Archive for September, 2008

Hockey Night Theme Song Contest

Thursday, September 25th, 2008

Editor’s Note: A colleague at the office has an entry (and a good one) in the Hockey Night in Canada theme song contest.

Click here to listen and vote!

ISC [II] tournament might play games at Campbell Complex

Monday, September 22nd, 2008

Editor’s notes: The article below appeared in the Quad City newspaper last Thursday, but requires a correction and clarification.

A move of the ISC II Tournament of Champions to nearby Rock Island is not a done deal. If the proposal is made to move the ISC II to that complex, the tournament host, the Quad Cities Sports Commission would have to approve it, and then the revised contract would have to be reviewed and voted on by the ISC Executive Committee.

Additionally, the article states that Midland, Michigan will host the ISC World Tournament in 2010. While they are in discussions with the ISC to host the 2010 tournament, the decision as to who will host in 2010 remains to be made.

From the Quad-City Times, September 18, 2008

ISC tournament might play games at Campbell Complex
By Doug Green | Thursday, September 18, 2008 Quad-City Times

There could be one change when the International Softball Congress, or ISC Men’s World Fastball Tournament comes to the Quad-Cities in 2009.

The event, which is expected to generate $11 million in revenue, is scheduled to be played at Green Valley Complex in Moline.

But a proposal under consideration is that the ISC II Men’s Fastball Tournament of Champions — a separate tournament governed by the same body as the World Tournament — would be held at the Campbell Complex in Rock Island. Tournament officials want the split between the two complexes for safety reasons and press box room.

Read the rest of this story at our brother blog The Morning Brief.

Click here for photos of the Campbell Sports Complex in Rock Island, Il.

Ontario Challenge Cup – Innerkip

Sunday, September 21st, 2008

Elmira Advance Millwrights win the 2008 Ontario Challenge Cup and a berth in the 2009 ISC II Tournament of Champions with a convincing 7-0 win over Belmont Black Sox.

Editor’s note: Al Doran is on site in Innerkip and is providing detailed reports. Click here for full box scores.

ISC Regional Commissioner Joe Todd’s Friday highlights:
Darryl Wharram of Ingersoll cranking a 3-run homer off of Steve Ketchell in T6, Ingersoll wins 5-4.
Tracey Woolridge throws a 2 hitter with 17 Ks to beat Innerkip Eagles for Hamilton 3-0.
Oshweken with Lee Hopkins pitching beat Scott Smith and Shakespeare 3-2, good hitters on Oshweken.
Good crowds on hand and good weather expected all weekend.
Joe

Friday, September 19 scores

GAME 1
at Hickson
Etobicoke Royals: 3
Kitchener Outlaws: 5

GAME 8
at Innerkip
Belmont Black Sox: 8
Exeter Braves: 0

GAME 3
at Innerkip
Oshweken: 3
Shakespeare: 2

GAME 5
at Hickson
Elmira Millwrghts: 9
Cambridge Reds: 2

GAME 6
at Innerkip
Hamilton Hawks: 3
Innerkip Eagles: 0

GAME 7
at Innerkip
Ingersoll Crush: 5
Toronto Celtics: 4

Games continue at Innerkip and Hickson throughout the day starting at 9 am.

Saturday September 20
9 am
Game 12
Toronto 3
Exeter 0

Game 2
Rockford Rush 4
Kitchener Smoke 2

Game 11
Innerkip Eagles 8
Cambridge Reds 3

11 am
Game 4
Port Elgin Blue Devils 9
Orangeville Kings 0

Game 13
Kitchener Outlaws 6
Rockwood Rush 1

Game 9
Kitchener Smoke 4
Etobicoke Royals 2

1 pm
Game 10
Shakespeare Falcons 2
Orangeville Kings 1

Game 15
Elmira Millwrights 7
Hamilton Hawks 4

Game 16
Belmont Black Sox 8
Ingersoll Crush 5

3 pm
Game 17
Ingersoll Crush 6
Kitchener Smoke 4

Game 18
Shakespeare 10
Hamilton 0

Game 14
Port Elgin 7
Ohsweken 1

5 pm
Game 19
Innerkip 6
Ohsweken 0

Game 20
Rockwood 3
Toronto 2

7 pm
Game 22
Rockwood 3
Innerkip 4

Game 21
Shakespeare 9
Ingersoll 4

9 pm
Winner’s bracket semi-finals
Game 23
Kitchener Outlaws 5
Port Elgin 6
Port scores 3 in B7

Game 24
Elmira Millwrights 4
Belmont 3

Sunday September 21
9am
Game 25
Kitchener 3
Shakespeare 2

Game 26
Belmont 5
Innerkip 1

11 am
Game 27 – winner’s bracket final
Elmira 8
Port Elgin 1

Game 28
Belmont 3
Kitchener 2

1 pm
Game 29
Belmont 6
Port Elgin 0

3 pm
Elmira 7
Belmont 0
Todd Uhrig for Elmira vs Nic Goetz for Belmont

Ontario Challenge Cup East – Fitzroy Harbour

Sunday, September 21st, 2008

Donnacona Blue Sox upset the Ottawa Team Easton Thunder to earn a berth in the 2009 ISC II Tournament of Champions by winning the Ontario Challenge Cup East.

