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EVERY TUESDAY NIGHT IS SPECIAL ing A Lifetime On The Softball Field "We don't really have any real tournament caliber teams in our league. We have two or ' three real apod teams." Klapperich plays on and manages the Raymonds Bowl team. Unlike the majority of the players in the league, many of the players on his team go bade with him in tiipe in the league as a team called Bimbo's. He rattled off such names as Vera Peterson, Ron Wisnieski and Charlie Pierce. Old Bridge is the only team in the league that has been in the league that goes back in the early years. Klapperich mentioned such teams as Jakes and McCollom Lake as teams in the early days. Along with the players, the rules of changed also. For along time, according to Klapperich, a person had to be 21-years old to play. Now he has to be 19-years-old. There use to be a rule that players had to come from a IS mile radius of McHenry to play. Now anybody from anywhere can play in the lea cue. the league is now made up of 12 teams. Back in the early days, Klapperich says they probably could have had more teams if they wanted to expand. This could be Klapperich's last season as league president. Running the league was a lot easier when he was single, but . .now he is marriad, has a family and can't spend the time he should running the league. "It has taken it's toll on my time. Outside of my work, it has been half of my life. But there comes a time when it has to end. When I was single, I didn't have anything else. I can't do the job right now." He says he will still {day. But, there is no doubt another piece of VFW16 inch softball will disappear when Bernie Klapperich decides to hang it up. goes back to 1952 when Dave Hanson and Father McGowan of St. Pats Catholic Church started the league. Hanson remembers die startof the league wdL "16 inch was played inChkago, but it was never beard of here," Hanson said. "We got Afferent Taverns to play each other and it became popular. Different teams were then formed into a eight team league." According to Hanson, the league played its first season at McHenry High School, now East Campus. It was moved to die VFW the following summer. As any league or organization with any kind of history, things changed. The VFW 16 inch league has completly different teams now, the MIKE LAMB Every organisation has its leader or organizer to keep everything ruining smooth. Without such people, organizations usually fall apart .s For the McHenry VFW Men's 16 Inch Softball Bernie Klapperich is their orgainizer. burly blonde hair 41-year-old McHenry ent has been involved with 16-inch softball in some capacity since 16-years-okL . , You might say, along with a few others, he is the ghie that keeps the league together. For years, Klapperich as league president; has maintained the field, set up organizational "fteetings, arranged for umpires, be at the field Hiring the games to make sure everything ttartson schedule, etc. etc. The list goes on and tab. And be is still an active player. - So it's no wonder Klapperich says 16 inch softball has played a big role in his life. "It seems I have always been there (VFW Mall diamond) in some capacity," said jKlapperich. H "I started running the teenage league around $960. Then for awhile, I ran both leagues. Three Hears ago, I dropped running the men's league. {Somebody else took over and be screwed up •things, so they asked me to crane bade." I Talking to Klapperich, one gets the •impression that 16 inch at the McHenry VFW j»has a lot of tradition and story behind it. I Klapperich started playing in die VFW league *[n 1956. That was the time the league I flourished. I; "At that time, it was only 16 inch. It was big Stat that time. Other than hardball, it was the gjonly game in town." | Klapperich was introduced to the unusual Jjgame of 16 inch softball in high school gym iclass. Unusual, because the game is played ^without gloves. It's awkward looking to those iiwho never played or seen the game played. [; The VFW 16 inch league celebrated its 30th E! anniversary last season. Hie league history players are different and the popularity has died down considerably. When the 16 inch league started, the VFW was the only field lighted. Now there are other lighted parks and many other leagues. Another form of softball has the popularity -- 12 inch. "We had different and better ballplayers bade then," said Klapperich. "Now, the better softball players play 12 inch -- generally over all the better players. Back then, there was no 12 inch at the time. "Even the weaker teams in the league at the time did well in tournaments. Now, the teams finishing down in the standings don't do well in the tournaments. The tournaments are a good sign of how well you are doing. Bernie Klapperich keeps watch, over one of the 16 inch softball contests at- the VFW fieldlast week. STAFF PHOTO--WAYNE GAYLORD The McHenry Plaindealer PAT WIRTZ ittle John's held off two late inning ra lies by Jack's Snack Shop- M Henry Oil to emerge with their fil h triumph in eight outings. The w pers used a nine run first inning, pi s a four run third inning in their 13- 9 ictory. Jttle John's was moving along with a $3-1 lead going into the foutti inning as Bobby "Blackshoes" Pendregast w rmed up in the bullpen. The Snack SI >p went three up, three down in the fo rth and the first two batters in the fii h followed in order. >teve Knox hit a line shot to center, w ich went past a diving Jim G abowski for an inside the park h< tnerun. With the game out of reach, J< ck's Snack Shop came back with