As per previous years, below is the annual Memories of Elkland post with info and recollections of the 63rd Durk Sherman Classic held over Labour Day weekend in Elkland, Pennsylvania. Names are withheld to protect the guilty, where necessary.
This tournament is a great event, with excellent organization and held at a quality facility. It's the highlight of my season, going to what is now a familiar place to see some US American friends and enjoying a long weekend ball tournament.
Here are a few highlights of this year's event:
The results:
Same as the 2014 edition, this year's tournament had 14 teams registered. CPI were the winners, with Northeast Drillers finishing second. New York Bombers finished in third.
Amongst teams from eastern Ontario, Broker4Tickets finished 3-2, while West Carleton Electric were 1-2. Kingston Axemen made their first appearance and had a 2-2 record.
The surprise of the tournament had to be the excellent run of the Greenbush Generals, another eastern Ontario team with a long history of attending this tournament. Terry McCann's squad posted a 4-2 record, good enough for fourth place.
New this year was online statistics for the games, posted on
Al's Fastball. Generally speaking, they weren't too bad - but they did miss a rare pinch hit RBI by a certain blogger who was displeased to see his batting stats incomplete.
The pitchers:
As usual, there was an assortment of pitchers at Elkland - from the local league variety to guys with national team experience.
CPI had Gregg Garrity and Miguel Turbi. Northeast Drillers pitchers were Juan Potolicchio and Caleb Keeshig. Andrew Phibbs threw for CPI. Blair Ezekiel was there for Elkland along with Brad Porter.
For the eastern Ontario teams, Patrice Leclair, Rob Schweyer and Neil Cooke pitched for Broker4Tickets. West Carleton had Andy Barber and Trevor Lahey. Kingston Axemen rode the arm of Jordan Macdonald the entire weekend. Greenbush had Adam Smith, Bill Carson and Luke Severson.
The super sub:
Interesting line up changes happen in Elkland on a fairly frequent basis. But, it would be tough to top the addition to the line up made in the NY Bombers - Jersey Shore Generals
game. Jersey Shore only had nine guys, and when their centre fielder crashed into the outfield fence so hard he couldn't continue they had a problem since they didn't have any subs. Luckily, The Lip was keeping score. So, under a little known ESA rule, the scorekeeper was activated into the Generals line up and played first base in his jeans, do-rag and wife-beater.
In case you have never heard of The Lip, you can learn more here.
The Elkland Softball Association Complex:
The ESA complex was as always in excellent condition for the weekend as Bill Sherman and crew had the place looking great. As every year, there were many dedicated volunteers working hard to keep things going. The outfield fence on the main diamond has also been redone with some new sponsors. This year, there was an addition of a brand new scoreboard, courtesy of the Moose, featuring a pitch speed radar. A great addition to the facility.
The chicken pit once again lived up to expectations. It's so tasty people come from long distances just to enjoy lunch. For instance, West Carleton had a gorilla all the way from Dunville, Newfoundland attend the tournament with them just to get a chicken. According to Google Maps, that's 3,096 km (1,924 miles)!
I was happy to see that the Canadian flag was still flying at the main field. I personally couriered a replacement Maple Leaf down to the ESA Complex to ensure that our flag would be kept in appropriate condition. In the spirit of the North American Free Trade Agreement, one twenty-four pack of Yuengling Beer was exchanged for the new flag.
Local tragedy:
Speaking of flags, they were at half mast around Elkland for the weekend. Sergeant Jack Snyder of the Elkland Police Department
died in a motorcycle accident earlier in the week. During the games on Saturday, there was a loud procession of emergency vehicles around town sounding their sirens, and there was also a moment of silence held on Sunday for Sgt Snyder.
The weather:
Most years at this tournament, the weather is a roll of the dice. You could get three seasons in one day. However, the 2015 edition will be remembered for having pretty much perfect weather. Hot, sunny and with the exception of a little drizzle late on Sunday, no precipitation at all. It got a bit cool at night, but not as cold as previous years. No tarps to be pulled = happy ESA players!
The only real weather quirk was in the Sunday night game, when the fog rolled in. The fog was so thick, from my vantage point in the stands behind the first base bench, the shortstop was barely visible and you could have put three guys in left field and nobody would have noticed. But, the game got finished and nobody got hurt.
The locals:
It was good to see the regular assortment of locals. Our 'bat boy' from years gone by, Jesse, was there once again.
The volunteers work hard at the concession stands, keeping ball players and fans refreshed and it's good to see familiar faces back year after year helping out.
