2005 YEARBOOK

The San Antonio Men’s Senior League triggered its 14th season in January 2005 with a huge Manager’s meeting at Kelly USA Officer’s Club. After coming off a tremendous 2004 season culminating in 12 teams going to the with 6 reaching playoff day, the SAMSBL refocused to do better in 2005. We started the year by introducing Rookie managers for all to pick on. New to the title included Andrew Denny , 18+ & 28+ Dodgers Grays; David Vargas, 18+ Reds; and Rick Harm, 18+ Angels. The 28+ Group saw Ed Leos, Tigers; Aldo Aguilar, White Sox; Steve Beltran, Cubs; Sal Cuevas, Red Sox; and Joe Guiterriz, Tejanos. Only one new guy popped up in the 38+ Division, Rick Shasteen of the Astros. The 48+ Group had 2 new guys at the helm with Tom Keyser, Sox; and Pete Powell, Cardinals. However, they added two new teams with Bill Sirakos of the Pirates and Skip Bradley of the 58+ Texas. All new teams won at least 2 games and every team lost at least one. As a League, we have experienced the sensation of doubt for nearly all the games. As the season progressed, we lived the adage: “on any given day who knows who will win”. It is a great feeling to go to a game knowing that your competition can kick you hard if you do not play your very best.

Two teams a generation apart retooled and literally “shot out of the cannon” from the start. The 48+ Mariners, managed by Doug McLaughlin, won their first 8 games with the addition of pitcher Tony Davis. The 18+ Astros, managed by Joseph Molina, won their first 5 games with the addition of Brent Bible, Shawn Hamilton, Jason Rusick, and Rolando Periales. Others for the Astros include Brett Joseph, Derrick Alvarado, Sean Bressette, David Davilla, Eric Martinez, Glenn Weaver, Matt Molina, Nick Mendez, and Roger Valdez. Joseph is considering stepping down as manager of the Astros. He created the team and has been its sole manager for 5 years. He will make his decision in late 2005. He is a good man.

The 48+ Mariners supported Tony with Dave Mellott, John McCarr, David Bentley, Bob Crotty, Tom Flournoy, Carl Johnson, Earl Smith, Scott Tellkamp, John Ugrate, Ruben Cevallos, and Keith Becker. However, one man on the team was an anchor in the Mariner outfield and in the League. Sam Sarrizan has been playing in this league since its existence. He has been an adversary, an opponent, a teammate, and now an advisor, and finally a friend. He is an asset to the League.

Still maintaining the team motto of “Thank God We Can Still Play”, the 28+ Braves completed one of their best seasons, ever. The additions of pitcher Xavier Garcia, shortstop Randy Diaz, and the added talents of Joseph Garcia, made a huge difference. The biggest change came from the Braves offense. Keys were the clutch hitting from Bryan Mylar, brothers Leon (Manager) and Sixto Aleman, Dale Haines, Bob Furmage, and Rene Martinez. Defense of Hector Trevino, Jaime Rangel, Ben Villalobos, Jason Marmolejo, and Raul Ritchie allowed fewer errors versus last year’s squad. Martin Esquivel was strong in relief. Losing more than half their games by one with several of those being in the last inning, the Braves always showed up for the next contest. Perhaps, though, the toughest game to lose was a 9-inning, 2 hours-3 minutes battle with a close play at home for the deciding run for the opposing Rangers. As a team, the Braves all agreed the winning pitcher, our League President, pitched a complete game far above his head. But, we lost. What a season!

The 48+ Sox had a slow start but came on strong at the finish. Tom Keyser grabbed his big bull by the horns and led the way to the City Championship with gutsy efforts. Steady performances by Rufus Miller, Juan Ahumada, John Blair, Fred Douglas, Dale Searles, John Neyland, and Lee Bunton were instrumental down the stretch. Billy Jacobs pitched 17 innings within 24 hours to cap an excellent season. Bob Hoeffner anchored the defense at shortstop nearly every game and provided timely hits throughout the season except when he faced a certain lefty buzz saw.

Charlie Zapata finished out the season as the manager of the 28+ Cardinals. Mike and Rey Luna were the best brother combination up the middle in the league. Raul Salazar provided powerful hitting, often. He kept hitting homeruns. Once, he even hit what appeared to be a long, high, and deep grand slam until he ran past his teammate at first base. An interesting scene occurred even on the immediate correct ruling by the umpires. Bothers Tommy and Albert Martinez also hit often and hard. Brothers David and Nate (& Charlie) Zapata pitched, caught, and hit consistently. The Cardinals were the League and City Champions for the second year in a row.

