SLOWPITCH SOFTBALL - 1972
The start of slow pitch has finally arrived.
Seymour Press - May 4, 1972
During the 1970s slow pitch softball was a popular activity in Seymour. Various businesses sponsored teams with games played weekly and a playoff at the end of the season. This article is "Boo's" analysis of the upcoming season.
Two games were played Tuesday and tonight. Hill’s will clash with Wilquet’s at 7:15, while the Hotel will try to upend the Country Cousins at 8:30. The details of all games will be in next week’s paper. This week, Boo is going to make his predictions on how he feels things will flare around the league. Much is expected to remain the same as last year. The four top teams should repeat as the power of the league. They are Wilquet’s, Hill’s, the Country Cousins, and the Hotel.
Art’s, the Gallery, Wally’s and Fritz’s are expected to finish in the lower half of the standings. All four of these teams have improved since last year and should be more challenging for the rest of the league. Possibly finishing in the cellar this year is Wally’s. The team is quite young and very unemotional. Fritz’s team is unusual, their roster consists of neighbors, friends and relatives. Normally this is a combination that couldn’t get along, but this team seems to do it quite well. The players have played together for many years and many are the area’s best athletes. Their roster hasn’t changed much from last year and this will help them. They play well together and in no way should finish as bad as last year. This is the team that gives even the best teams a fight to the finish. And if nothing else, this team adds a lot of excitement to the league
In fifth place, we’ll place Art’s. With the help of two new players, Will Mamerow and Jim Maass, the team should be pulled closer together. They have some strong hitters in John Lueck and Jerry and Joey Rusch. Their only hindrance is that the team is generally slow, which will be a disadvantage when they play a tougher competition. This team will probably be the “dark horse” of the league.
Finishing fourth again this year will be the Hotel. They’ll probably start the season in poor style, but they always seem to come alive as the season progresses. The team is a mixture of young and old and when Claude Peotter is guiding it, the team is rough and hard to beat. This team should end up in the playoffs at the end of the season. Dropping in third place, we’ll pick Hill’s. With the missing of three good starters, the team seems in a bind. If any of these starters should return, the team could finish as number one. The team is young and full of athletic ability. Coach Anschutz has done a good job getting the team ready, but they do appear weak at the present time.
The Country Cousins should hang on to second place this year. The Cousins appear much improved over last year. Their hitting has looked good in the pre-season games and so did the pitching. They won only two of their four pre-season games, but both losses were to Wilquet’s. If the team can improve together, first place is not out of reach for the ball team.
The league Championship appears to be going to Wilquet’s. They finished on top last year and it appears they’ll have a repeat performance. The team plays well together, but they have the greatest asset going for them, and that is the strong desire to win. Only two teams other than Wilquet’s will have a chance to be “King of the Hill”. Those teams are Hill’s and the Cousins, but neither looks adequate at their present stage. Wilquet’s will be facing these teams in their first two games and that will tell the story. Until next week, this is your reporter, Boo Shooter.