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2010 California Classic Men’s Fastpitch Softball Tournament

Monday, February 8th, 2010


Photos By BOB OTTO
botto3@verizon.net

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SAN DIEGO, CA – Eight teams have committed to play in the 2010 California Classic men’s fastpitch softball tournament that will feature some of the finest teams from the U.S., Canada, and California.

This is a must see event for men’s fastpitch softball fans. So mark your calendar for June 19-20, and plan to attend the 12-team tournament to be held at Sportsplex USA in Santee, Calif. Some of the game’s finest pitchers, hitters, and top-ranked teams will be battling it out for the championship.

Committed Teams To Date:
California A’s
Bakersfield Silverhawks
IAC
California Builders
Rude Pac
Portland, Oregon
Vancouver Meralomas (Canada)
Broken Bow, Nebraska

The tournament is filling up fast and looks to be a very competitive tournament on the west coast. Four teams are needed to fill out the 12-team bracket, so for interested managers, please see the contact information listed below.

The California Classic has an added incentive as the highest placing Western Region team playing with an International Softball Congress qualifying roster will receive a berth to the International Softball Congress World Tournament to be held in Midland, Michigan, Aug. 13-21.

TOURNAMENT SPECIFICS:
Name: 2010 California Classic
What: California Classic Men’s ISC Fastpitch Softball Tournament
Who: Hosted by the California A’s and Bakersfield Silverhawks
When: June 19-20, 2010
Where: SportsplexUSA Complex, 9951 Riverwalk Drive, Santee, CA.
How Much: Entry Fee: $450
Format: Round Robin Single Elimination with a 4 Game Guarantee
Who To Contact: David Weldin: davidw@expressinsurance.com;
Bobby McCormick: mccormickservices10@yahoo.com;
Chris McGehee: garageworks@bak.rr.com
Click Here For Sportsplex USA Complex
For information on the International Softball Congress
For Fastpitchwest website
For Al Doran’s Fastpitch website

Posted in Mens & Boys Fastpitch Softball, Sports / Fitness, Yucaipa | 2 Responses »
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Following In Dad’s Footsteps

Friday, December 18th, 2009


The Hunhoff family of South Dakota and California has a long tradition of men’s fastpitch softball pitching.
Courtesy Photos / Lori Hunhoff

HARRISBURG, SOUTH DAKOTA – If he were to call it quits and chuck his bat, glove and spikes in the closet and say, “I’ve been there and done that,” no one could really blame him.

For after all, Benjamin “BJ” Hunhoff – in the lingo of fastpitch softball – indeed has been there and done that.

He’s played and won at the international, national, and state championship levels. He’s collected a showcase full of most valuable pitcher and player awards.

By now if you’re thinking, let’s let the “old man,” ease back into his recliner and enjoy his well-deserved retirement, here’s the catch:

BJ Hunhoff is just 20-years-old. His fastpitch rocket is nowhere near leveling off, much less coming to a landing.

STARTED WITH DAD
His thirst to compete, his drive to improve, his love of the game, and his desire to follow in his dad’s footsteps remain as strong as ever.

And it all started with John Hunhoff. BJ’s dad and the man he calls, “my hero.” Click to continue »

Posted in Feature Stories, Mens & Boys Fastpitch Softball, Yucaipa | 1 Response »
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Fastpitch softball, a Hunhoff family tradition

Friday, December 18th, 2009

By BOB OTTO
botto3@verizon.net

HARRISBURG, SOUTH DAKOTA - First there was Tony then John. Next came BJ then Andy. And these Hunhoff’s all share something in common. They’re fastpitch softball pitchers.

Tony, 52, who now lives in northern California, started the foray as a 13-year-old back in Sioux Falls, South Dakota pitching in a Tri-County Boy’s Fastpitch League. Then John, his younger brother by four years came along and took up the windmilling trade.

“Our dad wasn’t a softball player,” said Tony Hunhoff. “But softball was so available to us. I remember me and my friends watching the men play and thinking, ‘we can do this.’”

Click to continue »

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Lee’s great but he ain’t no Zack

Saturday, October 31st, 2009


Photos of 1995 ISC World Tournament.
By BOB OTTO / Writer & Photographer

YUCAIPA, CA – The Philadelphia Phillies Cliff Lee is a great baseball pitcher. And the number he did on the Yankees in the opening game of the World Series is remarkable: A complete game, six hits allowed along with 10 strikeouts in Philadelphia’s, 6-1, win.

But Lee ain’t no Darren Zack. Click to continue »

Posted in Baseball, Mens & Boys Fastpitch Softball | No Responses »
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The fastpitch pyramid

Thursday, September 24th, 2009

YUCAIPA, CALIF – Back in the mid 1970s, Dennis Johnson of St. James, Minnesota told me about the importance of the pyramid. I’ve never forgot what he said.