When the 38+ Missions would field its entire team, they were tough to beat. Manager Terry Talley was excited early on when guys like Todd Sandage, Robbie Moore, Mike Hausig, John Leland, Joe Santos, Gene Snider, Buster Jones, Johnny Chapa, Jesse Hernandez, and Fernando Villagran would all show up. He had many options from this talented group. However, as the season wore on, Terry saw the handwriting on the wall. The Missions played their last game in August.

Wes Rogers, 48+ Mets, also looked forward to an excellent year. He made some off-season trades to acquire Dick Evans, John Pugl, Armando Cantu, Rocky Self, Bill Ehrhardt, Phil Bepko, and Rey Arredondo. This group added to the talent of Davis Jackson, Jim Lee, George Morales, Ben Powers, and Mike Peterson. Then to cap it off, his team had the 1st round draft pick in February, and chose rookie Jim Bailey. This squad finally gelled and played some excellent baseball. The Mets will be tough to beat for years to come.

Rookies David Vargas and Javier Guerrero managed a new team, the 18+ Reds. As with any new team, the players need to get to know each other. They took a rookie team of Jim Snowden, Simon Rodriguez, Jesse Jasso, Ronald Sibley, Charlie Rickman, Thomas Reavis, and Daniel Reyes among others and learned once again that it takes time to make a team. About mid-season, David White and Drew Spencer showed up and the Reds became a force. They have an excellent future in the 18+ Division.

Rookie manager, Rick Shasteen, 38+ Astros, got off to a slow start. A consistent powerhouse of a team the last several years, Rick had to re-organize the group his way. His talented team included Tony De La O, Sean Nolan, Charlie Griffin, rookie Ron Gray, Gino Martinez, Nick Flores, Bob Furmage, Dale Hanes, and Leon Aleman. They finished very strong.

Dr. Kent Keeton, 18+ Rangers, turned most of the operations over to former pro player Kelly Skeens and he did not disappoint anyone. With talent like Matt Largent, Roman Villareal, Robert Ott, Mat Srp, Chad Zimmerman, Clint Samsom, Carlos Chavez, and Jeremy Brimer, the Rangers proved to be a good ball club, once again. Doc built solid team over the years and Kelly knows baseball. The team finished one game out of first place in the league and then dominated the city championship tournament with lopsided victories. Doc and Kelly have agreed to one more year.

Jim Parker, 48+ Astros, added Mike Surls and Hal Butler to the mix of John Moore, Val Cass, Sid Dukes, Kevin Kline, Ed Oswald, Dicky Vaughn, Clarence McCarty, and Tom Hearn to make a team that was hard to beat. When pitcher Joel Morley was on the mound with Dave Parker (brother) catching, they were especially tough. But Jim’s main asset was his keen organization of his team’s myriad of details handled by Mr. Albert Motz. Everything from lineup cards to identifiable game balls, Albert got it all done each week.

Oscar Banda, Sr, Oscar Banda, Jr, Roland Banda, and Ralph Banda (father and sons) all of the 38+ Cubs had another sensational year. With pitching from David Hernandez and Jose Luis Velasquiz, the Cubs were hard to hit. Defensively the Cubs had Miquel Rodriquez in the infield and Chefo Guiterrez in the outfield along with David Cantu, Rafael Olivares, Reggie Smith, Ramiro Flores, Joe Besa, Jason Hild and Larry Cheatwood. And all these guys could hit. But on a rare occasion, when a certain lefty buzz saw pitched against them, Greg “Red” Hemphill had trouble nearly every at bat, once even hurting his back on a swing. The Cubs played very well all season and won both the League and City Championships for the second year in a row. Great job!

Rick Harm, 18+ Angels, took over the squad and made it his own. He got to play with his sons, Justin and Ryan. Joseph Gonzales, Chris Kottwitz, Jeff Lewis, Brian Salas, Mike Veliz, Santiago Cavazos, Derek Kratewski, Ed Lopez are some of the players who helped make the team solid in every aspect of the game.

The 48+ Rangers, managed by Bob Bepko, had a tumultuous year from the start. Losing several key players, Bob added rookies Dan Acosta and Pat Bonney to the mix of Jerry Spencer, Glenn Grossenbacher, Gil Cortez, Dennis Iker, Dale Meek, Bill Downing, Gary Etter, John Lerette, Robert Stull, and Louie Mendez. These guys played great together. Dan and Pat proved to be excellent ball players who anchored the outfield and pitching duties. The team won the League Championship.

