http://www.iscfastpitch.com/index.php?page=143

 http://fastpitchwest.com/morningbrief/?p=2142

1)         Family ? Have been married for 35+ years to Karol. We have two children, Kari (who played first base for our high school team I coach and who has filled for a game or two in a men’s league) and Eric who pitched for our Poynette Nitehawk boys’ fastpitch teams in the late 90s. I have two grandchildren, Graham (great fastpitch name eh?) and Anne Elyse. Graham is five and Anne Elyse whom we call Anne E. will be two on December 6^th. 

2)         Age ? I’m 57  

3)         Occupation ? I am a teacher/coach/sportwriter and publisher – The Fastpitch Chronicle newspaper and now The Fastpitch Chronicle website at http://www.fastpitchchronicle.com are my publications 

4)         Education ? I have a BS in Physcial Edducation and Health Education with about 65 credits beyond that.  

5)         What positions have you held in Fastball ?   Player / Coach / Executive etc. I have been a player since 1964, have sponsored and coached many youth teams, also managed a  very successful men’s team (Martin Security of Portage, WI). I have also been a deputy district ASA fastpitch commissioner, was the Wisconsin ISC Area Commissioner for five years and served as an executive committee member for one, two-year term with the ISC before leaving that organization.I am now an ISC Hall of Fame member (inducted in Kitchener on August 12, 2007) 

6)         How long have you been involved in Fastball ? My entire life as my father played regularly when I was a child and I started playing in his men’s league when I was 14 years old in 1964 

7)         Other sports / interests you’ve been involved in and accomplishments ? I played college baseball at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse where we won a couple of conference titles and advanced to the regional level. I coach high school basketball and have been both the head boys’ coach and am currently the head girls’ coach. I also have coached high school football, baseball and have been the head girls’ softball coach since 1980.  

8)         What are some of your fastball career highlights & accomplishments ?Played briefly with the Farm Tavern in the mid to late 70s. Played with Club 95 of Hixton, Wisconsin in the 1979 ASA Regional and national tournament; played with Wilber Lime (John Salzman – manager) in 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983 and in three National Tournaments with that team), Leading hitter in 1979 ASA State tournament that featured 47 teams. All State team in 1979, 1980 – Hit six home runs in the 1982 Eau Claire Classic and finished one hit shy or one at bat too many to Jerry O’Connor for batting title. Managed Martin Security team that took second place to All Car in 1988 ISC Area tournament when that tournament was very, very tough. Lost 1-0 to Rocket Davis. As high school coach have accumulated more than 400 wins in career (only four Wisconsin coaches have done that) and have won two state titles, finished runner-up twice and have one other state tournament appearance. There are about 140 teams in the state in our division of play. Have won a state best 19 conference championships. Have coached or worked with many of the state’s top pitchers. 

9)         Who are some of your favourite teammates / associates and opposing players to play with and against over the years ? That would be a very long list. Playing for Dick Smith (the Mayor of the City of Portage, WI was a real treat). Every guy I ever played with is on my list of favorites. In 2007 I was able to play with a lot of former great Open level players when our Fastpitch Chronicle/Ohio Battery 50+ Masters team won the NAFA Eastern National – Sharing a dugout with Paul Rubin, Lonnie Brooks, Nick McCurry, Randy Brown and all the other fine players was a real treat. Competing against the likes of the Farm Tavern, All Car, Denmark Dukes, Kimberly Merchants, Carver Boat and more in the ISC Wisconsin Travel League was a real treat and playing in the greatest annual tournament of all time in Eau Claire in the heyday of that event with the likes of the Farm, All American Bar, Happy Chef, The James Gang, Buttr’Top; The Iowans, Denmark Dukes, All Car and more were some great times. The rightfield foul pole gang on Gelein Field in Eau Claire were the greatest fans matched only by the outfield crew a the Hodag Event in Rhinelander, Wisconsin where there was a quarter barrel of beer in the back of every pickup truck backed up to the fence side by side. I especially liked the token Babe that accompanied the Right Field Foul Pole Gang every year in Eau Claire. I still have some of those T-shirts they sold. My double of Piechnik in a 1-0, 10-inning loss to the Farm in Eau Claire is a great story I’ve told in print in my former newspaper.  

10)      Favourite tournament ? In the heyday – Eau Claire Classic, LaCrosse Tournament, Portage Invite, Hodag days in Rhinelander, WI – ISC World tournament in Victoria in 1990 with Brad Morgan was a hoot and also in Salt Lake City with Brad and Doug Roberts of Vancouver in 1992. Decatur ISC in 1988 when the scoreboard thermometer hit 116 degrees Fahrenheit. Perth Shootout when I was there and won the 50-50 draw and then won another one on the same weekend in Port Perry. Those paid for my trip to see those events 

11)      Plans for 2008 & beyond ? Play regularly in the Bowling Green league in Middleton, WI. Managed and play. Continue to play 45+ and 50+ tournaments and help Nick McCurry sponsor our NAFA team back in Rockford. Fire up some free men’s pitching clinics in the Midwest again with the help of some start up funds from the Legendary Jack Addison of Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Work with others to keep the game alive and with a little luck produce some pitchers that will assure the longevity of the game. Continue to write articles about men’s fastpitch on The Fastpitch Chronicle website and sooner or later tell the rest of the story in the book of short stories I have been working on for the past year.  

12)      Any additional thoughts ?Mens’ fastpitch softball needs some attention from people who have some positive thoughts for where the game can go from where it is today. Somebody needs to figure out a way to get fans back into the stands at invitational tournaments and at the big tournaments like the ISC world tournament. The older fans are either gone or going fast and there are few young fans out there. Ripping on each other on internet forums does little to produce more fans nor does all the foul mouthed players who use that language in the dugouts, on the fields and in the stands or the beer gardens. There are not many fathers or mothers who really and truly want to subject their young children to that kind of behavior. Finger pointing, cussing, swearing and petty jealousy has been a big part of what the issues are today in the game. The older folks who are still alive just stay home so they don’t have to listen to that language. Ask them why they don’t go anymore. They’ll tell you!