034_9523453_Layout 1 10/20/10 11:55 AM Page 034 StartStart SpreadinSpreadin 34 SPORTS ’N SPOKES November 2010 034_9523453_Layout 1 10/20/10 11:55 AM Page 035 inging thethe NewsNews by Bruce Froendt photos by Mark Cowan November 2010 SPORTS ’N SPOKES 35 034_9523453_Layout 1 10/20/10 11:56 AM Page 036 In the shadows (and on the parking lot) of the majestic $800-million Citi Field, New York City played host to the annual softball championships. he 34th annual National Wheel- plate for the NWST’s championship in this annual double-elimination tour- chair Softball Tournament field. Darryl Strawberry, Dwight Gooden, nament, knowing if they could make it (NWST), sponsored by the Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, and other fa- there, they’d make it anywhere as cham- Wheelchair Sports Federation, mous Mets made baseball history in the pions of wheelchair softball. T New York Mets, NY City Parks & same location from which the 34th TRecreation, and Major League Baseball, NWST champion would be decided. Day 1 arrived in New York—and the East Four new teams took their clue from The opening two rounds of action fea- Coast—for the first time in the 34-year Frank Sinatra’s song “New York, New tured all the higher-seeded teams win- existence of the National Wheelchair York” and decided they wanted to be a ning, with the exception of the fourth Softball Association (NWSA). part of it by attending their first national seeded WPVA Warhawks (Wisconsin). In With Citi Field—home of the New York tournament—North Carolina Tar Wheels the opening round, the North Carolina Mets—as the backdrop and under La (Charlotte, N.C.), Nassau Aviators (Long Tar Wheels, led by all-star and former Guardia airport’s main landing pattern, Island, N.Y.), Shepherd Sluggers (Atlanta), Nebraska Baron Pat Driver’s six RBI per- the NWST used the home-plate monu- and New York Yankees. They joined the formance, crushed the Warhawks, 14–2, ment imbedded in the parking lot from three-time defending champion Ne- to advance to round two. the 40-year-old Shea Stadium as home braska Barons and nine other contenders In the second round, after defeating the Nassau Aviators, 15–1, the third seeded Courage Rolling Twins (Minneapolis) were challenged by the sixth seeded Tampa Bay Rays, who had ad- vanced by defeating the New York Yankees, 18–0. With the game tied at seven after five innings, the Twins scored four runs on five hits, highlighted by Jeff Gustafson’s two- RBI double, to win the game, 11–7. The other top seeds—Nebraska Barons, RIC Cubs (Chicago), and Midwest Flyers (Chicago)—all advanced to the quar- terfinal round with little trouble. In the first quarter- final game, the second seeded Cubs, who ear- lier beat the Rolling Red Sox, 16–3, jumped to a 7–0 lead over the Twins, only to see the Twins score six runs In semifinal action, Scott Berg of the Midwest Flyers is called safe at first. Despite a valiant comeback effort, in the fifth inning to the Flyers lost to eventual champions Nebraska. close the gap to 8–7. 36 SPORTS ’N SPOKES November 2010 034_9523453_Layout 1 10/20/10 11:56 AM Page 037 The Cubs went on to bracket (DI) on day outscore the Twins, two. Similarly, the 8–1, over the last two Tampa Bay Rays innings to advance, blasted the Sluggers, 16–8. Curtis Lease’s 21–1, and Red Sox, five-hit, five-RBI, five- 8–1, to stay in Divi- run performance led sion I for the first the Cubs’ attack. Jeff time in Rays’ his- Gustafson, who was tory, and continue in named to the NWSA the battle for the Hall of Fame this year, championship. and Kurt Greniger The Red Sox, each had three hits Warhawks, Tar for the Twins. Wheels, Mets, Min- Day one’s other nesota PVA Flame quarterfinal game Throwers, Nassau featured the top Aviators, Sluggers, seeded Barons—who and Yankees had defeated a pesky headed for a new New York Mets team, double-elimination 21–6—against the consolation division Midwest Flyers. Ne- (DII) by virtue of braska jumped to a having two losses 7–2 lead over the Fly- on opening day. ers after two innings. The Flyers made it to Day 2 this game by defeat- The Cubs and Fly- ing the Shepherd ers were undefeated Sluggers, 18–2, and and hungry for the the Tar Wheels, easy path to a cham- 12–0, in earlier action. Jeff Hayne (right, Courage Rolling Twins) crashes into James Gorch (Columbus Pioneers). pionship. With a win, After the Flyers one of them would scored three runs in the sixth