Wheelchair Softball Hits Homerun at Shea
The rainy weather wasn’t going to dampen the spirits of the fans who came out to watch the final game of the 2007 Major League Wheelchair Softball Tournament at Shea Stadium in Flushing, New York. With support from New York City Parks and Recreation, this is the seventh year that United Spinal Association and the New York Mets have hosted the annual tournament, which took place on Friday, September 21 and Saturday, September 22 on the Shea Stadium grounds.
The popular double elimination tournament brings together Major League-sponsored softball teams from around the country, including the New York Mets, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Minnesota Twins, and Oakland Athletics. The Twins, who displayed excellent teamwork throughout the tournament, took this year’s Kelly cup, dismantling their competition inning by inning and pummeling the Red Sox 15-2 in the championship. This is the second consecutive championship victory for the Twins at Shea.
The exciting battles that took place on the paved fields between rival wheelchair softball powerhouses attracted hundreds of fans and spectators, giving many an opportunity to experience the sport for the first time. Local school children with disabilities also got a taste of the action, participating in softball clinics taught by the players. Many of the wheelchair athletes involved will tell you that the clinics are the greatest reward of participating at the Shea tournament—seeing the kids’ excitement and introducing them to a community-based sport that is not only fun to play, but also helps build lasting friendships. Even Mr. Met, who was recently inducted into the Mascot Hall of Fame, came out to enjoy the festivities, hang out with the players, and take pictures with his fans and admirers.
“We are delighted to host the tournament for the seventh year- it is definitely a wheelchair sport that is growing in popularity,” said Bill Hannigan, United Spinal Association’s Director of Sports & Recreation. “This is the fourth straight year that we have partnered with the Department of Education’s Office of Adapted Physical Education to provide instruction to kids about the rules and the skills of wheelchair softball. Both the local and visiting team players enjoy the clinic as much as the youngsters do, but there’s nothing quite like the big smile on a student’s face when he or she smashes a line drive to the outfield. That smile says ‘I can do this!’”
Wheelchair softball is a challenging sport that allows most wheelchair users to participate. The game is played on a paved surface with painted-on bases. Beyond these minor variations, most other rules of baseball apply. Wheelchair softball is played under the official rules of 16-inch slow pitch softball as approved by the Amateur Softball Association of America with a few exceptions to accommodate the wheelchair user. Players compete on hard surfaces, such as a parking lot, instead of the normal grassy infield, and use a 16-inch softball, which allows wheelchair players to keep one hand on the wheelchair while catching the softball without a glove.
Results:
1st Place – Minnesota Courage Rolling Twins
2nd Place – New England Red Sox
3rd Place – Vaughn PVA White Sox
4th Place – United Spinal Mets
5th Place – United Spinal Yankees
6th Place – Oakland A’s
All Tournament Team Selection
Pitcher – Dave Deas, Mets
Catcher – Chad O’Fallon, A’s
1st Base – Will Smith, White Sox
2nd Base – Thomas Dodd, Red Sox
3rd Base – Russ Pace, Red Sox
Shortstop – Ricky Salinas, White Sox
Left Field – Steve Davis, Red Sox
Center Field - Sylvester Flis, Whitesox
Right Field - Brian Chavez, Twins
Short Field – Luis Dalmau, Yankees
Best Quad – George Taborsky, Mets
Sportsmanship – Chuck Gill, A’s
MVP - Brian Chavez, Twins
Best Rookie – Kevin Patton, A’s
