored by pitchers Nick Underhill and Rick Smith. Both were Team Canada members last year, and Smith is back on the roster this year.
Ghostkeeper said Vancouver’s stable of throwers now also includes Korrey Gareau, who was a force for the Black Bears at the 2006 Canadian tournament. The fireballer from Victoria was one of the reasons the Bears made it all the way to the championship game.
“Once I knew they had Gareau signed, that made it a little easier to sign with them,” said Ghostkeeper, the Softball B.C. player of the year for 2006. “It’s a very good pitching staff. They’ve got half (their players) back and half new guys, so I think they’ll be all right.”
After bombing away with his bat and shining behind the plate at the 2006 nationals, Ghostkeeper was added to Team Canada’s selection list for this season. But, his national team status isn’t on his mind.
“I don’t know what to expect,” said Ghostkeeper, who will spend most of his season playing for the California-based SoCal Bombers. “If I make it, I make it. If I don’t, I don’t. It’s not a big deal to me.”
Team Canada doesn’t actually have much happening this summer. Its main focus is an international test series against New Zealand that will be played Thursday through Saturday in the Ontario cities of Orillia, Sebringville and Kitchener.
The next International Softball Federation world championship tournament is in 2009 in Saskatoon.