th ee in the sixth and more in the se renth to narrow the margin. jttle John's outhit their opponents orfy 15-14, buUpok advantage of some k$ Snack ShoperxdiVS Ike first and' t l i r d - i n n i n g s . -- - fh the Little Johirtr first inning, three unearned runs were sewed on a dropped fly while in the third all four runs came in after an infield error. The win.iers were led by Steve Lane who hit a three run homer, singled and drove in one more with a sacrifice fly. Jim Grabowski and Jim Quinn had three hits a piece. Grabowski scored three runs, while Quinn crossed the plate twice and drove in two runs. Jim Pinkstaff added a three for three performance. Steve -Himplemann tripled in a run in the first inning, while Billy Peterson drove in two more with a clutch single. Pete Blackburn hit a three run homer in the seventh for McHenry Oil. Steve Knox added a single and two runs scored to his homerun. Mike Jablonski came off the bench to go two for two with an RBI and run scored, while brother Rick and Doug Oeffling added two hit performances. West End Pub 9 Taylor Made Golf 2 The West End Pub held on to their first place tie with the Fox Hole as they defeated Taylor Made Golf by a score of 9-2. Four sacrifice flies led to runs in the first four innings and then an infield error opened up the door for three more runs in a four run West End fourth inning. John Michels went three-for-three with two run scored and a sacrifice fly to-lead'West End Pub. Don Prafcak drove in three runs with a two run single and a sacrifice fly. Terry Hovseth and Rich Lindquist went two- for-three, while Tom Pnidden added two RBI's. Fox Hole Tap 11 King's Row 4 The Fox Hole Tap win keeps them in a two way tie for first place with West End. A pair of four run innings keyed by Bill Meyers three run homer and Gary Gilpin's two rim triple were the big blows for the winners. Both Tap batters scored twice and had two hits each. Mike Peterson went three-for-four, Twig Miller two-for-two and Steve Dobner two-for-three. Brian Mathison, Bob Buss and John Watson had two hits each for King's Row. Rick Sorenson added a two run single in the fourth. Taylor Made 4 King's Row 2 Taylor Made Golf evened their record for the season and the evening with a 4-2 victory over King's Row. The winners scored all the runs they needed in the first two innings while holding King's Row scoreless in five of seven innings. Jim Gray had two hits and two RBI's and Tim Evans a pair of RBI singles. Henry Glick added two run scored. Bob Buss had two of the Row's six hits. John Watson added a double and sacrifice fly. seen on television, heard on'radio and "They call it a real people com- ̂ merical. A camera was behind a two- • r way mirror. A person interviewed me after a long golf season. ! "' and everything was ad lib. There was "When my wife saw it, all she could no written script what so ever." do was laugh. You become very Habjan said the radio and television . critical of yourself. Do I look ljke spots are 30 seconds long. His contract that? I think sound was the biggest is good until July 1964, even if the thing. On radio it didn't it didn't seem commerical is discontiued before like my voice." that. i Habjan says he received phone cjdls "It was a lot of fun. I obviously from friends who have seen the never done anything like it. The thing commercial in Haiwaii, Arizona, I like most about it, it was all ad lib. California, Bahami Islands and He asked me a lot of questions. I guess Florida. they go what they wanted." "I got so many looks around here. What did he think of his per- Especially people I know. Other formance when he saw the com- people might lode at hie and say merical for the first time? where did I see that person. I do get "I didn't sound like myself. I looked some lodes. They low once and tney tired, because it was in September look again." r.,,\ American Legion Bauml Silences Crystal Lake single and scored on a single by Ross Vehring. Two more runs were scored in the sixth inning. Pat Cameron and Bauml both singled and eventually score!. Crystal Lake scored their lone run in the fourth. Ed Kothera tripled and then scored on a single. i 'MeHenry hosted Algonquin ofta Thursday and will host Wonder Lake2" on Monday. CRYSTAL LAKE -- The McHenry American Legion team jumped off to a positive start defeating Crystal Lake 3-1 last week Thursday. Mike Bauml left off where he ended the Fox Valley Conference season by holding the Crystal Lake offense to five hits and one walks. Mike Murphy wis the losing p0y$g(r$ $ McHenry took the lead in the second inning. Dave Smith led off with a Annual Fishing Derby Held At Petersen Park The City of McHenry Department of Parks and Recreation held its annual fishing derby for 15-year-olds and under last Saturday at Petersen Park. Prizes were awarded for smallest flsji, largest fish and most fish caught. . Smallest fish winners: Gary Buf- fenbarger 3% inches, Andrew Buf- f€if»arger four inches and Dave S^korski 4V4 inches. Largerst fish Winners: Steve Hoff 8V2 inches, Chris belter 8V4 inches and Anthony G l̂arco eight inches. Most fish caught: Steve Welter 30, Jason Sjcautte 22 and Mike Christensen 21. The McHenry Junior Youth League sold over 17,000 candy bars in their recent fund raiser. The top salesman were (left to right); Mark Sonnichsen of the Robins who sold 500 bars, Tom Johnson of the Hawks with sales of 375 and Phillip Tobeck of the White Sox who found 220 customers. STAFF PHOTO -- WAYNE GAYLORD IF YOU WANT TO TRY A DELIZIOSA PIZZA TRY NAPOLI PIZZA II! 5009 W. 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