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Lf A IN Fh) by Ron Martyn Yes, Cartwright can be a peaceful, quiet rural area. But on the other hand, there are certain individuals who are quite eager to destroy this golden bliss in the name of sport. The only compenents needed are two groups of boisterous 15 year old boys, a little equipment, and a pre-ar- ranged place, and soon the gentle sounds of lowing cat- tle are replaced by a hole new audio-visual experi- ence. - This summer one can hear the varied moans and groans of baseball games throughout the township. "What does this really involve'? 1 hear you ask. Well, let us turn to a game and just listen to the action. "Play ball"! cries the umpire, with a certain amount of apprehension noticeable in his quavering voice. (And with good rea- son. This man represents the elite of many available umpires-hand-picked espec- ially for this game from among a few unsuspecting spectators.) Amid a constant barrage of insults, the batter takes his position. He smiles a leering smile at his fee, the pitcher (who in reality may be his own brother - all the more reason to hit a home run!) The wind-up, the pitch, . . .a ball. Don't be dismayed, for even though it wasn't a strike, the cat- cher did manage to grab the ball before any real damage was done (Don't forget about that umpire - he is in a vulnerable position. Should he make a few too many bad calls against the pitcher, that catcher just might let the ball continue on undeterred to the mid- section of the unwary um- pire.) But not so with this bat- ter. The second delivery is a hot one, and the would-be Casey connects. In some disbelief he heads for first base, and is encourage to go on to second (the ball is meanwhile fumbled at third and continues on to left field). The runner is closing in on second base. The fielder makes his throw to second. There's a slide, a cloud of dust, and a hearty response from the base umpire - '"'Safe", he cries as both hands (thumbs uplif- ted) jerk to the sky. Still not sure of the outcome, the runner looks to his coach for advice. "I think you're safe - stay there until they tellyou to get off." Yes, he was safe, for the next batter steps up to the plate and the play continues. Meanwhile, over on the bench, the coach enjoys the game as neither umpire nor spectator can even dimly imagine. "When can I play, when can I play? "Are we winning yet, huh coach?" "Hey, he isn't supposed to be up yet, he's after me!" Of course, these questions are spread over an extended period of about twenty seconds, as the coach flashes signals to the batter and advises the man on base when to run. How long is this mayhem allowed to run rampant? For seven glorious innings of agonizing ecstacy, the kids go through these actions under the guise of softball, interrupted only by the occasional stray dog on the field or lost ball over the fence. At times like this, everyone, including specta- tors, is allowed to take an active part in the game and search for the missing ball. You are correct in guessing that this isn't major league ball, or for that matter, it doesn't quite compare with the big city leagues. The important point is that the kids are having fun, and no one really cares if a high degree of excellence is occasionally achieved, let alone rigidly maintained. Following a game, whether won or lost, the first question in invari- ably "When is our next practice?' At that practice, the first question is "When is our next game?" Yes, you can be sure, they are enjoying themselves. There are four boys' Ban- tam teams in the Cart- wright Minor Softball Asso- ciation, located in three centres. In Caesarea, the team is sponsored by Emmerson's Insurance, Port Perry. Nestleton Ban- tams are sponsored by Armando Figueiredo. The remaining teams are loca- ted. in Blackstock - Price's Pros. sponsored by Prices' Store, and Grieves' Gulf, sponsored by the station of the same name in Port Perry. These four sponsors have provided sufficient funds to supply each team with a set of sweaters. Many other business-men in the community have provi- ded additional money for equipment throughout the season. These sponsors include: - CANINE TRIMMING & GROOMING Phone: 986-5526 POODLE'S TERRIER'S other breeds FREE pickup and delivery + Softball not a quiet game Beacock Hardware, Burnfiled Plumbing. and Heating, Caesarea Fish and Chip Store, Davies Auto Body, Duff Electric, Fletcher's Sand and Gravel, Gord's Food Market, Haines Excavating, Haines Service Station, Johnstone's Store, Leatherdale Auto Wreckers, Marlow's Mill, Martyn's Store, Mountjoy Backhoe, Pine Ridge Packers, Swain Seed Cleaners, Tomlinson's Garage, Vine's Garage. And now, how about you? What are you doing two nights a week? Why not join in on the fun and excite- ment of watching these young guys take out their frustrations on a piece of bound leather? If all these local concerns are enteres- ted enough to financially support a softball league for young boys during the summer, surely you can. come out and vocally sup- port the league.Some of the kids are probably your neighbours or for that matter, you may be sur- prised to see your own son out there playing. Games this week are: Emmerson Insurance against Grieve's Gulf in Blackstock on July 9. Price's Pros. against Nestleton Bantams in Nes- tleton on July 12. Grieve's Gulf against Emmerson Insurance in Caesarea on July 17. THAT'S A LOT OF CABBAGE. Actually it is a lettuce head nearly 2 feet across grown by Mr. J.W. Forester in his backyard garden on Simcoe Street. Mr. Forester also has some corn stocks which are already more than 5 feet tall. He attributes the unusual growth to the right kind of fertilizer, and that aint no . . . SPECIALS USED CARS 1972 Buick Estate Wagon Fully Power Equipped, local owner since new, 18,000 original miles 1971 Oldsmobile Cutlass 4 door Sedan, 30,000 original miles, power equipped, must be seen to be appreciated, local one owner car. 1972 Chevelle Station Wagon Local owner since new, V8, Automatic, P.S., P.B., Radio, 17,000 original miles. 1970 Cutlass Vista Cruiser Fully power equipped, windows, electric door lock, air conditioning, low mileage trade in, local one owner since new. 1971 Chev. Vega For the economy minded, completely re- conditioned, safety checked throughout, RAdio, new tires, local owner. 1970 Volkswagon STATION WAGON, 45,000 original miles, in top condition. 1969 GMC % Ton TOP CONDITION TOP CONDITION rica io Set 1967 CHEV. % Ton Priced to Sell EARL McQUEEN - BOB ARCHER - Sales Rep. Sales Manager MORLEY PARISH - Sales Rep. BILL McQUEEN - Sales Rep. PONTIAC BUICK LIMITED PORT PERRY, ONTARIO Telephone: ~~ Port Perry 985-7309 Oshawa 655-3366 ya TRCN 3 a5 a " GA il R es a 3 <5