Fitzroy Harbour, ON – UPDATED

Ottawa Team Easton 10 Blackburn Knights 2 (5 innings)
WP: Dan Konkle (11K)
LP: Ryan Cox with relief from Derick Bulley (3K)
HR: Dave Tubman, Cory Morrison, Dan Konkle (Easton)

Fitzroy Harbour WC Electric 4 Quyon COMBAT Flyers 2 (8 innings)
WP: Brad Porter (16K)
LP: Joran Graham (11K)
Game winning RBI: Shawn Rebertz
Quyon loaded the bases in the half of the 8th but could not score.

Good crowds on hand especially considering the chilly temperature.

Next up, Stittsville 56ers vs. Wyevale Tribe and Donnacona Blue Sox vs. Kars Aces. Both games at 9am.

Saturday
Stittsville 56ers 7 Wyevale Tribe 3
WP: Dan Bradley
LP: Jason Giffen, with relief from Mike Kelly

Donnacona Blue Sox 7 Kars Aces 0
WP: Francis Leclair
LP: Rob Cameron, with relief from Trevor Lahey

Quyon Flyers 7 Kars Aces 1
WP: Drew Hathway
LP: Trevor Lahey

Wyevale Tribe 9 Blackburn Knights 5
WP: Mike Kelly with relief from Jason Giffen
LP: Jamie Blakely with relief from Derick Bulley

Ottawa Team Easton 6 Stittsville 56ers 5
WP: Dan Konkle in relief of Jason Smith, with relief from Jason Smith
LP: Darren Featherstone with relief from Dan Bradley

Donnacona Blue Sox 1 Fitzroy Harbour WC Electric 0
WP: Francis Leclair (1 hitter)
LP: Brad Porter in relief of Bud Hanlon

Quyon Flyers 4 Stittsville 56ers 2
WP: Drew Hathway
LP: Dan Bradley

Wyevale Tribe Fitzroy Harbour WC Electric halted in the bottom of the fourth due to rain/lightning. Will be resumed Sunday 9am with Wyevale leading 5-0

Undefeated game (Donnacona vs. Team Easton) will be played at 10am Sunday

winner of Wyevale/Fitzroy Harbour to Quyon at 10am Sunday with winner to play loser of undefeated game at noon

Final 2pm, if game 4pm

Sunday September 21
9 am
Wyevale Tribe 7 Fitzroy Harbour West Carleton Electric 0
WP: Jason Giffen
LP: Bud Hanlon, relief Steve Cavanaugh

10 am
Donnacona 1 Ottawa Team Easton 0
WP: Francis Leclair – no hitter
LP: Jason Smith

11 am
Wyevale Tribe 7 Quyon 6 – 8 innings
WP: Jason Giffen
LP: Drew Hathway

1 pm
Ottawa Team Easton 6 Wyevale Tribe 1
WP: Dan Konkle
LP: Jason Giffen, relief Chris Bell

2:30 pm
Donnacona 9 Team Easton 2
WP Francis Leclair
LP Dan Konkle, relief Jason Smith

More details at www.fitzroyfastball.blogspot.com.

Adam Brown
fastball@fitzroyharbour.com

World Fastpitch coming to QCA

Friday, September 19th, 2008

ISC II VP Jim Williamson talks about the ISC World Tournament coming to Quad Cities in this news report. Click the photo below to activate the video.

Fastpitch softball tourneys coming to Q-Cs

Friday, September 19th, 2008


The International Softball Conference announced that the ISC Tournament of Champions will be held this Aug. in Moline. The tournament will be held in the Quad Cities for the first time since the 1970s. In the photo from left are: Ken Hackmeister, President, International Softball Congress (ISC), Steve Kaiser, Sean Marten, Bill Kranz and Jim Williamson. Photo: John Greenwood

Daniel Makarewicz, danmak@qconline.com

A discussion lasting nearly three years finally ended with good news on Wednesday.

Quad Cities will once again host a high-profile softball tournament.

The International Softball Congress announced during a press conference at the Isle of Capri Casino Hotel in Bettendorf that the Quad Cities will host the Men’s World Fastball Tournament and the ISC II Tournament of Champions in August.

The World Tournament will be held at the Greenvalley Complex in Moline, while the ISC Tournament will compete at the Campbell Complex in Rock Island.

