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Show Maflnce 1Twaiirdl Mime n by Jim Smedley i o f"T A good pitch from Park City could earn a state tournament Although there is at least a foot of snow on the ground and most people are thinking about skiing, the Park City Recreation Department has its mind on other things. About $100,000 worth of other things. Namely softball, fast-pitch softball-that type of soft-ball soft-ball in which the batter does not have time to change his mind about a pitch. One blink of the eye and the ball is by you. i The Rec. Department is thinking softball because it has a chance to host the 1986 state fast-pitch championshipsa champion-shipsa 32-team extravaganza that would boost Park City's summer economy. How so? Well, each team has a minimum of 12 players (most actually average 15). Start multiplying 12 times 32 . and then add family members and spectators that would need lodging and food and who would visit the merchants mer-chants around the city. That totals a nice piece of income for the city. Rec Department recreation specialist Pam Bradford said Al Hansen of the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) says Park City can host the state championships. But the Rec Department has to pass a little test first. The ASA said things must go smoothly during the 16-team tournament the Rec Department will sponsor over the July 4 weekend. Bradford said the ASA will be looking at how well the tournament is organized, administered and how well the fields are kept up for the three-day event. The Rec Department already is working on information informa-tion packets to be presented to the ASA at its February meeting, Bradford said. All the Utah teams will meet in February to check out the summer tournaments available and then decide which ones to enter. She said the ASA advertises the tournaments in literature it puts out to its members, so it is possible that some out-of-state teams may be interested in the tournament. tourna-ment. "The tournaments are more work for us, but our purpose pur-pose is to help the community and we see this as a way to make money for the town," Bradford said. "Giving the town a boost in the summer when it's slow is a top priority. priori-ty. Why shouldn't we use our skills and available facilities to bring people in? We can also make some money for the Recreation Department by selling T-shirts T-shirts and associated items. "Local people are our number-one priority and this tournament will give them a chance to see fast-pitch softball and maybe decide if they would like a league or even get a team together for the Salt Lake City league." She said resident Mike Hamill has been giving much of his time and effort to bring the tournaments to fruition. She called him the impetus and said he has nothing to gain he just likes the game. Park City Chamber of CommerceConvention & Visitors Bureau Executive Director Bill Clinger says the game would definitely be a boon to the city. "There's no doubt about it. A tournament would ' enhance the entire summer business. Especially a state tournament. They tend to be very family oriented and have a significantly higher enconomic impact than a , regular tournament," Clinger said. And he should know. He was the deputy commissioner of ASA when he lived in Wisconsin. He estimated the tournament would be worth about $100,000 to the city. . "Being conservative, those people will spend in the neighborhood of $100,000 for rooms, food, gas and refreshments," not including what they would buy at . local shops, he said. It is a great idea. Fast-pitch is not only a fun game to watch, but also a great game to play. Let's hope the Recreation Department puts on a good show at the July 4 tournament. Can you see it happening? It might be as early as Nov. 18, but probably by Nov. 25. This writer thinks that when The Associated Press and United Press International football polls are released next week, the Air Force Academy has a darn good chance of being the No. 1 team in college football. It will be the second Western Athletic Conference team to be voted No. 1 in the nation in two years. Last year in mid-November, Brigham Young University Univer-sity received its No. 1 rating. On Nov. 10, 1984, the Cougars defeated San Diego State 34-3 in overcast Provo and later, Sports Illustrated dared to rate them No. 1. After the win, they moved up to No. 3 in the AP and UPI polls. . On Nov. 17, the Cougars traveled to Rice Stadium in Salt Lake City and escaped with a 24-14 victory over the University of Utah. The following Monday they were ranked No. 1 in both polls for the first time ever. The Air Force Academy will be in Provo Nov. 16 to decide who is the top WAC team. I predict they will beat the Cougars. It will be a fairly close game, but by the time the fourth quarter rolls around, there will be no doubt that the Falcons are the best. I expect a 9- to 14-point victory. Meanwhile, Penn State will be hosting a rejuvenated Notre Dame a team that has convincingly won its last four games. And I think Penn State is in trouble. Look for the Irish to upset them. The Nittany Lions' string of close victories is about to end. The only thing in the way for an Air Force No. 1 ranking rank-ing is Nebraska. The Cornhuskers host Kansas (whom they beat 41-7 last year) on Nov. 16 then play at Oklahoma on Nov. 23. The Sooners beat them last year 17-7. Nebraska may be No. 1 for a week, but look for the Falcons to be sitting on the No. 1 perch Nov. 25. |