By TOM MOORE
Well, here we are for the eighth year at the Roy Hobbs World Series in Ft. Meyers.
The series for amateur baseball players from 25 to 80 is in its 23 year and with more than 200 teams from all over the country, plus one or two from over
seas, one of the most successful.
And the more I see of it, the more I’m amazed at how smooth thing usually go…and the credit for that goes to the boss…former Beacon Journal sports editor Tom Giffen.
From my observations, it begins with early planning in Akron where the Hobbs outfit is located on Peninsula Road in the Valley.
And the rough edges are ironed out as things progress—even extending to the actually series.
Teams register during the year for the different divisions (determined by age).
Its hard ball and wooden bats. Teams play four games and then are seeded from 4A to B for the championship play.
Umpires are professionals and most make their living umpiring college and high school game. And the fields are as professional as you can get—short of playing in a Major League stadium.
The facilities are the spring training sites for the Boston Red Sox and the Minnesota twins.
As one of the older players dressed in his baseball uniform said to me: “when I got into center field in the stadium with all those trappings I felt like I was 18 again!”
That feeling is what makes the players come back again and again.
They are able to pursue their passion for the game as long as they are physically able…moving up into another age division with the “young, old boys” taking part in the “timeless division”.
Of course a great part of the success depends on Tom’s support staff..which is “major league and why not? I’m one of that staff.
Wife Ellen is in charge of the concessions and the gift shop. And the Number one guy is Rob Giffen, Tom’s son.
The main reason I come back and enjoy whatever has to be done, is the people I meet and the stories I get to write.
Spent too many years tied to a
desk…22 years as a news editor. I did the job for all that time between people Knight Ridder brought in but never got that title…had to settle on assistant and deputy.
Now, it’s so much fun to write about the folks I meet here. For instance, the story now on the blog about Bill Dillion who spent 27 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.
And last year, I interviewed and wrote a story about former Boston Red Sox pitcher “Oil Can” Boyd.
And there was a story in which a player slid into home, but missed the plate about 2 feet—except his teeth flew out of his mouth and crossed the bag. He tried to argue that he was safe because part of him scored. Needless to say, he lost the argument.
One player related a story to me. He got a hit and his teammates were shouting “Run, Run!” . His 15-year-old son was nearby and he shouted “Hobble, Dad, Hobble!”
Then there was a husband and wife who played on the same team.
Where else could you meet a ballplayer who raises mastiffs, those huge dogs? Seems he had two and they had 9 pups. So he named the father, pitcher and the mom, catcher. Each of the pups got a baseball name—first base, 2nd base, etc.
If somebody had told me I’d wind up a sports writer, I’d have said no way.
Before the Hobbs gig, the only sports I wrote about was in the Air Force when my sports editor was sent overseas and I had to fly with our football team and write about the games.
My second sports stint was at the Lorain Journal where I filled in for two weeks when the sports editor went on vacation.
I hope to keep coming back as long as my health holds up.
It keeps me young, off the streets and out of bars.
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