Memories of Elkland, the 2009 edition

Well, it took me a while to write the annual Memories of Elkland posting. Perhaps the older I get the longer it takes me to recover to be able to put the experience into a blog entry.

As always, names withheld to protect the guilty.

Rookies: There was a good contingent of "rookie" attendees to the tournament this year from the eastern Ontario teams. And of course one of the rights of passage when attending the Elkland tournament is going to the Moose - even if you may be just a bit shy of the required PA drinking age of 21. A strong showing at the Moose by a certain triumvirate of brothers from the east end, as well as their adopted fourth brother for the weekend. Another attendee, who has attained the ripe old age of 23, was asked for ID a the Moose. Since in his home province of Quebec the drinking age is 18, he kind of smirked when handing over his license. This did not go over well with the waitress who demanded that he "respect America"!

Seventh place: Both Greenbush Generals and West Carleton Electric finished with the same record and at the same time. However, based on the number of citations earned (2), Greenbush is unofficially awarded seventh place. Who knew that whizzing on someone's lawn in Elkland would earn you a visit by a state trooper and a mandatory visit to a bank machine to withdraw the required fine?

Weirdness: There is always something strange and bizarre happening in Elkland. This year, it was the sighting of an albino skunk. Seriously, dontcha think that you might consider quitting drinking for good when you are staggering back to the tent from the bar and run across an albino skunk? Only in Elkland.......

Lookin' good Keeneyville: Those that have been to the Elkland tourney have experienced the variety in uniforms. Some teams are lookin' sharp. There are some teams that kind of have matching jerseys. Other teams, we're talking muscle shirts, cut off Levis and mismatched unis. Well this year, Keeneyville was looking good in their new uniforms. Way to go Kenneyville!
Jesse's got a girl: Long time blog readers will recall that West Carleton Electric had the same Elkland bat boy for both 2007 and 2008. This year was the third year in a row - as some of the guys were rolling into town, they saw Jesse by the Acorn and had him sprinting the whole way to the ball park following the truck! Jesse enlightened us on the news and views from the perspective of 17 year old rural Pennsylvannian, which was a treat. We got to hear about his mom, dad, step dad, brother, sister-in-law, nieces, nephews, and meet his girlfriend (who is 17 but still in grade 9). Good work Jess best of luck with the new date!
Tent city: Once again we had the 16 x 20 Army tent on hand. And once again, the Pizza Barn delivered to the address "Big Green Army Tent, Elkland Ball Diamonds" (only took 18 minutes). This is the way to go - close to the ball park, stumbling distance to the Moose and good times around the campfire, telling stories, chugging Yeungling, and sharing laughs especially at the story about Granny and the "Nintendo-movie". Plans are for a 32 x 20 tent next year.
Buzz saw: One draw back to the camping idea is the sound of snoring. Really unbelievable. I can't believe people snore like that. We're talking band saw cutting through a 2 x 12 piece of wet pine. One guy about 50 yards away was moaning and groaning like he was in some sort of stag movie. And honest to god, leave your freakin' dog at home, OK? Next year, top of list - ear plugs!
Perfect venue, perfect weather: The weather was downright perfection. If you were running a ball tourney in early September, this would be the exact weather you would order. I hate to repeat myself, but it's my blog and I will: the venue is so good for the fastball purist. It really is a special atmosphere, with Molly's Red Barn, the grandstand, the fields, the fans, the $2 pints. The locals are very friendly and love their ball. The $6.50 chicken dinner is pretty much worth the 5.5 hour drive. (I ate it Saturday, Sunday and Monday.) Yeah you pee in a trough in the main men's room - but it's a clean trough by golly! If you have never been, make a point to go there once before you retire from the game.
The competition: There were 17 teams, with some big names playing. The draw worked pretty well, and seemed to be balanced, even if our team did get a difficult first game. Our game on the Sunday night was really special. We played the home town ESA Bellys in an emotional game in front of a large vocal crowd. Chugging pints afterward in the dugout after a tough loss was a special moment.
Worst...hot dog....ever: So after the big game on Sunday night, most of the guys have a bit of a 'gerrr on. We call up the Pizza Barn, but they're closed. Where do you get some grub in Elkland on a Sunday night? We hit up the hot dog guy just outside the Beam House. It's 11:30pm, we're starving, how bad can a weiner dog be, right? The hot dog guy whips us up some "Michigans". You cannot appreciate how rude these things were. I'm talking lukewarm weiner on a cheap white bun, with some pureed cat food on top with a sprinkling of grungy onions. Jeez, I'm getting queasy just thinking of it. You know that they ain't good when Big Joe is throwing one on the fire pit 'cause he can't eat the damn thing.
Mr. Sherman, RIP: On a serious note, my heart goes out to the Sherman family on the death of their dad. Durk Sherman was the guy behind this event from back in 1952 - and he died on the Sunday of the 2009 tourney. His sons Bill and Grant continued to run the event and keep things going for the weekend despite their grief. Apparently there was a moving tribute to Mr Sherman at the Moose on Sunday night, which I missed unfortunately. The spirit of Durk lives on at the best fastball venue I've ever been to.