VIRGINIA TEAM WINS SPA 60 MAJOR PLUS WORLDS
DALTON, GEORGIA – Move over NEW YORK YANKEES 1927 MURDER”S ROW, there is a new powerhouse line-up on the block and it belongs to the 60 MAJOR PLUS SUPERIOR SENIOR SOFTBALL TEAM.
The VIRGINIA team made shambles of the competition at the SPA DALTON WORLDS July 17-20 outscoring the opposition 127-69 in four games while also compiling a .821.team batting average.
In the championship game 37-18 win over last year's 60 MAJOR CHAMP. MINNESOTA MASTERS WHITE, they pounded out 49 hits of which only five traveled over the fence.
“Yes, we really had it going at DALTON,” SUPERIOR SENIOR SOFTBALL MANAGER and SPA 60 MAJOR PLUS MANAGER-OF-THE-YEAR JIM SEARS said, “There are some tournaments when everything goes right for a team and some that everything goes wrong and at DALTON everything went right.”
In their four games SSS downed HOLLIS APPRAISALS 35-29, MINNESOTA WHITE 29-11, HOLLIS 26-11 and MINNESOTA 37-18.
Of course winning has been the norm for the team in 2014. So far in 2014 the 60'S MAJOR PLUS team has won eight tournaments and their counterparts the 65 MAJOR PLUS HAMEL BUILDERS SUPERIOR SENIOR SOFTBALL TEAM has captured three.
Since changing names from TURN TWO/SPICER two years ago they have won FIVEWORLDS and NINENATIONALS.
“If you have the players, it makes it sort of easy,” SEARS said, “This team also enjoys playing together and takes their game seriously. They enjoy winning.”
You won't find the names of RUTH, GEHRIG, MUESAL and LAZZEREI on this new MURDERS' ROW but there are a few names which are familiar to senior softball fans.
Sprinkled through the line-up are SIX IMPACT PLAYERS: DANNY BALLARD (70), DON CLATTERBOUGH (65), JOHN DAVIDE (65), TOMDOMMEL,SR (65), TOMTUDOR (65) and PETE SMITH (65).
The rest of the roster are no slouches either. The tournament MVP was short stop HAL HARRISON. HARRISON more than capably filled in for the injured TOMDOMMEL,SR defensively and at bat went 14-for-14.
Joining HARRISON in receiving ALL-AMERICAN status were BALLARD (1B,.833), BILL CAMERON (P/1B, .882), CLATTERBOUGH (C,.823), DAVIDE (2b, .938) and DENNIS TUCK (3B, .938).
The rest of the “powerhouse outfit” are: TOMMALVICH (OF,.867),CLARENCE ELLISON (1B, .647), JOHN SCRUGGS (2B,.600), RANDY THOMAS (OF, .818),RAY WIMBROUGH (P, .846), GENO BANDY (OF, .800), RONNIE COLLINS (DNP), VANCE GUDMUNDSON (DNP), DOMMEL (DNP), PETE SMITH (1B, .846), MIKE GOODMAN (OF/INF, DNP) and DEWEY FUSSELL (P,.545).
Non-roster support was given by statistician ROSSI DODSON and equipment manager WESLEYWALDEN. (MIKE) GOODMAN in addition to his contributions on the field also is a big reason the team can make it without a full time sponsor.
“Mike and his company RM GOODMAN BUILDERS out of BEAVERDAM, VIRGINIA has really helped the program with his financial assistance,” SEARS said, “He does this on his own and we really appreciate his help.”
SEARS emphatically claimed the teams biggest support comes from the wives.
“Oh definitely,” he said, “They are at every game pepping us up with their cheers and support. They maythink we don't hear their cheers and appreciate them but we really do hear them and it does help us on the field.”
Like most MAJOR PLUS and even MAJOR teams/ SUPERIOR SENIOR SOFTBALL does feel the financial pinch.
“If major plus teams want to play in a tournament, we can't get in a car and drive there, we usually have to fly,” SEARS explained, “Most local and regional tournaments do not have MAJOR PLUS DIVISIONS, we have to fly to the big one to play, like DALTON, VEGAS, etc.. If we do get to play in a REGIONAL or smaller NATIONAL, we have to play 50 and 55 majors.”
“I would expect the only time we will be able to play 60-MAJOR teams is when we are 90-years old and we will probably have to spot them seven runs,” he added.
Of course you can always break up the team and scatter the players, right?
Wrong!
“It would be the same story, there are not enough major plus teams for these guys to be split among,” SEARS said, “I don't have the answer, maybe have the major teams start loading up and come up and play with the major plus teams instead of trying to avoid the major plus division.”
SEARS said he did hear there was a possibility SPA may be holding a couple of MAJOR and MAJOR PLUS only regional tournaments in the east and mid-west in 2015.
“That would be great,” he said, “Then we wouldn't have to worry about having a 30,000 mile check-up every month or so.”
“The organizations (SPA and SSUSA) created the MAJOR and MAJOR PLUS Divisions but they don't offer us enough tournaments to play,” SEARS added, “We love the SPA organization and the tournaments they have, we just hope RIDGE can come up with a way to offer us more tournaments. We definitely would attend.”