How do you get nearly 300 ball players from 3 provinces together for a weekend in Southern Alberta? Well, it’s a fairly simple plan. 😊
You take a ton of outstanding volunteers, have arguably the best facilities in the country, throw in cold beverages and great ballpark food and SHAZAM you get a 24-team Senior Slowpitch Tourney in the Gas City. Oh, and order movie picture weather to top it all off.
This past weekend, the 182 member Medicine Hat Senior Slowpitch League threw their annual tournament. The event started out Friday afternoon under skies we haven’t seen since last summer. 4 games were played at our precious Lorne Holden Park in Kin Coulee featuring teams from Calgary, Saskatoon, Regina and of course our home HuffnPuff squads. To say it was a successful start to the ever-popular tournament is an understatement. The games, which were officiated professionally by “Hamm & Hamm Umping Inc.” were exciting and entertaining. The ever popular “Kenny B’s Grill” was open early and was busy the entire evening. Thanks to head Chef Goose Gardiner, his lovely bride Michelle and ably assistants Eileene Richardson, Harv Buye and double duty “Beer Guru” Foodle Eresman, the place ran like a well-oiled machine (Canola oil I think). The beer gardens had the same success, but how could it not with the old Wiley “beer veterans” like Jim Black, Howard Gehring, Sherwin Lehman and Bill Lapshinoff slinging cool ones.
Day 2 was bright and early, but this time at the Moose Ball Complex. Over the last few years, the tourney has outgrown the friendly confines of Kin Coulee so up to the big park it went. The venue was picture perfect, as earlier Friday morning, no less than 20 great volunteers from the best slow pitch league in the west showed up to prep the diamonds, set up tents, transport the cold beverages for the weekend and make the place look spotless. Thanks to all that worked hard to make the complex the best it can be and the best it was. Anyway, with the made to order weather around once again, 25 ball games were played. The old guys showed that they can still compete and that age is only a number. Unfortunately, there were a couple of small casualties but overall, everyone made it through the day, some with the help of Aleve and Ibuprofen😊
Day 3 was once again at the Moose, with another 24 games on tap. That’s 53 GAMES in 2-1/2 days played by guys in their 50’s, 60’s, & 70’s! Who said guys don’t have staying power. Haha. By Sunday evening the teams from Kelowna, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Regina, Calgary, Lethbridge and our own 5 local teams were tired and exhausted but as one visiting team put it “It’s a good tired”.
I wish I could mention everyone’s name that made this a success, but that would take me a week. A huge thank you to the Brewers and all the Huff n Puff teams and all the spouses that prepped the diamonds every game, umped every game and manned the awesome new ‘Beer Garden Window”! To Randy, Gary, Darlene and everyone else that are always in the press box. Going back to the beer thing, by Sunday night “Rain Man Kochy” had sung “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall” 16 times which proves how busy the new beer window was. Good job and thanks. Huggy Scherger aka diamond boss/pro foul ball retriever and Facilities Officer Parker led a field team to make sure the Moose and Holden fields were second to none. Also, thanks to the volunteers that didn’t play but worked hard to make this all happen. I do have to mention Walter “The Harrows” Pratt as he threw up more dust than a plow wind on the prairies, hand grooming the diamonds for 2 straight days.
A successful event like this doesn’t happen by accident. It’s because of the great volunteers of our super special league we have. The entries are already coming in for next year's edition…………………need I say more. GH