The 18+ Dodger Grays, managed by rookie Andrew Denny, surprised everyone in the League by grabbing first place on day one of the season and kept it all year. Finding rookies from all over the city with just a few veterans, the Grays played some superb baseball. His team included Alan Mow, Red Woodlee, Al Gallardo, Shawn Joseph, Joe Mata, Fred Carmona, Marc Anguano, Chuck Gibson, Brandon Palomo and Mike Plumas. His two brothers, John and Stephen, Denny also played. This first year team won the League Championship.

David Martinez and Rick Hernandez, took a team whose age of every player is over 38 and made the 28+ Missions a powerhouse yet again for 2005. These men have been playing together for years. Donato Lopez, George Freeman, Roland Virella, Art Vega, Jimmy Garcia, Jesse Herrera, Manual Sosa, Robert Sanchez, and Steve Carrasco still play awesome baseball. Robb Swain, Sam Pacheco, and Gene De Los Santos added superb talent and experience to the mix. This entire team of 23 players will travel to the Phoenix World Series and play in the 38+ Mountain Division. Last year they lost in the final game. This year, we all expect a ring for this group of classy guys.

The 28+ Cubs, managed by Steve Beltran, always played consistent baseball. JR Broils, Ron Sanchez, David White, Mike Elizando, Scott Eichman, Larry Alonzo, Kenny Poff, Adrian Velazquez, brothers Tom and Steve Newman, Chris Guajardo, and Carlo Flores all could play multiple positions. The team trademark was the “hidden” ball trick.

Mike and Mark Pircher, a father/son team, once again took the 18+ Pirates to the top. The added coaching duties of Peter Hosey and Ray Arevelo, gave the Pirates several views during any game. Doug Rosini, Mike Hernandez, Chris Arevalo, Jordon Hosey, Brandon Oehlke, Jake Raley, Al Cruz, and Drew Taylor to name a few, all offered each opponent some of the best baseball games in the 18+ Division. The nucleus of the team will be going to the 2005 World Series. They have an excellent shot for a ring.

The 28+ Devils had their ups and downs this year. Coming off a surprising City Championship victory in 2004, everyone expected the Devils to simply dominate, especially when Mark Tawil would be back and healthy from a broken leg suffered in the first game last year. But maybe because he was back, the Devils could not duplicate the magic of ’04. Brian Trevino, Manager, laid the most of the blame on Mark (because, just because). Several key players could not commit all season. Pitchers Rod Kurtz and Will Havens (monsters on the mound) had obligations that prevented them from being available most of the season. However, Chris Colon and Joel Merino (who bought new, bigger pants this year) picked up the slack and pitched well. Ray Medrano, Rick Hill, Bobby Arguello, Lavish Frias, Todd Stanley, and Lloyd Norris got the team into the playoff rounds. However, not to repeat, well, it was all Mark’s fault. He ought to be traded, but he is just too nice.

Galen Hilliard hit the “official” cycle with a homer, , , and single in four at-bats in one game. 48+ Cardinals Manager, Pete Powell, said this just capped an excellent season for Galen. With players like Ed Guerrero, Tom Hansis, Charles Hamann, Don Smith, Bruce Weldy, Don Marcott, Greg DeMarco, Bernie Pena, and David Schmidt, the Cardinals were very tough all season winning and losing some close games. However, it was a pleasant surprise to add the talents of Mr. Harlan Bridges, from Tyler, Texas, to the Cardinals. Harlan created the East Texas MSBL years ago and did some HARDBALL magazine work before moving to the SAMSBL. He proved to be an excellent player in several positions for the Cardinals. Welcome to the San Antonio league, rookie.

Mike Dees, Dave Curbey, and Mike Cruz kept the 28+ Hawks together for possibly their last year. When all the players showed up to play, the Hawks were really solid in every aspect of the game. Jack Garner anchored catching duties. Jon Cordova, Mickey Cleveland, Sean Jaramillo, Ed Buchanan, Walter Hidalgo, Troy Borrowman, and Rob Adams all shared infield and outfield duties as necessary. But, team Mom, Sharon Dees, was the one who kept it all organized.