“We know that there’s a history, a tradition, a following that our sport has known here and we’re hoping to capitalize on that history,” said ISC Executive Director Ken Hackmeister.

Rock Island hosted the ISC World Tournament a record 10 times in a 13-year span between 1961 and 1973.

“We knew we had the fan base and people interested in it,” QCCVB Vice President Lynn Hunt said. “We saw it as an opportunity to bring an adult sporting event that would cause a fabulous economic impact. We really thought the community support it with there connection. We thought it was a natural fit.”

The contract, which was signed last October, stipulates that the Quad Cities will host the 2009 tournament and will have an option to host again in 2011. The option must be exercised before Jan. 1, 2009, Hackmeister said.

“If they’re not going to hold in 2011, we’ve got to use the 2009 tournament to solicit other bidders,” he said. “In a way it puts them in a disadvantage. But on the other hand, we don’t want to put ourselves in a disadvantage.”

Hunt said the QCCVB started the bidding process in 2005 “just to find out exactly what it would take to bring the event here.” The committee toured the 2007 and 2008 tournaments – which were held in Kitchener, Ontario, and Kimberly, Wisc., respectively — to “get a good idea of what was expected,” she said.

Hackmeister said the Quad Cities’ bid was appealing because “they were a CVB-operating committee” and had “a history” of hosting this event.

“We know the fans support it,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of ex-players living in this area and we just felt like it was an ideal location.”

Hackmeister said the World Tournament would use two fields of the four fields at Greenvalley and the ISC World Tournament will utilize all four fields at Campbell.

The two tournaments were originally going to be played simultaneously at Greenvalley, but the ISC recommended that the two be separated for fan and player safety, according to Hackmeister.

Hackmeister said Midland, Mich., Eau Claire, Wisc., Allentown, Pa., and Mankato, Minn., all placed bids to host the 2009 tournament.

The tournament will mark the second straight summer the Quad Cities have hosted a national tournament. In August, the USA/ASA Girls’ Class A 18-Under Fast Pitch Tournament was held at Greenvalley.

Hunt said the QCCVB made that a huge selling point.

“I think it gave confidence to the ISC that we’ve hosted the ASA and other large events,” she said. “They know that we have the people, the infrastructure to support it and the volunteers. I think it gave them the confidence to say, ‘Yeah, the Quad Cities can host it.’”

Drotzmann aims for National Team

Friday, September 19th, 2008

Editor’s Note: ISC II Player Rep Dave Drotzmann is following up his Most Outstanding Pitcher performance at the 2008 ToC with an invite to the Team USA training camp. For more on the story, see our brother blog, The Morning Brief by clicking here.



Drotzmann aims for National Team

By DANIEL WATTENBURGER
The East Oregonian

HERMISTON – In the world of men’s fastpitch softball, few have had the kind of year Dr. Dave Drotzmann can boast.

Not only did the Hermiston optometrist and school board chairman help his Bakersfield, Calif. club team – the Lumber Kings – win the International Softball Congress championship over the summer, he won the Most Valuable Pitcher award at the tournament and was invited to compete for a spot on the U.S. National team.

Read the whole story at The Morning Brief by clicking here.

Full stats from 2008 ToC now online

Thursday, September 18th, 2008


Full team and individual stats from the 2008 ISC II Tournament of Champions are now available on the ISC website by clicking here.

Ontario Challenge Cups this weekend

Monday, September 15th, 2008

The Ontario Challenge Cup and the Ontario Challenge Cup East go this weekend (September 19-21) in Innerkip/Hickson and Fitzroy Harbour respectfully.

Teams representing more than a dozen leagues from across Ontario and Quebec will be on hand as at least two berths to the 2009 ISC II Tournament of Champions will be earned this weekend.

Note that we have had a change to the schedule in each tournament:
In Innerkip, Kitchener Smoke replace Minesing Monarchs.
In Fitzroy Harbour, Wyevale Tribe replace Enterprise Oasis Pools.

First games in Innerkip & Hickson are as follows:
Friday 7 pm Gm 3 Innerkip 1 Shakespeare Falcons vs Ohsweken Redmen
Friday 7 pm Gm 8 Innerkip 2 Exeter Braves vs Belmont Black Sox
Friday 7 pm Gm 5 Hickson Elmira Millwrights vs Cambridge Reds
Friday 9 pm Gm 6 Innerkip 1 Innerkip Eagles vs Hamilton Hawks
Friday 9 pm Gm 7 Innerkip 2 Toronto Celtics vs Ingersoll Crush
Friday 9 pm Gm 1 Hickson Kitchener Outlaws vs Etobicoke Royals
Saturday 9 am Gm 2 Hickson Rockwood Rush vs Kitchener Smoke
Saturday 11 am Gm 4 Hickson Port Elgin Blue Devils vs Orangeville Kings

Click here for the full bracket.

