MONDAY, AUGUST 13/2018
ISSUE #3
A BUSY DAY AT THE ISC WORLD TOURNAMENT Day Two was a busy day at the ISC World Tournament. Kicked-off with a sold out Hall of Fame breakfast of more than 140 guests to induct Bruce Bierman, Sean O’Brien, Ferdi Nelissen, Jim Hallman, Paul Rosebush and Rob Gray. A fantastic morning hosted by John Thompson was shared with laughs, tears, and plenty of stories. The Hall of Fame inductees made their way over to Edelweiss later in the afternoon for a ‘hot stove’ to reminisce more stories from this incredible Class of 2018. Former NHL goaltender Clint Malarchuk is in town this week and will be delivering two ‘Crazy Game’ sessions today (Monday) at 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM at the Edelweiss Sports Banquet Hall. Registration is still available for the afternoon session on the tournament website and from all reviews, this is an event you will not want to miss. Our own Mike Farwell, the voice of the Kitchener Rangers, the region’s Junior A hockey team, emceed the opening ceremonies yesterday afternoon. A quick but classy opening ceremonies to officially open #ISCTheShow was followed by the
2018 ISC Hall of Fame Inductees (Front: L-R - Recipients): Bruce Bierman, Sean O'Brien, Ferdi Nelissen, Jim Hallman, Paul Rosebush and Rob Gray. (Back Row: L-R - Presenters): Tim Whitelaw. Larry Lynch, Ed Kirner, Dave Bailey and Todd Martin.
home town Hallman Twins defeating the Alvinston Aces 5-1. Fans were entertained by a unique drumming group who stayed for the Hallman Twins game and added an extra flare to push the
hometown team to their opening team. Highlighting the opening ceremonies was Host Committee Co-Chair Bernie Burnett escorting Hall of Fame inductee Bruce Bierman in a classic muscle car to throw the opening pitch, to which all 18 umpires threw out a resounding STRIKE! Farwell claims it takes 18 umpires and they still got the call wrong. The ballpark has been a constant buzz these first two days with our Community Zone of events including corn-hole games, reading zones for kids, and more to come all week. Have you tried some of the ‘eats’ on site? Wow - they are delicious! Make sure to take a stroll each day around the ballpark, the host committee has worked hard to have interactions, good food, games, and more all throughout the facility to keep you entertained in between games.
A unique drumming group added extra flare to the opening ceremies on Sunday.
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1981 MIDLAND / MADISON MATCH-UP - MARATHON MADNESS By John Thompson, Waterloo
Both pitchers had suggestions ning run in the wee hours. The game concluded in how to resolve the deadlock. the bottom of the 34th when Art Tolfree walked, Many long-time fastball afficionados Meredith, frustrated by his teamshortstop Ken Gay doubled and David “Tuck” Bedconsider the 1981 ISC Tournament in Sagmates striking out, asked to be ford notched a Texas leaguer to right to score the inaw MI as a classic among the many exput in the batting lineup. He winning run. citing high points of the ISC’s illustrious faced Finn six times, striking out “It was the hardest ball I ever hit in my career,” 70+ years of high level competition. only once – an admirable perBedford joked. A second round matchup featured formance at the plate given the The second game of the night didn’t start until Peter Meredith, one of a fine stable of New circumstances. An equally optiafter 2 am, and the night’s original scheduled Zealand pitchers who were staffing the mistic Finn never got into the games finally finished only minutes before the softball rosters of North America, locking batter’s box, but light-heartedly scheduled start of the following day’s early mornhorns with Peter Finn, a youngster from stated that “If they would have ing games. Canada in what