Received: 7/12/07 9:24:01 AM From: "Larry Lynch" <llynch9(at)rogers.com>
Subject: New Zealand Black Sox - Team Canada Tour I apologize for my tardiness on this follow up but I havenot forgotten the significant role each of you played in the very successful Ontario tour of the New Zealand Black Sox and Team CanadasNational softball team. We have all had a few weeks to recover but I would beremiss if I did not offer my formal thanks to each and every one of you whosecontribution showcased Ontariosfastball community. To the host organizations in Jarvis, Tavistock, Orillia, Sebringville and Kitchener, you did a magnificent job ofpreparing your parks, promoting the games and hosting the best menssoftball teams in the world. I heard nothing but praise from the management andcoaching staff of both New Zealand and Canada, and I would ask that you conveythis message to the dozens of volunteers in your own communities who stepped upto the plate to hit a home run on your behalf. I would be remiss if I didnt center out a few ofthose from Kitchener Fastball Promotions who assisted me in pulling the biggerpicture of the tour together. Not only did you help me in all aspects ofpromotion, finances, bbq, luncheon events and the series finale, but more soyou helped me deal with a very difficult period of my personal life withyour friendship, your compassion and your patience. I will be eternallygrateful to each of you who showed me the real class of our fastballfraternity. I have always believed it is the little things that set ourvolunteer personnel apart from the rest . Pete, you did a magnificent job withthe Black Sox skills event with the 3 area minor teams. The inaugural editionof Kitchenersnewest community newspapers featured this event as there lead story, somethingwe are all very proud of. Ray and Lucille, the Cortina Club was a very gracious hostto the New Zealand teamluncheon prior to departure for OrilliaIt is unlikely the Italian community will ever see a thank you response in theform of a touring national team singing their thanks at the conclusion of sucha great meal. Please pass on our committees special thanks for the extra effortand class presentation of the home cooked Italian dinner. John Thompson as always delivered a class act Diamond Dirt,and both he and Dave McLelland did a thoroughly professional job on the RogersTV broadcast . Tom Clancy and John MacTavish as usual a great effort on thescoring and PA. I do not want to embarrass anyone by missing their uniquecontributions, but I would be remiss if I did not offer my greatest thanks tomy friends Sue Sherry and Neil Fennell, without whom I would not have been ableto step up for this tour. Sue has been with my many fastball adventures sincethe early 1990s. She has been a steadfast supporter of my effortsthrough the good times and bad. Words cannot convey how much I appreciate heras a colleague and more importantly, a friend . Neil and I have traveled a lotof miles since the inception of the Perth Shoot-Out a decade and a half ago. Ihave always respected him for his significant contribution to the game. Overthe course of the development and planning of the tour he was my main liaisonwith New Zealandand I found out what real passion he has for their program and the friendships theBlack Sox organization has rewarded him with over his career. I also learned alot living with him for 10 days. His attention to detail almost drove me overthe edge at times, but I quickly learned he was also a great sounding board, agreat mentor and a different person that I thought he was all these years. Hewas an easy mark for my barbs, but he also gave me the chance to laugh a lot,at myself and at him. I will be forever grateful Neil for the part you playedon this tour of duty. It is rare that a community of volunteers gets to take partin something that touches the entire softball world. I recently received aletter from Softball New Zealand that conveys their sincere thanks for the warmhospitality, the great respect and the unbridled enthusiasm Ontario displayed to their National Team.Likewise, Mark Smith and Softball Canada has personally offered histhanks for the wonderful treatment our National team received in the testseries events throughout the communities they attended. Through the efforts of AlDoran and his web site the world came together for 10 days in June to follow ahistoric battle of the worlds greatest softball players, you should allbe proud of your part in showcasing fastball as still one of the great teamgames in the world. Get out to the ball parks in your own communities, it allstarts with the grass roots where dreams of greatness turn singles into triples. Sincerely, Larry Lynch Al's Fastball News *Email: fastball(at)pmihrm.com [EMAIL PROTECTED] NEWS-1: http://www.AlsFastball.com/ NEWS-2: http://fastpitchwest.com/alsfastball VIA http://www.webbox.com
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