“Fastpitch softball is like a pyramid,” said Johnson in so many words, “At the bottom (base), it brings new players into the game. Once they’re in the game, their talent will take them as far up as they can go. The best players will eventually rise to the top to form the best teams.” Click to continue »

Posted in Mens & Boys Fastpitch Softball | 1 Response »
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Tell us a story, grandpa

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009

(Editor’s note: Jim Hartman, a talented, 19-year-old fastpitch softball pitcher wrote this well written essay while a senior in high school, which reveals his passion and love for the game we call men’s and boys’ fastpitch softball.)

HARTFORD, SOUTH DAKOTA - “Tell us a story, Grandpa!” my grandchildren begged, crawling onto my lap.

“I’ll tell you a tale of a young man whose success was fueled by dedication and determination,” I replied, “an average boy who became extraordinary by setting a goal and working to achieve it.”

“The tale begins with a boy who needed only a softball and glove to be content. The boy spent hours in the sun, throwing the softball into the air and chasing after it. Though his teammates often became distracted by planes flying overhead or bugs crawling through the grass, the boy focused on learning the mechanics of the game.

When the need for a (fastpitch) pitcher arose, the boy accepted the challenge of leading his team.

Though the first pitch the boy threw in a game hit the opposing team’s dugout, he didn’t hang his head in shame. Click to continue »

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In The Fastpitch Spotlight: Al and Jim Hartman

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009

HARTFORD, SOUTH DAKOTA – As with most fathers and sons, the Hartman’s, Al the father and Jim the son, differ on a few things. But when it comes to sports, they agree on at least one thing.

Fastpitch softball reigns at the top of their list.

Al had never played fastpitch, but when the call came that a coach was needed for his son’s team, he stepped forth. Little did he know at the time what a big, time-consuming step that would be.

But a rewarding one.

“Fastpitch one way or another has been our summer for the past 15 years,” Al Hartman said. “It’s brought us closer together and even now Matt and Greg (two older sons) come to watch Jim (19-years-old) play. We enjoy it and have had a lot of good experiences.”

And good experiences in winning national championships.

Click to continue »

Posted in Mens & Boys Fastpitch Softball | 2 Responses »
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Ageless inspiration

Sunday, September 13th, 2009

YUCAIPA, CA – Some men in their 50s, 60s, 70s, and even 90s, still play the sports they grew up with as little boys with the same passion now as then. For these athletes, age is but a state of mind.

The brilliant left-handed fastpitch softball pitcher Bobby Moore of Wisconsin with the great rise ball and change up comes to mind. In the mid-1990s, I saw the silver haired Moore pitch in an ASA Masters (fastpitch) tournament in Las Vegas.

Moore showed the same determination, the same gusto, the same burning desire to win as I saw when he led his Shenanigan’s team to the championship in the Mankato Happy Chef tournament over 20 years earlier.

On a hot, humid July Sunday, Moore pitched four or five games to bring his team back from the depths of the loser’s bracket to claim the championship. On Monday the Manakato Free Press sports page read something like, “Too much Moore on Sunday.”

Click to continue »

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Northwest Missouri boy’s fastpitch league forming

Thursday, September 10th, 2009

WINSTON, MISSOURI – In northwest Missouri several coaches are making a determined effort to promote boy’s and young men’s fastpitch softball by starting summer boy’s fastpitch leagues in 2010.

Besides recreation, competition, and the joy of playing fastpitch softball, youth leagues serve another very valuable purpose: Providing a feeder system – a minor league of sorts – for the men’s game.

Eric Lewis of Winston is spearheading the drive behind the youth leagues. His plans call for three leagues: A Senior League for 9th – 12th grades; A Junior League for 8th grade and younger; and an age 10-Under League.

Click to continue »

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Has the time come for Coed Fastpitch Softball?

Friday, September 4th, 2009


Could coed fastpitch softball provide a new avenue for males and females to compete together?
By BOB OTTO

YUCAIPA, CA – There’s no doubt that men’s fastpitch softball has been on the decline throughout the U.S. And in Southern California the fall off of men’s teams has been as great, or greater than any other state in the country.

The Western Softball Congress League that for many years produced International Softball Congress (ISC) World Tournament champions: Gone.

The Pacific Coast Softball League that produced some of the best Amateur Softball Association (ASA) Class “A” teams in the country: Gone.

The Southern California Fastpitch Association that produced top ASA Class A & B teams for years: Gone.

All that’s left in southern Cal is the Southern California Independent Fastpitch League (SCIFL), which has about a dozen ASA and North American Fastpitch Association (NAFA) lower level teams gamely hanging on and keeping the sport alive.

There’s also a smattering of city leagues, but that’s it. Nothing else.

Click to continue »

Posted in Mens & Boys Fastpitch Softball, Otto Speaks Out | 5 Responses »
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