As in all the previous years of their existence, the 18+ Lackland Air Force Base Warhawks, have had to content with numerous military transfers to and from of the Mid-East war zone and supporting countries. Lt. Davin Dukes, manager for the 2005 team, demonstrated excellent leadership with poise. During the numerous transfers all season, the team started off slow but gelled in the final month. The best aspect of this team is their devotion to the game and our league under some very trying conditions in and out of this country. We thank these military men and women and know that we in the SAMSBL get to play against real live heroes. Several of the many team members include Keith Simon, Greg King, Ryan Danley, Larry Plowman, John Goodin, Mario Villareal, Kyle Buckles, Wayne Kolberg, Adam Wick, and George Benavides. A special thanks and job well done salute is offered to Lt. Dukes. Davin has intertwined his military career and his love for the game very well. He is a leader, he plays the game very well, and he carries himself well, as an officer should. Lt. Dukes reflects great credit upon himself, the SAMSBL, and the United States Air Force. We are glad to have him in our League.

Gene Snider and son, Jason, 18+ Phillies, had high hopes for the 2005 season. The team had excellent players with KC Dohmen, Brad Larsen, Jordan Voges, Chad Grossniklaus, Joe Cirillo, Ray Talamantez, Phil Pacheco, Tim Rasar, and Darrel Pankratz. They played well and only needed a few breaks along the way. Gene is retiring as manager. The Phillies are no longer.

The 28+ Red Sox had a banner year. Rookie Manager Sal Cuevas brought a unique enthusiasm to his team and it continued to grow throughout the season. Anchored by ace pitchers Willie Martinez and George Kassis, players like Victor Cisneros, Kenny McMullin, Joe Martinez, Jason Hild, and brother, Al Cuevas provided defense and offense in large quantities and often. The Red Sox turned into a competitive team and gave every opponent a fine game. One of the best games was an extra inning marathon where the Rangers’ Lee Bunton battled Wille for over 10 pitches with the Red Sox entire defense pulled to the far right (3rd baseman behind 2nd base, etc). It was exciting and Lee got the hit to drive in the winning run. The best part is our next game next year. We all look forward to a repeat of the Wille vs Lee show in 2006.

Joe Guiterrez stepped up to create the 28+ Tejanos. The team had a typical initiation for a group of rookies. After they gelled, they begin to play very well. Joe has built a solid team that will be very competitive in 2006. Players included David Hernandez, Alan Greene, CJ Hunter, Richard Felan, Albert Deleon, Phillip Hernandez, Julian Maldondo, Ray Cosurez, and Eddie Sandoval.

Edward Leos took on the talented 28+ Tigers. With players like Alex Perez, Kevin Krisko, Dewayne Juny, Joe Casillas, Clint Marquez, Bobby Balderas, Fred Araiza, Reynaldo Garza, Mike Jones, Epi Suarez, and Kristan Santos, the team proved that chemistry in the dugout was important. Edward set the example for his team to follow. They played well at all times, were tough to beat, and pleasure to play against.

The 28+ White Sox played their final season with us. Aldo Aguilar, manager, decided to move up to the 38+ Division for 2006. He wished to thank his teammates for their support. John Champion, Erik Patchen, Bill Kindred, Eric Caballer, Philip Del Gado, Floyd McSweeney, Mershal Jones, Xavier Olivarez, Fernando Del Gado, Jeff Parsons, Emilio Baez, and Bryan Meier provided this League with a classic game where the last place team (at the time) beat the first place team (at the time). Sean Miller took his pro ball knowledge and experience and wove it into the fabric of this team. They played with class.

The 48+ Cubs, managed by Bob Rathburn, once again was a “good ball game” every time. Each of his opponents all season knew they had a monumental task of beating the Cubs. Bob had two of the premier left-handed pitchers in Todd Erickson and Wayne Hand. Larry Cheatwood was the wise who knew where to call for a pitch. Henry Esparza was the enthusiastic fielder who kept the group pumped up. Steve James anchored shortstop and was leadoff until Bob, himself, stepped up. Robert Stefanic, Gary Harvey, Ronnie Cox, Mark Tieken, Pat Brown, Bernie Pienazek, and “Diesel” added hits, defense, and stability to a very good team.

Andrew Denny had a very interesting season. He took on two teams (the 18+ Grays, reference above) and the 28+ Grays. Whereas, the 18+ team was solid immediately, Andrew had to really work hard to bring the 28+ Club around. He had to keep them motivated and focused. He practiced them. Finally it all paid off. Late in the season, they won their first game by sheer grit. Roy Alcoser, JD Denny, Nick Dobbs, Epi Lopez, Rene Ibarra, Wayne Robinson, Jim Thorpe, Tony Wilson, Ruben Rosales and Chester Dominguez started has a group of men and then turned into a team. Charles Otte came along about mid-season.

