The preceding week had spoiled all of us with unseasonable temperatures that hovered around 60-65. We hadn’t seen snow since early December!! On Friday, the day before the tournament, a strong front ran through the area and changed all that.

It was Mother Nature, right on the mark - she came through with temps dropping into the 30’s, and SNOW. It started snowing lightly around 11 in the morning, and the pitchers were cheering as they arrived. By 1:00, there was quite the snowstorm going on!! Everyone was dressed for the day – ready to pitch in knee deep snow, if that’s what was going to happen.

After a bit of discussion, the rules to the event were decided. During warm-ups, it was decided to pitch on top of the covers, and after only a few shoes thrown, the unanimous decision was made to count the closest shoe as a point, regardless of where shoes landed. Ringers were still 3 points. By day’s end, we were ALL glad of that decision!

Everyone had dressed for the event – those hunters in the group were well prepared, but some of the rest of us had spent the morning searching for just the right layers to wear, and still be able to move! Gloves of all sorts were in abundance. Jeremi Skillman had brought four pair of different designs, not sure which kind he’d be able to work with. I was sporting my new (Christmas present) “lady’s work gloves” – leather with pink calico insets. There were snowmobile gloves and ski gloves. Baseball gloves and bowling gloves. John Ham wore heavy duty leather work gloves, then decided he couldn’t pitch with them on, took the one off his pitching hand and it went bare-handed for the entire event!

Kevin had thought ahead and brought a kerosene heater, which was running in the shed. In between rounds, we could all go thaw out, warm up and most importantly, warm up our gloves. Because even pitching on top of the covers, there were puddles on the rubber, snow on the grass, and before long, mud where we kept walking to get the shoes that kept bouncing astray. No matter what gloves you had, you got wet, and wet meant cold as the day progressed.

What an absolutely fun time this was! The snow was falling so hard at one point, (it wasn’t even close to “white out” conditions, but) it was certainly a SNOW STORM.

One by one, pitchers were eliminated, until only Jeremi and Yogi Guyer were undefeated. PITCH OFF! Then there was only Yogi. With Jeremi now in the loser’s bracket, he had to replay Yogi. If he won, there would be a rematch, and that would spell the winner. And win he did! Both pitchers took a break to warm up, inside the Loser’s Club, near the heater – in a normal event, pitchers get back on the courts to warm up, in this event, they got off the courts to warm up!!

The score was 16-15, Yogi’s favor. Yogi pitched, got a ringer. Jeremi threw down and knocked the ringer off, leaving his own point. 16-16. Jeremi threw down. Only a point. Yogi threw down – another ringer. Score 16-19 Yogi’s favor. Yogi threw down, got another ringer. Jeremi pitched, knocking off Yogi’s ringer, leaving his own point again! Score 17-19 Yogi’s favor. Last pitch – Yogi got ANOTHER ringer, Jeremi couldn’t come close… final score 17-22 YOGI IS THE TOURNAMENT CHAMP!!

Bernie McGough, TD for this event, awarded Yogi his $50 prize, we lingered for the final photo shoot, and then said goodbye. It seemed that we did/did not want to leave and go home. We were tired and cold, but smiles abounded. What a great day, what a fun time, we’ll be doing it again next year if anyone else is interested…

I know we’ll see you on the courts soon – REAL spring weather will be here before we know it, and I’ll be out there with the early season pitchers, getting’ warmed up!! (and I sure hope we won’t need the kerosene heater!! )

See ya. Pat