One local that was not there was Ugo the announcer. I am not sure of the circumstances, but I hope to see / hear him back on Field 1 for the 64th edition of the Durk Sherman Classic.
Base camp:
Since there are no motels in Elkland, most teams either stay in accommodations twenty minutes or farther away, while some camp at the park. The sites feature running water, and electrical hook ups.
(Other kinds of hook ups, which of course do not happen in Elkland, will not be discussed on this site.)
West Carleton Electric traditionally sets up "base camp" at field to minimize the logistical complexities. Once again it was a great idea, and fun was had by all. For example, we had two Elkland rookies with us, and they were of course indoctrinated in the Beer Can Swim, first introduced to base camp in
2010.
Base camp this year had a visit from a seniors' touring group (aka two Trics' dads, one dad of a former Tric and another fan of the Trics). Average age, late 60s. They enjoyed themselves thoroughly in Elkland - more on that below.
The only downside was the noisy LOUD GUY next door (see the
2014 Memories - same guy) who loved to shout ridiculous questions at the top of his lungs early in the morning ("PATTY - WHERE'S MY WALLET!? WHERE'S MY WALLET, PATTY!?") while playing a radio station featuring hits of the 80s. Just what every ball player wants to hear at 7:30 am after getting to bed at 3 am - the theme from
Ghostbusters turned to 11.
While base camp members enjoyed a fine assortment of beer, we also upped our game with a fine after dinner appertif known as the Razz-Basco. The recipe: pour an ounce or so of vodka into a shot glass. Next, add raspberry syrup, which then sits on the bottom. Follow that with a dash of Tabasco sauce on top of the syrup. Drink up - surprisingly tasty!
By the way, to the guys that were camping over near the fence - not sure what team you were with - rookie mistake leaving your leftover pizza in plain sight as you went out to the Moose. Late night munchies are inevitable, and leaving your food out like that is just asking for vultures to appear.
(Wasn't me, for the record.)
The Moose:
Purely in the interest of Blog Research, I was at the local Moose on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights.
As in previous years, it was a popular place for ballplayers to have a drink or three after their games were over. It's still a place to get a $2 beer, which to achieve in Canada would require a time machine back to the 80s. The Moose has a great vibe, lots of fun and familiar faces, swapping stories, talking about old times and plans for next year.
Friday we got to see a gorilla full spread-eagle across a pool table, which was quite a sight.
Saturday was definitely the busiest night, with the Moose packed solid, including some guys from
la belle province experiencing all the place had to offer for the first time and taking full advantage. That night, one regular attendee to the tournament set up an "autograph station" at the bar, signing anything and everything, including every American bill in my wallet ("Don't bother giving me any of that Canadian money, I'm not signing that.") Saturday also saw the West Carleton Seniors Touring Group get ejected from the Moose, for reasons unknown. I don't know if I've ever seen anyone booted from the moose, but these four guys with combined age of about 250 made it happen!
On Sunday, the DJ was spinning some solid tunes and we got to see some slick moves from ball players, including one pitcher who was tearing up the floor with an interesting "chair dance" and generally entertaining all in attendance. (He may or may not have been briefly pants-less at one point as well.) There was also another player known more for his speed on the basepaths who was seen making some pretty quick decisions in the Moose as well.
Full credit to the two ladies on the Moose staff, they work hard - and they know their clientele. I went up to the bar on Friday night, and before I even got up to the rail, they had a Yuengling on the counter. I've been to Elkland every year since 2007, but that's only one weekend a year I'm in the place - granted, two or three times each year, but still. I guess I'm memorable.
Now, one time I did buy a $2 beer from those fine ladies with a $20 and got $8 change. I'm not sure whether it was an honest mistake or they figured I wouldn't notice given the length of time I'd been in the place. Anyway, I did notice, but figured what the heck, for all the hassle they had to put up with I could give them a $10 tip this once.
For all the conversations I had in the Moose over the weekend, one stands out. A guy introduced himself, and we chatted about a few guys we had both played ball with. Then he told me "Your blog is pretty much the reason why I came to this tournament for the first time." Nice to hear.
The conclusion:
As always, it was an outstanding venue, with some excellent softball games and a top notch host team that makes it happen.
I'm looking forward to the 64th edition of the Durk Sherman Classic, which will be my tenth trip to Elkland. The ninth was great, but the tenth should be epic. (Do the cool kids still say "epic" or am I dating myself?)
I have written it many times on this blog, and it bears repeating: if you love fastpitch softball, enjoy seeing old friends and making new ones, and you have never been to Elkland, make plans to go either as a player, coach or fan. It is really worth the trip.
Labels: Elkland
