MONTGOMERY, AL – We live busy lives. We complain about work overload.
Well, you won’t hear Robert Gray complain about being overworked. And if anyone has a right to complain, Gray does.
Search high and low if you like. But finding anyone more dedicated to men’s fastpitch softball in the southeastern U.S. than the 67-year-old Gray, well, that’s going to be hard to do.
Try these work hats on for size:
Gray has served as an International Softball Congress (ISC) Regional Commissioner for 21 years; Secretary of the ISC for five two-year terms; Assistant Chairman of the ISC Hall of Fame; and game controller for the AAU International Tournament.
“It keeps me busy,” Gray said, “with all the telephone calls and emails. I also spend one week at the ISC World Tournament. And one week at the AAU tournament (Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida)…”
But admits Gray, there is one responsibility he enjoys as much as anything he’s ever done in men’s fastptich softball: Tournament Director of the Blue and Gray Invitational Tournament held in Montgomery, Alabama. A title and responsibility he’s held for 15 years.
The Blue and Gray is one of the most prestigious and popular men’s fastpitch tournaments – not only in the south – but in all of North America as well.
STILL GOING STRONG
2010 will mark the 57th year of the annual tournament. And starting early in the year until the tournament ends with the championship game on June 13, Gray is on the go.
“The Blue and Gray keeps me busy from January until July,” he said. “It’s the longest consecutive running open invitational in the U.S.”
ALL-TIME GREATS
Over the years some great teams have claimed Blue Gray championships. There’s the Clearwater (Florida) Bombers, United Surgical Steel from Montgomery, Larry Miller Toyota of Salt Lake City, Utah, the North Americans from Nebraska. And the list could go on.
“Clearwater dominated,” Gray said. “They were really good for several years. And Miller Toyota won it twice. But we’ve had good teams come from Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Virginia, and South Carolina.”
Gray admits the tournament isn’t as strong as it once was. Getting 15 teams is what he and the Blue and Gray Softball Association strive for. But more teams are welcome.
“We can handle 30, but that’s about as many as we can take at Lagoon Park,” Gray said.
Each year, the Blue and Gray holds a Hall of Fame ceremony. It’s one of the highlights of the tournament. Three new inductees will be honored this year.
ONLY THE MOST DESERVING
“Our first inductee was in 1975, and we will go over 100 this year,” Gray said. “The Blue and Gray Softball Association keeps up with the players and contributors who have done the most. We look for the kind of persons who (exemplify) what we need to recognize.”
Gray also praised the efforts of the Blue and Gray Softball Association, saying that without the association, and without the subsidizing support of the Montgomery County Commissioners, it would be difficult to keep the tournament going.
And keeping the Blue and Gray going sits high on Gray’s list of responsibilities.
“The Blue and Gray is known throughout the whole southeast,” Gray said. “Great players and teams (have played) in the Blue and Gray. Fans like to see good softball. And I don’t want to be the one to see a break in it.”
To learn more about playing in the Blue and Gray, contact Robert Gray.
What: 57th Annual Blue and Gray Invitational Tournament
Where: Lagoon Park Softball Complex, Montgomery, Alabama
When: June 11-13
How Many: 30 teams will be accepted (based on maximum of 30 teams); each team guaranteed four games in a round robin format
How much: Entry fee $150.00
Who: Mail entries to: Robert E. Gray, 2843 Trotters Trail, Wetumpka, Al 36093
Contact Info: Phone:(334) 567-9797 Hm. (334) 399-4473 Cell
Email address: Rgray77271@Aol.Com.
For more great boy’s and men’s fastpitch news, visit these websites:
Al’s Fastball
Fastpitch West
International Softball Congress
North American Fastpitch Association
2010 ISC World Tournament, Midland, Mich.