I started playing 16-inch softball in 1980, in my hometown of Marshall town. I had an immediate love for the game and could not get enough of it. For many years, I played 3 nights a week and every weekend. In the early years, being the best team in Iowa was the goal. Competing with the best teams in Chicago was not a frequent occurrence. In 1991, we formed Carpet Country Rollers, a team comprised of players who had previously played together. It was the perfect fit, with the same goals, and we wanted to compete on Labor Day Weekend. We broke into the top 4 at Nationals in 1993 in Marshall town, Iowa. That weekend included a win over the defending National Champions, Splinters. Tim Walker hit a two-run homer to tie the game, and I hit a two-run walk-off homer to win it. That win served as a springboard for a top 4 finish for the first time. In 1993, we put together another strong Labor Day weekend in Mount Prospect. We were now on Chicago turf, and we knew it would come with a bigger challenge. We battled to another top 4 finish, my first year as a first- team All-American. In 1995, we came back to Mount Prospect with a load of confidence. We made it to the finals of the winner’s bracket with a big win over Hollywood Casino, 8-7. On Monday, we lost to Prime Time in the finals but battled back in one of the best games of the weekend to beat Hollywood Casino again, 18-17. Then, the finals – we all know what happened in the finals, where we had a two-out, down three and nobody on, come back to beat Prime Time in the “if” game. I was named All-American and Co-MVP. I went 18-26 on the weekend. I continued to play for 11 more years until 2006. In 2002, our team knocked the Bud 45’s out of the 2002 Nationals in South Bend, Indiana, one of the greatest, and possibly the greatest, teams in 16-inch history. We went on to finish 3rd that weekend; I was named to the 2nd-team All-American. In 2004, I was named a 1st-team All-American in Arizona after going 14-17 on the weekend. For me, personally, it was all about the friendships we developed over the years and the competition. The awards that players received were just as much about their teammates as they were about themselves.