Martin DeLeon, Russ Dickerson, Eric Negron, Roland Banda, and Skip Bradley were the five returning members of the 28+ Rangers. The team added veterans Randy Mendoza, Dan Creedon, Tony Davis, Cougar Caldwell, Mark McConnell, Danny Mills, Bill Von Behren, Fred Douglas, Lee Bunton, Drew Mawyer, Bryan Wyatt, David Oliver, and Jack Held. Two newcomers included ex-pro players Bobby Bensch and Steve Hecht. Both men brought offense and defense to talented lineup. When told that we needed one more run in separate games, both responded with home runs. Bobby’s was powerful and Steve’s was pretty good.

Bill Sirakos re-emerged to become a manager, once again, of his beloved 48+ Pirates. He even went to the fantasy camp in early 2005 and bought for his team the authentic Pirates uniforms each with their names on them. They looked sharp. But the best thing Manager Bill did on his fantasy trip was to get famous homerun hitter in the 9th inning, Bill Mazereski, of the 1960 Pirates World Series winners, to sign a baseball for me. I never did strike Bill out in 2005. Bill put his team together with rookies and “out of retirement” vets. Juan Guzman, Duane Sipila, Ron Raab, Mike Healy, David Dullnig, Bill Rodriquez, Jim Wilcox, Tad Wooten, Greg McLain and brothers, Pete and Danny Pedron regrouped to play some good baseball. After many years, Gary Griffin returned from lands far away to catch and play 1st base for the team. Welcome back Gary.

For the first time in its history, the SAMSBL created a 58+ team and put it in 48+ Division. The team was very popular from a numbers viewpoint. 35 men, all over 58, wanted to play. Early on, it was a challenge to get every one playing time in just 9 innings. The oldest player was Adolph Hoffman at 82 followed closely by Doc Dan Craig at 78. The team, like all new teams, got shellacked often. Making defensive and offensive changes every inning allowed no consistency. However, after many hours of practice and games, it was announced to 5 opponents that they were going down. And they did! Some of the many players included Rodney Griffin, Bill Howard, John Moore, Albert Motz, Clarence McCarty, Val Cass, Don Johnson, Billy Burgess, Bob Long, Tommy Honeycutt, Sammy Del Los Santos, and Nelson Wolff. Hitters who stepped up were Jim Parker, Emerson Hayes, Jesus Muniz, Tom Keyser, and Billy Jacobs. There will two teams in 2006.

The 48+ Yankees started off slow for their team losing 3 out of the first 5 games. However, they regrouped to begin playing their particular brand of baseball: hit it hard, run like deer, and catch all that is hit. David Kellum, manager, got the team to refocus. Players included Jeff Newman, Bobby Pena, Pedro Espinosa, Mario Reyes, Adam Reyes, Reggie Perez, Jose Martinez, Emerson Hayes, Tomas Munoz, Dan Kellum, Roy Najera, Carl Alsobrook, and Bob Chabot. The team is good men who enjoy a competitive game every time.

Jerry Spencer, 38+ Rangers, had a tight rope to walk with this group. Every player on the 38+ squad played on another team during the season. Jerry never knew who was going to show up. He was either feast of famine all season long. But the task did prove formidable late in the season. Several must-win games were played during the famine stage. This talented team did not make the post-season playoff picture. Jerry will probably be fired.

Robert Stull, 38+ Giants, on the other hand, did not have a famine situation at all. He added Warren Mays to his solid team of Randy Jackson, Frank Bellino, David Juarez, Lee Mann, Bret Simon, Will Winslett, Tom Turk, Steve Temple, Mike Stowers, and Ray Talamantes. They did make the post-season playoff rounds. The team will return for 2006 even better since Robert is recruiting during the off-season.

The 38+ Tornadoes, Allen Bussell, manager, proved tough, resilient, and talented. Basically the same team for several years in a row, this team is good. Steve Warnock, Chuck Farmer, “Hammer” Baskerville (because he hits it hard), Dave Schulze, Deven Olson, RT Thompson, Tim Vargas, Tim Pundt, Scott Barry, Andre “Smitty” Smith, and Kevin Starry can play many positions at any time as required. Tony Rodriquez missed much of the season due to military deployment. He is a military nurse. His job included emergency room duties for the returning wounded soldiers. He met many heroes. He made it back in time to play in the Labor Day Classic. Welcome home, Tony.

