Eastern Ontario Fastball Blog

A blog dedicated to news about the Greater Ottawa Fastball League and other happenings in the world of fastball / fastpitch softball in eastern Ontario and western Quebec, with occasional stories featuring Mrs Fitzroy Fastball, Fitzroy Fastball Junior and the Caveman. If you have info to send on, send me an email at fastball[at]fitzroyharbour.com. Follow @fitzroyfastball on Twitter.

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Thursday, January 28, 2010

Blast from the past - and other updates

Couple of updates:

1) The GOFL winter meetings are being planned, likely for a date sometime in mid-February. Not sure if there is any mystery team out there looking to join the Greater Ottawa Fastball League, but if there is now is a good time to make yourself known - send me an email at fastball [at] fitzroyharbour.com or contact any of the team reps listed at www.GOFL.ca.

2) For those of you keeping track at home, Fitzroy Junior's goal scoring drought continues despite a good showing at the Pembroke novice tournament this past weekend. He managed a couple of assists and got to hear his name announced over a rink PA for the first time, but he still has a goose egg under the G in his stats. We have changed from an "Ovechkin" model stick to a "Crosby" after a quick shopping trip at the Pemmy Canuck Pneu, so we're hoping that helps.

Now on to today's Blast from the Past. 1995 was a pretty solid year for ball in the Ottawa area, with two world class tourneys. Check out this story that was published in the Toronto Star.

Top-flight clubs to clash at fast-pitch tourneys
'Never has there been as many world-class games in Ontario'
Toronto Star; May 17, 1995, pg. B10
by Bruce Huff

Followers of world-class men's fast-pitch softball have never had it this good.

They are making a list and checking it twice to make sure they don't miss out on one of the most attractive menus of international competition to reach Ontario diamonds in decades.

Unfortunately, Toronto fans will need to travel to partake of the feast. None of the major events is scheduled for Metro.

"Never has there been such a concentration of world-class games as we will have in Ontario this summer,'' said Neil Fennell of Perth, director of the annual Perth International Shootout, July 14 to 16.

"Included will be a visit by the New Zealand Nationals (ranked No. 2 in the world behind Canada) and a rematch between the Toronto Gators and Green Bay All-Car Roadrunners.''

It was Green Bay who dethroned the Gators at the International Softball Congress world tournament final last August in Summerside, P.E.I. The ISC is considered the grandaddy of all tournaments.

Both clubs are entered in the $50,000 North American Challenge, June 7 to 11 in Ottawa, and the Perth Shootout. And they are scheduled to meet in an exhibition doubleheader July 13 in Port Perry.

Rounding out the Nor-Am field are the colorful Tampa Smokers, South Surrey (B.C.) Ravens (formerly the New Westminster Regents), Halifax Keith's, Waterloo Twins, Owen Sound Tiremen and host Kemptville Thunder.

In addition to the Gators and Green Bay, the Perth lineup includes the New Zealanders, led by pitchers Chubb Tangaroa and Marty Grant; Class Walls of Whiteford, Md.; Heflin Builders of Ballston Lake, N.Y.; the St. John's (Nfld.) Greensleeves (hosts for the Canadian championships Aug. 26 to Sept. 3); the Canadian National developmental team; Owen Sound, Waterloo and the Napanee Express.

From the Star on June 14, 1995:

The Green Bay All-Car Roadrunners ended the Toronto Gators' winning streak at 31 with a 1-0 win in the round- robin portion of the North American Challenge fastball tournament in Ottawa. Darren Zack gave up only one hit, but it was a homer by Newfoundlander Colin Abbott. Paul Algar got the win.

Algar also bested Zack in the Challenge final, 2-1, as each threw a four-hitter. Green Bay finished at 7-1 to take the $11,000 first-place prize. The Gators, now 34-2 over-all, were 7-2 and received $7,200 in the eight-team event.

Fourteen years later, Paul Algar is still pitching - in fact he threw for Elkland Thunderbellys this past summer in a Labour Day tournament against West Carleton Electric. Algar was the victim of a vicious assault back in his native New Zealand three years ago this month, so it's pretty impressive he came back to play ball. Check out this article, complete with photo on the attack.

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