Fastball down under

An article in the Cornwall Standard-Freeholder about the Aussie trip for the Cornwall Masters team.

Fastball Down Under
Posted By TODD HAMBLETON

He spearheaded a Cornwall club's participation -- as Team Canada -- at the 2009 World Masters Games in Australia.

And, at age 58, local softball legend Jim Martell played in the competition, too.

And he may not be done yet. Martell, of Glen Walter, suggested that his next international project could have Cornwall players representing their country in two years at a fastball competition in South Africa. Beyond that, there's the World Masters Games again, in four years in Italy.

"It took a lot of money, a lot of sponsorship from businesses in Cornwall and (support from) family and friends to put this all together,'' Martell said of what was a silver-medal-winning adventure Down Under.

"Now that everyone was there, now that they've experienced it, they have the bug (to go again).''

The Cornwall-based squad may still be catching its breath after a whirlwind visit to Sydney that had the club play 15 times in eight days, advancing to the gold medal game and taking the silver after a 7-0 setback against the Krushers from New Zealand.

Cornwall mixed in some culture, too -- Martell, no stranger to the Aussie lifestyle, cooked up a kangaroo meat backyard barbecue at a friend's place in Sydney.

It was all part of an unforgettable visit to the Games that have become the world's largest multi-sport competition in terms of participation numbers, with thousands of athletes representing over 100 countries in 28 different sports.

And it all got started four years ago, involved detailed planning, the obtaining of personal and financial commitments and an ambitious fundraising drive that included a Murder Mystery Night dinner theatre performance.

It was all worth it for Martell, a former tour player with the California Cuties novelty squad in the late Seventies who went on to front his "Prince and his Knights'' team.

"I tried to get a (Cornwall) team to go to Edmonton (for the World Masters) four years ago,'' Martell said the other day during a construction break at his new home in Glen Walter.

"I didn't give myself enough preparation time back then . . . it's a lot of work, getting the commitment from people.''

So Martell, now a veteran of seven international masters tournaments, immediately got to work on Sydney, 2009, and his efforts were concurrent with the growth of the then fledgling Cornwall Men's Fastball League. (Indeed, all four league founders, Martell, Brian O'Neill, Steve McGillis and Frank Marceau, made the trip to Australia.)

"You know, I was going to all of these world championships, but we didn't have a league in Cornwall,'' Martell said. "We got the league going, and this (Masters Games) was an opportunity to play (internationally) with friends from home . . . it really was a dream I had, to put together a league in Cornwall, which would (eventually) allow us to put together a team to play at the World Masters Games.''

The league, by the way, is, according to Martell, "looking very solid. Now that we've accomplished this, I think we'll have other fastball players from other areas who'll want to
be a part of our league.

"And the fans who come out to our games (at King George Park), game after game, they deserve a lot of credit -- they help us to play at a higher level.''

Martell made a more personal committment to be ready for Sydney, dropping 40 pounds before the event.

"I wanted to make sure I was in shape to play with these guys,'' said Martell, who's on track to reach another of his fastball goals -- playing internationally at the age of 60.

On Cornwall's overall performance in Sydney -- the team was 7-5 in round-robin play before going 2-1 in the playoff round--Martell noted the hardship of competing with a 15-hour time difference.

"We were playing when we should have been sleeping,'' he said. "But overall, everybody just contributed so much. I'm proud of our guys. The umpires would come over and say it was a privilege to (work) our games. I was taken by that, to hear that game after game from umpires. I think they appreciated our sportsmanship and our approach to playing the game.''

Martell also noted the contribution made by Cornwall umpire Herman Rogalsky who made the trip, and he had special thanks for the support from the City of Cornwall, Team Cornwall, and the players in the fastball league.

"They push us, they're the ones who make us better, especially the younger ones we have coming into the league,'' Martell said. "Hopefully, the younger ones will stay with us, and (eventually) take over all of the (international event organizing).''

* Playing in the 35+ B division, Cornwall dropped its opening-day doubleheader to the Krushers (6-1) and the Tweed Phantoms from Australia (5-1).

But Cornwall had a bounceback day two, posting wins over Australian teams the Animals (8-3) and Midwest Masters (7-0).

Cornwall would go on to win six straight round-robin games, before dropping three of its last four, including a 1-0 setback against Rollyview from Alberta.

But at crunch time, third-place Cornwall thrashed the fourth-place Animals 8-1 in a playoff opening-round showdown.

And, in the bronze medal/semifinal contest, Jason Smith tossed a one-hitter and Cornwall advanced to the gold/silver game with a 7-0 decision over Rollyview.