proved to be an historic let me bat, the game wouldn’t Peter Finn displayed fastball have went so long.” pitching duel. Both hurlers went on to enjoy sterling careers Many veteran fans now refer to it as grit on the mound As the game progressed, the that landed them in the ISC Hall of Fame - Finn simply as THE GAME. original crowd of about 3,000 dwindled inning by (HoF 2005) and Meredith (HoF 2007) here in KitchMidland MI Valley Mechanical Contracting vs inning - to less than 100 who witnessed the winener. Madison WI Farm Tavern. Two young fireballers – 20 year old Finn vs 19 year old Meredith. A Canadian team’s longest game occurred in THE GAME started Tuesday at 5:58 pm (two Sioux City IA on Sunday August 18, 1991 when the minutes early) and ended at 1:24 am (five hours Owen Sound ON Canadian Tiremen battled back and 24 minutes overtime). 34 innings in seven late in the week in the “losers bracket”. hours and 26 minutes! After losing to two time Champion (1988 & ’89) Finn, the 2-1 victor, threw 12 consecutive perhost Sioux City IA Penn Corp 3-0 in the 5th round fect innings, striking out 26 of 36 – admittedly and of the traditional “double knockout format” (Brad probably the best performance of his career. He Underwood and Mike Crawford limited Penn Corp faced 118 batters and fanned 64 of them. He alto three hits in the loss while Jim Seaman tossed lowed one hit from the fourth through the 23rd ina tidy one-hitter for Penn Corp), the Tiremen ning and struck out the side seven times. needed four wins to scramble back to the chamMeredith, facing arguably a tougher lineup, had pionship final. They did just that. Tiremen defeated 19 perfect innings and struck out 42 of the 121 he Amsterdam NY Spirit 7-2 (WP Mike Crawford and faced. He allowed just one hit from the 20th HR by Darryl Sprung) and sidelined Madison WI through the 32nd innings and fanned the side Farm Tavern 5-4 (WP Brad Underwood and LP twice. Jody Hennigar with both pitchers blasting home Combined - only 21 hits and one wild pitch! runs) What Finn remembers most about the game is On the final day, Tiremen erased a 1-0 deficit Rod Johnson saving the game in the eleventh inwith runs in B-6 and B-7 to eliminate Seattle WA ning, throwing out Farm Tavern’s Dino Amenson at Seafirst 2-1 (WP Underwood with a three-hitter). Brad Underwood dazzled on the mound the plate to keep the game tied at 1-1. “Afterward I remember telling the ump we wish Sunday August 18, 1991 – Game #93 R H E LOB he would have called Dino safe so we wouldn’t CANADIAN TIRE, Owen Sound ON 000 000 000 000 000 000 001 1 11 0 12 have had to go 34 innings,” said Farm owner/ GUANELLA BROS, Rohnert Park CA 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 0 5 0 9 sponsor Rod Peterson. This victory helped Finn establish a tournament Brad Underwood and Chuck Hendricks; Chuck D’Arcy, Chubb Tangaroa (6) and Don Trotter record of 126 strikeouts (subsequently broken W – Underwood L – Tangaroa Time 4:48 twice by Darren Zack in 1992 (1236 Ks with Vantoiled for 22 innings to win the longest game in ISC Owen Sound followed with a 5-0 whitewash of Aucouver Magicians) and in 1995 (150 with Toronto History that included a Canadian team. rora IL Colonial Baking as Underwood and battery Gators) mate Chuck Hendricks combined for a no-hitter. Midland’s other pitcher Jerry Hoffman (HoF Owen Sound played in the Championship Final, The next game was awe-inspiring. Underwood, 2011) recalls that he read two complete newspawith Underwood tossing a four-hitter, but losing 2Hendricks and their Owen Sound team-mates pers during the game - he knew the only way he 0 in 10 innings to Doug Middleton and the Sioux was going to get to pitch “was if Peter happened City IA Penn Corp team – who notched their third to fall down and kill himself.” championship in four years.
