Lack of fields, Sparks cause postponement

By Tom Jalana
for TJSN.com

Published: June 30, 2009

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The Evergreen Park Diamondbacks and the non-city-affiliated Seadogs matched up this past Sunday, in a rematch of 2008’s Divisional Series at St. Xavier University, but incompetent planning on the behalf of the 14-year-old traveling team, the Chicago Sparks forced the game to be played elsewhere.

“This is an outrage,” said Diamondback pitcher Don Myzcek. “I’ve heard of 14-year-olds being unreliable, but for an adult who supposedly runs their league to forget that they had planned a tournament on the same field that we were scheduled to play on? Sounds to me like someone has been smoking something.”

With the first pitch of the game scheduled for an 11am start, controversy erupted when SSWBL Commissioner Sergio Senese was informed by the Chicago Sparks that their 14-year old team had a tournament slated for a noon start on the same fields as the Diamondbacks. Senese, who anticipated issues, had replayed a voicemail from Ed Stork, field coordinator, saying that the Diamondbacks and Seadogs could play their game on the St. Xavier field.

“The message was plain as day,” said a flustered Senese. “The Sparks did not have a game or tournament scheduled on this field.”

In a show of sportsmanship to the younger generation of ballplayers, the Diamondbacks and Seadogs agreed to move their game to the Chicago White Sox Field Complex at 111th and Pulaski.

When the teams arrived to the field, they were greeted by shock and awe of the conditions of the 3-year old diamond. “This resembles something that you’d see in Iraq,” said Diamondback first baseman Teddy Andrysiak.

The outfield grass was torn to shreds while the infield grass looked like something straight out of Joseph Conrad’s depictions of the wild in Heart of Darkness.

“We were afraid for both teams that we would lose one of our players in that brush,” said Diamondback manager Joe Cipolla. “But we decided to play on, for love of the game.”

The Seadogs jumped out to a 2-0 lead off Diamondback pitcher Ed Sochacki in their first at-bat. as a result of a misplayed routine fly ball to centerfield. From that point on though, neither team could muster a run.

As the teams headed into the 5th inning, play was suspended as two other teams had previously scheduled games on the very same field, so play was suspended and the Diamondbacks and Seadogs were to return to St. Xavier’s to complete the first game and start the second game.

In a shift of events though, the games were postponed as the Seadogs and Diamondbacks had a number of players at U.S. Cellular field watching the Chicago White Sox kick the tar out of their Northside, 100-years-and-counting, opponents, the Chicago Cubs.

When the games are eventually rescheduled, you’ll be able to find the recap here at TomJalana.com.

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Lack of fields, Sparks cause postponement

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