Ralph Jones Slugfest another way to keep kids in the game

  • brian questel
  • July 27, 2011
  • 273
                        
080111 WYBI wrap Promo: WYBI hosting Ralph Jones Slugfest this weekend at Miller Fields Ralph Jones Slugfest another way to keep kids in the game By Brian Questel It is a long way from the wet days of spring, when baseball tryouts and the opening days of practice tried to work around Mother Nature. Now that the dog days of summer are here, it is a perfect time for baseball. Wooster Youth Baseball, Inc., is still going on and taking advantage of the dry weather. In quick succession, WYBI wrapped up its City Series championships this month along with its Williamsport and Hometown All-Star series, the two highlights to its year. However, for those still interested in playing, WYBI has something to offer its players. The Ralph Jones Slugfest, which has attracted over 30 teams – including one from West Virginia – opened July 27 at Miller Fields and will conclude Sunday, July 31. Then, in a couple of weeks, a fall baseball league will be offered for those Little Boys of Summer who still haven’t got enough of the game. “There are 32 teams in the Slugfest,” said WYBI president Stacy Robinson. “We have a team from West Virginia coming in. We have 10 8-year-old teams and the rest are 10-unders. We have teams coming from Akron and the Canton area, a team from Holmes and they are also coming from Brunswick and Chippewa. “This is the third year for it. The guys that have really helped it take off are Tim Pettorini Jr., Andy Becker and Chris Frank,” said Robinson. “Last year we averaged over 300 people a day in our facility. They played until 10 o’clock at night.” Teams will open with pool play before then beginning elimination play to determine a winner. “There will be a Home Run Derby Saturday evening for the kids and for adults, who have to use kids’ bats,” said Robinson. “Last year we started at 10 a.m. and finished probably around 6-7 that night.” While the Slugfest is an opportunity to keep playing baseball, it has a message of appreciation as well as an economic side to it. The tournament has been named after Ralph Jones, the longtime owner of Wooster Glass, who recently passed away. “We’ve named it the Ralph Jones Memorial Tournament,” said Robinson. “Ralph bought that big scoreboard and paid for that; it’s a tribute to the 50-plus years Ralph was a part of Wooster Youth Baseball. It’s a tribute to name the tournament after him because he just did so much. We asked his family about it and they were ecstatic to have the tournament named after him. They were tickled. “We’re also doing it to raise funds and make improvements at Miller Field,” said Robinson. The Slugfest will also help down the road in other ways. The Williamsport and Hometown all-star teams failed to advance, but “we were more competitive,” said Robinson. “We won some games and lost some, but we were more competitive,” he said. “One way to tell is that we had in years past teams go to Canton and Dover and get annihilated. I’ve been here nine years, and except for 2000 when we made it to the state tournament, when we’ve gone head-to-head with the Cantons and GlenOaks we haven’t done well. “And, this year when Tim Pettorini Jr. took his (8-year-olds) to Apple Creek, his team won legitimately and they played well. He told me, ‘Stacy, the kids were turning double plays. They were making plays they normally would not have made if we wouldn’t have put in the extra time.’ “That,” said Robinson, “is a tribute to the work put in by Tim and Chris.” As a group, the Williamsport and Hometown teams finished just below .500, but there were bright spots. The Williamsport 11-12 team went 3-3 after a 0-3 start and the Hometown 9-10s were 4-2. “The 12-year-old Hometown team ended up 3-2 and the only reason they didn’t advance further is because of runs allowed,” said Robinson. “Their record was the same as a couple others, but they gave up more runs and didn’t advance out. “It’s coming around. Five years ago, truthfully, there wasn’t a kid playing baseball at this point. Now kids are playing longer and you can tell we’re getting better. “We were close to .500,” said Robinson. “WYBI needed dedicated people who knew the game and would be willing to put the time in. I think the future is bright.”


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