Danny Flores, once again, managed the myriad of details for the umpires. He assigned (and then re- assigned as schedules changed) all the guys from March through Labor Day. As all the Chief Umpires know, calling a game is just one of their duties. Danny has done well for the SAMSBL. Our corps of umpires is the best. These men include: Mel Carter, Mike Sanchez, John Reidy, brothers Dave and John Paul Boone, Darryl Boyd, Keith Tatum, John Martinez, James Baum, Paul Greco, Robert Lopez, Tino Hernandez, James Landin, Ron Conlin, Jeff Hilliard, Chad Johnson, Doug Reavis, Bob Long, Ray Galvez, Ron Trevino, Robert Thompson, Dan Martinez, and Jason Lavasseur. Dave Evans travels from upstate New York to call games for us. Mike Roberts is a senior veteran of our local college umpires. And Gil Gomez will be Dr. Gil Gomez (PhD) from the University of Incarnate Word with ceremonies in December. Congratulations, Dr. Gomez.

The longer we all play baseball in the MSBL, the higher the likelihood of a loss of a friend. And, we in the SAMSBL have suffered the loss of one giant of a man. Our beloved Tommy Yeates, 52, was tragically killed on August 30 just days before our big Labor Day tournament. It put an “atmosphere” over the event. Tommy was buried Saturday during the tournament in his beloved Pirates uniform. All the local teams knew that Tommy would have wanted us to keep going in his honor. The man had such an impact on this League for years. He was a good man, just good to the bone. He was a wise man and an advisor. He was a Board of Directors member whose finger was on the pulse of our League. Tommy was our first ever MVM (Most Valuable Man) recipient in 2001 due to his dedication to adult baseball. He played in all age divisions. He made an obvious impact in every area of our League because he cared and was not bashful about being heard. And, he did one more thing for the SAMSBL on the following Monday that had never happened before in our history. All teams that won the Championship were from the SAMSBL. Tommy Yeates gave us a special motivation never before experienced. He will be missed but not forgotten.

It was brought to my attention in late August that I will be inducted in the National MSBL Hall of Fame on November 5, 2005 in Phoenix, Arizona during the World Series Banquet. Of this rare honor that will be bestowed upon me, I can only say that I am humbly grateful to be so recognized as it reflects very well upon our SAMSBL program. As with all MSBL leagues in the nation, we are happy to be a part of the MSBL family. And, as with all MSBL leagues in the nation, we have good people participating. However, distinctive to the SAMSBL, we have good people who play baseball with a very high set of standards. Distinctive to the SAMSBL, we have people who play baseball with class on superb fields with quality competition at all age levels. I intensely believe good ball players become excellent ball players when competition is keen from the first pitch. We “sharpen” our skills on each other. And then we form All Star teams to play in tournaments. In the last decade, we have sent over 150 teams to tournaments in Austin, Kingsville, Orlando, Dallas, Phoenix, New Orleans, Houston, Fort Worth, Oklahoma City, Corpus Christi, Albany, and Tampa. We have won our fair share of championships including two times in Phoenix. But most distinctive to the SAMSBL is that our tournament teams consist of our local league players. We do not go “outside” to look for ball players. We build from within. In the last four years in Phoenix World Series, we have sent 34 teams in every age group from Central to National Divisions (over 600 men) with only 9 not playing in our league. This year we are sending 7 teams to Phoenix with all the players being local. Distinctive to the SAMSBL, we can compete with the nation. And, we compete well. Some good people live in this area. Some excellent ball players play in the SAMSBL. I have the pleasure of leading them and my efforts have been recognized. After all these years: the tough decisions I have had to make, the headaches, the questionings, the heartaches, the jubilations, the disappointments, the “tight jaws”, the long hours of scheduling, the Board meetings, the numerous dragged fields solo, the many hours of late nights to prepare for the next day, the very early morning rain checks, after all the rumors & innuendos versus facts, after the loss of friends (a few) and the gaining of friends (many), was it worth it? Simply: Yes. Thank you, Steve Sigler. I have been bestowed an honor I did not seek but accept with pride and dignity.

I wrap up this Year Book issue with an announcement of a Hall of Fame winner of my own. There is one person who has shared all the SAMSBL experiences with me everyday. Her name is Gail. She is my wife. She stays in the background by choice. But she has my back. She is the real reason for any Hall of Fame honors coming to this family. Thank you, honey. I love you.