The Goderich Signal-Star, 1979-08-30, Page 34Paget
Come on, you guys, play ball!
Teams flaying
for big bucks
A lot of high finance is involved in producing
the yearly fastball tournament here in
Goderich.
Each team entering the contest must pay an
$80 entry fee. Since 32 teams are entered
altogether, this ads up• to $2400. All of this goes
to prize money.
The winners of each quarter -final round
receive $75, While the consolaton quarter -final
winners receive $40. The semi-final winners in
the championship round win $145, and the prize
going to semi-final wine rs in the consolation
round get $75.
The final champions receive $206. That totals
$420, including the teams other wins. Winners
of the consolation title win $100, making for a
total of $215 for that team.
The prize money is the same in both
divisions.
In addition to the prize money, trophies are
awarded to most valuable players, most
Sportsmanlike players, to pitchers of no -hit
games, or one -hit games, and for home runs.
In case of a tie, "sudden -death" extra innings
will be played. Any team leading by seven runs
after five or more complete innings will 'be
declared the *inner.
Last year, the tournament profited $6400, the
highest in the history of the tourney. $9400 of it
was spent in sodding the diamond, $700 was
spent in contribution to the fencing, and some of
it went to the year end banquet.
This year, some of the profits will be used up
before the tournament even starts. $1200 will be
spent putting up a chain link fence to enclose
the players' benches.
Off diamond activities flourish
Talk about friendly neighbours. Tournament
public relations director Doug Fisher had his
daughter Shelley draw the winning ticket for
the Grey Cup weekend. And when. daughter
Shelley presented the winning ticket to her
father, he couldn't help but laugh.
The winning ticket belonged to his neighbour
Ray Donnelly. But perhaps there was no one
more deserving of the Grey Cup weekend than
Donnelly who has piloted the GDCI . senior
football team to several Huron -Perth cham-
Tourney
tales
Talk about dedication. The 10th tournament
public relations director Doug "Brooks"
Fisher, had to put aside his tournament duties
occasionally to play for Fisher Custom
Builders, one of the four Goderich teams in the
tournament. Well, Brooks was pitching in one
game when he was injured in the leg by a
sliding player while covering at third base. The
injury was extremely painful, but Brooks,
believing it to be a bad braise, continued- to
pitch the remainder of the game. In a losing
cause unfortunately.
He also watched part of the next game before
going to hospital to have his leg checked. There
he discovered the leg was broken and a cast
was slapped on
That occurred on Saturday and Fisher was
back in the ball park assisting the executive
with presentations.
Smile
Someone once asked
Mark Twain what the
people of the earth would
be without women. Twain
replied, "They would be
scarce, sir, almighty
scarce!".
pionships since he began coaching at the
school.
And don't bet that Ray wasn't smiling when
he found out he was 'the winner. The loot in-
cluded two nights' accommodation at the Royal
York Hotel and tickets to the Grey Cup game in
Toronto.
There isn't going to be a Grey Cup draw this
year, however, there still will be a draw.
The tournament executive is going to raffle
off a bushel of 'glass bats', consisting of a dozen
or so assorted full ones. That kind of a prize is
hard to beat!
Something new will be featured at the
tourney this year. On Saturday afternoon from
4:30 to 8:30, there will be a beef bar -b -q. It will
cost $4 for adults and $2.50 for kids.
Starting at nine o'clock in the evening and
continuing till one o'clock a.m., there will be a
free dance on the floor in the arena.
These activities are mainly for all the visiting
teams and their families who find that they
have nothing to do on the Saturday evening of
the long weekend.
Each year, thousands of fans pack the stands