SCOTT SCHMIDT
sports@medicinehatnews.com
Shorten the base paths, add a tenth fielder, increase the ball size, and add serious loft to balls headed for the plate, and you have slow pitch.
Throw in a dozen ex-CFLers, a bunch of local firefighters, and a whole heck of a lot of cheating, and you have the CFL Players Association’s Celebrity Slow Pitch Challenge.
On Thursday evening, former pro footballers and some friends made a stop at Athletic Park for the fourth annual charity event to raise money for the Medicine Hat Firefighters Burn Society. The entire idea of the tour is to get the retired players involved in areas across the country and charities that will benefit the folks in that community.
“Anytime we are able to give back to the community, it’s always good,” said Hall of Fame member Willie Pless, who starred with the Edmonton Eskimos and still holds the all-time record for career tackles. “It’s amazing how guys come together and the community comes together to help raise money for such a needy cause.”
At the start of the game, a check was presented to the Burn Society for $3,000. After a 50/50 raffle, concessions, and program sales were all donated too, the final figure was estimated to be closer to $4,000.
“It’s extremely important,” said local firefighter Rick Look. “We need lots of money for the burn society.
“It’s really nice to see the people come out and support this cause.”
The day was certainly not all serious. In fact, the game itself wasn’t even remotely serious, thanks in large part to former Ottawa Rough Rider lineman Roger Cattelan, who provided a ton of comic relief as he had a microphone on while he played catcher.
The former lineman, who also blocked for Doug Flutie at Boston College years back, says the horsing around fell in his lap, but still came fairly easy.
“I sort of worked my way into being the funny man,” admitted Cattelan. “When I was a kid, I used to get in trouble at the principal’s office for clowning around, but now I can do it for free.”
The final score may, or may not, have been 18-17 for the firefighters.
