SHICK’S SUMMER SHTICK:
Long-time NHL referee Rob Shick, a Port Alberni native, is staying close to sport in the off-season. Shick is in his first year as an assistant coach with the SoCal Bombers men’s fastpitch team, which will be in Vancouver this weekend for a four-game exhibition series with the Vancouver Grey Sox at South Memorial Park.
The Bombers, 5-1 this season, are currently ranked No. 7 by the International Softball Congress, while the Grey Sox, 11-3, are No. 9. The teams will play twice on Saturday — 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. — and twice on Sunday — 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
“Rob not only brings over 25 years of experience in professional sport to the table, but was an accomplished and highly respected ballplayer in Canada in his younger years,” says Bombers head coach Kelly McGiffin, himself a Port Alberni native. “He knows the game and he knows how the game should be played.”
And we suspect he won’t be caught getting in an umpire’s face or pulling up second base in a tantrum.
Other Canadians with the California team include C/OF Chad Ghostkeeper and IF/OF Evan Potskin, both of Prince George. Both play key roles with the Bombers, as do C Darren Box, OF Greg Crawford and pitchers Sean Whitten and Darrell Tilley, all from Alberta.