Games start Saturday and Sunday at 9 am. The championship game is scheduled for 3 pm in Innerkip with the “if necessary” game to follow immediately after.

Innerkip Park is on Blandford Street in Innerkip just past Burton Street. Hickson Park is on Loveys Street in the village of Hickson.

For additional information, please contact ISC Regional Commissioner Joe Todd ftode739@rogers.com or Tournament Director Tim Wright twri7823@rogers.com.

First games in Fitzroy Harbour are as follows:

Friday 7 pm Gm 1 Ottawa Team Easton vs Blackburn Knights
Friday 9 pm Gm 3 Quyon Combat Flyers vs Fitzroy Harbour West Carleton Electric
Saturday 9 am Gm 2 Stittsville 56ers vs Wyevale Tribe
Saturday 9 am Gm 4 Kars Aces vs Donnacona Blue Sox

Click here for the full bracket.

Games continue throughout the day Saturday and start again Sunday at 9 am. The championship game is scheduled for 1 pm Sunday with the “if necessary” game to follow immediately after.

In Fitzroy Harbour, the park is located at 100 Clifford Campbell Street.

For additional information, please contact Tournament Director Adam Brown at adam.brown@ottawa.ca.

Blair Setford
ISC Canada East VP
blairjs@rogers.com

Drotzmann, Tan, McKinney & Kelly get invites to USA camp

Thursday, September 11th, 2008


Being named the MVP and the Top Pitcher at the 2008 ISC II Tournament of Champions paid off for Marcus Tan and Dave Drotzmann of the California Taylor Farms LumberKings. Both were among 34 athletes invited to the Team USA selection camp in preparation for the 2009 ISF World Championship.

Joining Tan and Drotzmann will be Ashland, OH StockPack pitcher Ty McKinney and ISC II alumnus Sean Kelly of Marshall, MI Rice Creek Lightning who played in the ToC in 2006.

Congratulations to all four men!

Click the logo above for the full list of players invited to the Team USA camp.

2008 Ontario Challenge Cup

Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008

The 2008 Ontario Challenge Cup Qualifier will be held in Innerkip with additional games in Hickson September 19-21.

As part of the Ontario Home League Program, 16 teams representing 12 leagues from across southwestern Ontario will compete for a minimum of one guaranteed berth in the 2009 ISC II Tournament of Champions to be held in Quad Cities, IL-IA.

There are six games Friday night between Innerkip & Hickson.

First games are as follows:
Friday 7 pm Gm 3 Innerkip 1 Shakespeare Falcons vs Ohsweken Redmen
Friday 7 pm Gm 8 Innerkip 2 Exeter Braves vs Belmont Black Sox
Friday 7 pm Gm 5 Hickson Elmira Millwrights vs Cambridge Reds
Friday 9 pm Gm 6 Innerkip 1 Innerkip Eagles vs Hamilton Hawks
Friday 9 pm Gm 7 Innerkip 2 Toronto Celtics vs Ingersoll Crush
Friday 9 pm Gm 1 Hickson Kitchener Outlaws vs Etobicoke Royals
Saturday 9 am Gm 2 Hickson Rockwood Rush vs Minesing Monarchs
Saturday 11 am Gm 4 Hickson Port Elgin Blue Devils vs ICFL Rep

Games start Saturday and Sunday at 9 am. The championship game is scheduled for 3 pm in Innerkip with the “if necessary” game to follow immediately after.

Directions between Innerkip and Hickson

View Larger Map

For additional information, please contact ISC Regional Commissioner Joe Todd or Tournament Director Tim Wright.

Joe Todd
ftode739@rogers.com

Tim Wright
twri7823@rogers.com

2008 Ontario Challenge Cup East

Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008


The 2008 Ontario Challenge Cup East Qualifier will be held in Fitzroy Harbour September 19-21. The park is located at the Fitzroy Harbour Community Centre, 100 Clifford Campbell Street (613-623-5241). Fitzroy Harbour is about 60 km west of downtown Ottawa.

View Larger Map
Eight teams representing leagues in eastern Ontario and western Quebec will compete for a guaranteed berth in the 2009 ISC II Tournament of Champions to be held in Quad Cities, IL-IA.

First games are as follows:
Friday 7 pm Gm 1 Team Easton vs Blackburn
Friday 9 pm Gm 3 Quyon vs Fitzroy Harbour
Saturday 9 am Gm 2 Stittsville vs Enterprise
Saturday 9 am Gm 4 Kars Aces vs Donnacona

Games continue throughout the day Saturday and start again Sunday at 9 am. The championship game is scheduled for 1 pm Sunday with the “if necessary” game to follow immediately after.

For additional information, please contact Tournament Director Adam Brown.

Adam Brown
adam.brown@ottawa.ca