LONGEST GAME FEATURING A CANADIAN TEAM
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MONDAY, AUGUST 13/2018
RESULTS FROM DAY 2 Date
Time
Venue
WORLD TOURNAMENT (MALE) Game
08/12 1:00 PM
Peter Hallman Ball Yard - PHBY 3
9
08/12 1:00 PM
Peter Hallman Ball Yard - PHBY 1
12
08/12 1:00 PM
Peter Hallman Ball Yard - PHBY 2
13
08/12 3:00 PM
Peter Hallman Ball Yard - PHBY 2
15
08/12 3:00 PM
Peter Hallman Ball Yard - PHBY 1
14
08/12 3:00 PM
Peter Hallman Ball Yard - PHBY 3
18
08/12 6:00 PM
Peter Hallman Ball Yard - PHBY 1
16
08/12 6:00 PM
Peter Hallman Ball Yard - PHBY 2
17
08/12 6:00 PM
Peter Hallman Ball Yard - PHBY 3
20
08/12 8:00 PM
Peter Hallman Ball Yard - PHBY 1
19
Team J&B BOMBERS 36 Team Double Elimination
TORONTO BATMEN 36 Team Double Elimination
NEW YORK GREMLINS 36 Team Double Elimination
NITH RIVER MONSTERS 36 Team Double Elimination
PUSLINCH KODIAKS 36 Team Double Elimination
KINGSTON AXEMEN 36 Team Double Elimination
HALLMAN TWINS 36 Team Double Elimination
BLOOMINGTON STIX 36 Team Double Elimination
BELL CARTAGE OUTLAWS 36 Team Double Elimination
SHAKESPEARE FALCONS 36 Team Double Elimination
Behind the screen and behind the scene You have heard of the people behind the scenes who make it all work. One of those groups is the scorers and announcers behind the scene and behind the screen at the 2018 ISCs Diana Thomas heads up the scoring and announcing crew here in Kitchener. There are over 30 people working on the keeping the stats, recording the runs, defensive plays, RBIs HR's 1B, 2B, 3B, BB, K's, PO's, RBIs, A's and AB's, the 4 to 3 and the 6 to 4 to 3, and the F9 and F7 and dozens of other plays that occur in every softball game. The crew is mostly local, Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, some are from nearby towns, Tavistock, Mitchell, others are a little more distant, Cargill, Chepstow, Owen Sound, Wingham, Harriston, others from Waterford, Port Dover and Seaforth. Sheila Brown heads up our scorer training; Sheila has written the book on softball scoring. Mary Ann Stroh, Dennis Yeadon as well as Diana assist in the training. Members of this group had been asked to score
MONDAY, AUGUST 13/2018
nearby tournaments in Tavistock, Mitchell, Windsor, Owen Sound, Cambridge and other Ontario competitions. Some make the yearly hike to such ISC host cities as Grand Rapids, Quad Cities, South Bend. The game announcers at this years ISC championship come from local Rogers Radio stations, Gary Doyle, Mike Farwell, and out of town radio stations as well. Fred Wallace is here from CFOS in Owen Sound and Steve Sabourin is the news director at CKNX Wingham. Those are the profes-
Score
Score
9
0
13
5
14
0
7
1
0
13
0
1
5
1
9
0
0
12
4
16
Team OHSWEKEN REDMEN 36 Team Double Elimination
TIN CUP TORNADO 36 Team Double Elimination
COBOURG DIRT ROAD CO. 36 Team Double Elimination
KANSAS CITY MONARCHS 36 Team Double Elimination
HILL UNITED CHIEFS 36 Team Double Elimination
RIO GRANDE SENATORS 36 Team Double Elimination
Alvinston Aces 36 Team Double Elimination
IRMA TIGERS 36 Team Double Elimination
OSTRANDER NORSEMEN 36 Team Double Elimination
CIRCLE TAP 36 Team Double Elimination
sionals. We have a good crew of amatuer announcers as well. Diana Thomas is the voice of the Waterloo Siskins Junior Hockey club, and the Waterloo Wolves youth hockey organization. Ron Vanderzwaag hosts a sports show on CKWR, Ron Woodworth is retired from calling car races at Varney Speedway. Sheila Brown and Bob McKIllop are great softball announcers Along with about 10 other softball announcers they keep the fans up to date on the game. So tip of the old ball cap to the back of the screen scorers and announcers.
A Look Back in KW Softball History Jim Hallman's induction into the ISC Hall of Fame in 2018 makes him the third local to be honoured as the Bob Welby Memorial Recognition of Service Award recipient. Pitcher Dan Yantzi was the 2002 honouree and administrator John
Thompson was so honoured in 2014. Larry Lynch was elected to the ISC Hall of Fame in 2007 in the manager category, and is the only Canadian manager ever elected. Bruce Bierman will become the second Canadian umpire to receive Hall of Fame honours following Bob Minshall who was elected in 2000.
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IMPRESSIONS FROM THE OPENING CEREMONIES ON SUNDAY
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MONDAY, AUGUST 13/2018