George Peterson Article

[by way of Al Doran <fastball@pmihrm.com>]

Softball legend praised
Ex-teammates pay tribute to Peterson, who died Friday
by JIM LEITNER

Dubuque, IA
Fast-pitch softball fans would come from miles around just to see George
"Pete" Peterson get beat.
More often than not, Peterson disappointed them.
Peterson, who established himself as the dominant pitcher in the
tri-state area during the heyday of the sport, passed away last Friday
at the age of 74. He has been enshrined in the Dubuque, Kiwanis and Iowa
state Halls of Fame.
"Without a doubt, he was the best in this area," said Hank Wernke, who
played shortstop behind Peterson. "He was in a league all by himself.
There wasn't anybody in Dubuque near his caliber.
"Against the really good teams, like the ones we'd face at the world
tournament, he'd strike out eight or 10 a game. But, around here, he'd
strike out just about anybody. He'd give up a hit here and there, but if
he had a runner on third, that's when he really would bear down."
Peterson began pitching as an early teenager in the mid-1940s and
retired from the game in the early 1970s. In between, the soft-spoken
hurler used pinpoint control and command of three pitches to dominate on
the tri-state scene.
Pat Sullivan, who played in seven world tournaments during the eight
seasons he caught Peterson, said the ace pitcher was at his best in the
Kiwanis Tournament. Peterson won 70 consecutive games in winning the
event 15 straight years.
More than 4,000 fans saw the streak come to an end in 1969 at the old
Johnny Petrakis Park.
"They had to fly a pitcher in from California to beat him, and we only
lost, 2-1," said Sullivan, who has been the International Softball
Congress state commissioner for the past 26 years.
"He had great speed. He threw a rise, a drop and made you look foolish
with that change-up of his. He threw all of them really, really well.
You'd put the glove in a certain spot, and he'd hit it every time.
And he just hated to lose."
It didn't start out that way. Peterson struggled with his control as a
youngster but kept at it.
"He grew up in a big family, and they really didn't have much," Wernke
said. "Then he got a hold of softball and started throwing it and
throwing it and throwing it. He found his niche and worked at it until
he got really good at it."
Peterson pitched for John Deere, Lange Insurance, the Chateau,
McDonald's, Hilldale, Ready Mix, the Lux Club, Kopper-Schrader, Henry's
Drive In, the King of Clubs, Janlin and Whalen's during his
distinguished career.
"I played with him for 10 years, and we won state and went to the world
tournament nine times," said Pete Welbes, of the Dubuque Fast-pitch
Softball Hall of Fame, "and George deserved a lot of the credit. No
question, he was the best around here, and a lot of people thought he
was one of the best in the country, too."
Peterson worked at John Deere Dubuque Works for 30 years before retiring
in 1987.
"When he retired, he went out and bought a boat, and all he talked about
was walleye fishing," his wife, JoAnn Peterson, said. "He loved walleye
fishing about as much as he loved softball when he was playing."

From: kfan(at)wi.rr.com


  Als Fastball List
*Email: fastball(at)pmihrm.com
    fastball at pmihrm.com
http://www.AlsFastball.com/
Our New Condo: http://www.bytheowner.com/27828 for Sale or Rent
NEWS: http://fastpitchwest.com/alsfastball
    eScribe is down, and may be out