to close the be done for the day, get some needed rest, gap, the Barons responded with two to Darryl Strawberry, and need only one victory on day three to take a 9–5 lead going into the seventh. win the coveted championship trophy. The Flyers shocked the confident defend- Dwight Gooden, Tom Seaver, The Cubs quickly showed why team- ing champions for six runs in the top of work in wheelchair softball is more valu- the seventh to take an 11–9 lead. Former Nolan Ryan, and other able that a collection of “vagabond” White Sox player Jimmy Jackson’s two- all-stars when trying to win a champi- out, bases-loaded line drive to the center famous Mets made onship. The Cubs scored two in the first field fence for a grand slam home run and added four in the third on five con- was the fatal blow. Scott Berg led the Fly- baseball history on the secutive hits, highlighted by Kurt Smith’s ers with three hits and three RBIs. two-RBI double, to take an early 6–0 lead. The Flyers’ victory sent a shock wave same location from which The Flyers immediately closed the gap through the tournament participants, (6–5) in the fifth with five runs on four but the win was not unexpected for the 34th NWST champion hits and two walks. The Cubs scored four coach Keith Wallace. He had comple- runs in the sixth and two more in the mented his home-grown talent with for- would be decided. seventh to win, 12–5. Smith’s six RBIs on mer stars from the VPVA White Sox and two doubles and Dino Ramirez’s three RIC Cubs and picked up perennial all- In the losers’ bracket, the Columbus singles led the Cubs’ attack and for the star players from the recently disbanded Pioneers recovered with vengeance second year in a row placed them as the St. Paul Saints—Scott Berg, Manny from their opening-round loss to the sole undefeated team heading into Guerra, and Evan Thorn. By beating the Red Sox to defeat the Yankees, 28–1; the championship Saturday. For the Flyers, it Barons, the Flyers advanced to face the Mets, 13–0; and the Tar Wheels, 13–0, to meant dropping to the losers’ bracket Cubs in day two’s semifinal matchup. continue playing in the championship with a chance to face the Cubs again. November 2010 SPORTS ’N SPOKES 37 034_9523453_Layout 1 10/20/10 11:57 AM Page 038 On the losers’ side of the champi- Championship Saturday games to the Barons. The Barons were onship (DI) bracket, the Twins took a 10–0 For the second consecutive year and going for title number six, which would tie lead over the Columbus Pioneers and third time in the past six years, the un- them for second place with the Minnesota went on to win, 10–4. The Barons exer- defeated Cubs needed just one victory to Courage Rolling Gophers from the ’70s cised some frustration from day one and win their third championship title. The and ’80s for total championships in NWSA thumped the Rays, 18–1, powered by Paul Cubs defeated the Barons from this po- history. Even then, both teams would still Krabbenhoft’s three-hit and four-RBI per- sition for the 2005 title, but this year, in a be far behind the 14 titles won by the St. formance and home runs by Brent Ras- similar situation in 2009, the Cubs were Paul Rolling Thunder of the ’80s/’90s. mussen and Matt Johnson. In the first champi- The Barons next met onship game, defense and the Twins in an elimina- pitching controlled the ac- tion game, with the win- tion of an otherwise of- ner advancing to play the fense-oriented sport. The Flyers later in the day. The Cubs could muster only Barons jumped to an early one base runner in the first-inning lead and held first four innings of their on to win, 4–3. championship quest. The The Twins finished Barons were only margin- fourth for the second con- ally more effective as they secutive year but gained a were caught in three dou- moral victory. Just before ble plays in the first four the tournament began, innings. But they did man- the Courage Rolling Twins age to score a single run in won a $200,000 Pepsi the third inning when Challenge Grant contest Greg Suing’s single was to help build the first ded- followed by an RBI double icated wheelchair softball from Rasmussen. The field in the home of the Cubs knotted the game at sport—Minneapolis. 1–1 in the fifth when The Flyers/Barons re- Smith, who was elected to match went much like the NWSA’s Hall of Fame, first game, with the scored on a Juan Ortiz RBI Barons racing to a 7–1 lead fielder’s choice out.