The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
For Major League Baseball, the home run derby has been a hit. This past weekend, the Flin Flon/Creighton Slo-Pitch League held a tournament that had its own derby. It doesn't get the fan fare like the big leagues, but there was a crowd at Centoba Park on hand including the participants to cheer on the big hitters. Several balls flew out of Centoba Park. Burkee's Bedlam player Kelly Davis was one of the competitors who liked trying to show up the young hitters. "I always enjoy participating in contests," Davis said. "It's lots of fun and it's a challenge. I reached for a few balls I shouldn't have." One he'd like to have back is the one he missed. "I managed to put one out anyway," he added. "You usually go into those pretty loose Ð pretty confident Ð but sometimes with the wind the way it was, it just didn't work out." Davis said it's always fun for the guys. "Baseball's a team sport, but there are individual skills that people like to showcase and it makes it interesting for the fans." S.W.A.T's Cory Grant also participated and feels the derby adds to the tournament. "There was some big guys hitting the ball far," he said. When it comes to stepping up to the plate, Grant said guys just swing harder. "Just hopefully hit it good and not foul it off or something," he continued. "You get the nerves going I guess a little bit and you want to hit it hard Ð that's all it really is." Anita Pruden, president of the Flin Flon/Creighton Slo-Pitch League, said it was awesome to watch. "We have phenomenal hitters Ð wow there was a lot of power there," Pruden said, as seven hitters were tied at two. "The girls Ð we had a girl from The Pas hit it twice out of the park Ð that is phenomenal. I've never seen that before." Pruden thinks it makes the weekend even better. "Everybody loves to just come out and watch," she said. "It's great because people are in the stands and they will cheer them on. If they're friends, they will bug them." Pruden was pleased with the atmosphere of the weekend and was glad to see everyone get along as there were teams from The Pas and Thompson. The final took place at Centoba Park on Sunday as S.W.A.T, the only local team left, played against The Pas Perfect 10 and lost 11-6 during the 2 p.m. matinee.7/19/2006
