Al Doran of Al’s Fastball is in Saskatoon and will be providing regular reports to the fastball community. We’ll post some excerpts here at Morning Brief, courtesy of Al, but be sure to log into his site to read the full reports. Click the familiar blue logo above to read his pre-tournament notes to date, including this item:
3pm or so walked over to see who was on the other diamonds, close to BVI and to GHP. Argentina was having a practice and some of the guys I had met in Midland gave me a wave.
Over to another diamond where Team USA was playing the team from the Czech Republic. Paul Koert was pitching and USA were up about 6-0 when I left to go back to the main diamond.Before I left, Ty McKinney came over and greeted me, what a gentleman. A number of the other members of Team USA waved and smiled. Its nice to know the ball players are not upset with me for taking a stand on the Paul Algar issue. Hopefully they know they have someone to turn to if things ever take a bad turn for one of them. It should not be this way but once in awhile politics seeps into fastball.
I am told the Kiwis plan to play full out tomorrow evening against Team USA and that the Haka they sometimes perform will be intense. This is the first game for the Kiwis so it would be natural if they do perform the Haka.
Editor’s note: The controversy over Paul Algar is detailed in an earlier post from Al: Paul Algar – Ready to pitch for Black Sox – Blocked by ASA ? In short, the report is that the ASA/USA refused to release Paul Algar to New Zealand, so Algar is back home in Illinois, and not on the Black Sox’s ISF Roster. As the fastball gods would have it, the two teams will meet on Opening night, 9pm Saskatoon time. Emotions figure to be high for this one.