Karen Erickson (far left), Cookie Kaplan (left), and Jeana Hodges (right) standing with the banner honoring our sponsor, Wendy Harn of Morris Hall (photo by Gary Hodges)
Well, softball fans, the five “W’s” of journalism, as Wikipedia puts it, are “who did it, by what aids or instruments she did it (with), what she did, where she did it, why she did it, and when she ‘done’ it.” As in Miss Scarlett, last Tuesday on the softball field, with her 34-inch, 26-ounce Miken layered carbon fiber bat, laced a frozen rope into the gap for a stand-up double, scoring the runners on second and third. Take me out to the ballgame!
That’s what happened on Memorial Day, May 30, at the SB softball field in front of some 350 cheering (and sometimes jeering and joking) fans who watched three games of softball drama and occasional comedy at the SaddleBrooke Senior Softball Association’s annual Memorial Day Tournament, and scarfed down some 550 dogs and brats with kraut, chips, sodas or water, and ice cream sandwiches. So, thank you to all those fans who came down. It was a beautiful day, the sun was out (when ain’t it, right?), and the players and volunteers put on a good show, all sponsored by Ambient Air Heating & Cooling (our sponsor since 2016), with the grilling again by Doug Wagers of Window Wizards. This tournament honors those members of the U.S. armed forces who have given their lives in the service of our country. Thanks, Mike and the Ambient Air team.
Who won? Well, with the snowbirds gone, the association was still able to put on three games, beginning at 8 a.m., starting with Recreation/Sidewinder Leagues, then Competitive, and finally Community/Coyote. The Rec/Sidewinder game had Bank of the West slugging their way to victory over Barron Electric 20 to 10. The Competitive game between Big Bear Garage Doors and Bubb’s Grubb was a “shoot-out barn burner” with Big Bear outlasting Bubb’s 21 to 20. Finally, in the 11 a.m. contest (almost nap time), Canine and Company put the hammer on Ambient Air 16 to 10. There weren’t any pithy quotes for this article, but after games, mostly all you get anyway is, “Where’s the food?” “Can I sit down now?” and “Did you score that (single with fielding, throwing, and catching errors) a home run?”
This spring season ran until July 1. A tight race in Monday Community with Western Exterminator at 5-1 and Twin Air at 4-2. Tuesday Community and Competitive are not so tight, with the UPS Store and Andy’s Irrigation both with 6-1 records (meaning da other guys are 1-6). Ouch! On Wednesdays, Xpert Auto in Community and Barron Electric in Sidewinder have 5-2 records over the 2-5 Cellar Dwellers. Pride Mechanical has edged ahead of Rancheros at 4-3 in Thursday Coyote. On Fridays in Competitive, the Longo Firm and Titan Power Sports are at 3-3, and in Community, Ambient Air is leading the way at 6-2, with Ridgeview PT at 4-4, and Absolutely Art in the cellar at 2-6. Well, it might have been Confucius who said, “Sometimes you’re the windshield. Sometimes you’re the bug.”
Anyhoo, our summer season begins Monday, July 18, after a two-week break, and will run to Friday, Sept. 23. And our next tournament will be Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 5. Put it on the calendar!
Surf us at saddlebrookesoftball.com for more info, or just come on down to the ballpark any weekday. Various softball junkies will be hanging around, looking for anyone who hasn’t yet heard their life story.