Jeff Hill has been practicing to pitch a gem on the fastball diamond.
He's no tin man from the land of Oz, but after six years away from the game there's no denying some rust has set in and his pitching arm has been putting up a painful protest.
For years, Hill was one of the big guns around the Spruce City Men's Fastball Association as a power pitcher for the BX Pub Express, until he decided at age 40 to step away from his favourite sport to devote more time to his family and the small downtown business he owns.
This year, the urge to return to the game he loves proved irresistible and he's found an excuse to round up his old crew again to play this weekend in the Potskin/Ghostkeeper Memorial tournament which starts tonight at Spruce City Stadium.
The Express open the eight-team tournament at 7 p.m. against the Superior Fencing Reds (otherwise known as Big Guy Lake). In anticipation, the six-foot-four, 270-pound Hill is like a kid at Christmas waiting to rediscover his gifts and he's counting on finding the offspeed changeups, riseballs, sinkers and fastballs that served him so well over the years.
Hill and Garrett Murphy will get the bulk of the pitching load for the Express and that could mean as many as six games in two-and-a-half days - a lot to ask of a pair of 46-year-old chuckers.
"Me and Garrett were both pretty sore after our first practice," said Hill, who owns PG Plastics Signs & Graphics. "But that comes with age. We don't rebound as quick as we used to. The question is how much stamina do we have? It's definitely harder even throwing batting practice than it used to be in the old days.
"I haven't played since 2008 when we played in the Dooley [Ghostkeeper] tournament and we had an idea to get some of the guys together to see if we could still play the game."
If they do get in trouble, Hill figures there are enough sluggers on the team to provide plenty of run support this weekend. The Express lineup includes Al Loring, Glenn Ormsby, Eddie Dent, Brian Bailey, Russ Pratt, Chris McDonald, Gary McDonald, Paul Wilson, Marty Loring, Luc Pagnotta and Kory Williams.
Grant Williams has come out of retirement to serve as the Express skipper. Williams, former bench boss of the Prince George Lumber Kings travel squad, says he hasn't managed a ball team for 12 years but like his veteran-savvy players, it won't take much to jog his memory how to get the job done.
Williams, 61, has been going easy on his players. He's not making them do windsprints or laps of the outfield and he'll apply that same logic on game days.
"There's a fine line between being warmed up and worn out, and at my age I walk that line every day," said Williams. "We're no longer greyhounds, but we're certainly dark horses. Our depth on the mound will be tested this weekend."
The good thing about fastball players, according to Williams, is they often reach their peak later in life. With the bulk of the Express roster already on the downhill side of 40, Williams is convinced the advantages of experience should overcome the physical fade that comes with age.
"You can find fastball players who play at a high level certainly a lot later than most other sports," Williams said. "We still have some youngsters on this team, Eddie Dent is only 41. He's always been a good hitter and he's going start at shortstop for us."
The tournament includes the four Spruce City Major Men's Fastball teams - Custom Edge Sports, Falcon Contracting juniors (who will represent B.C. in the under-19 men's division at the North American Indigenous Games next month in Regina), Superior Fencing Reds and Vanderhoof Angels. Two teams from Invermere - Randy's A's and Spank's A's - and the Nadleh Hornets are also entered.
Collin McKenzie and Rich Haldane, both former River Kings, will be throwing for Randy's A's. Other out-of-town pitchers coming in for the tournament are: Craig Pidcock (Falcon Contracting), Kalen Bird and Doni Ketlo (Nadleh Hornets), and Dusty Keshene (Spank's A's).
Two other games are on tap for tonight. The Angels will take on Spank's A's at 8 p.m., followed by the Custom Edge Sports-Falcon Contracting game at 8:30 p.m.
The final is set for Sunday at 1 p.m. An 80-minute time limit will apply to all games.
