Home Run Derby Highlights Speedbowl’s Little League Night
This Saturday the Waterford Speedbowl hosts the 3rd annual Little League Night featuring the Sidsvault.com Home Run Derby. Any Little Leaguer wearing their team jersey will be admitted free of charge into the grandstands. The wiffle ball exhibition will team up ten of the Speedbowl’s NASCAR Whelen All-American Series drivers with ten local Little Leaguers in a home run contest on the front stretch at approximately 6:30pm. Grandstands open at 4pm, qualifying at 5pm and features begin at 7pm.
This years Speedbowl Sluggers include SK Modified drivers Jeff Pearl, Ron Yuhas Jr. and Tyler Chadwick. Ed Reed Jr., Bruce Thomas Jr. and Vin Esposito from the Late Model division, Walt Hovey Jr. and Al Stone III representing the Sportsman division and Mini Stock drivers Ken Cassidy Jr. and Randy Churchill Jr. Only Yuhas, Reed and Cassidy have participated in the event before.
Sid DiMaggio, editor-in-chief of the track’s program and coordinator of the event since it’s inception in 2006, will choose Little Leaguers to compete in the HR Derby prior to the exhibition. A former Little League coach in Waterford, DiMaggio will serve as the designated pitcher during the event. Mini Stock competitor and one-time local softball legend Jeff “Soup” Civardi will serve as the quest umpire. The participants will take their swings on the edge of the infield grass, on the frontstretch facing the grandstands. Any ball hit over the Armco barrier is a solo homerun. Any ball hit over the fence into the grandstands is a grand slam and worth 4 runs. Each batter gets 10 outs – any strike or ball hit that is not a homerun counts as 1 out. The duo with the most combined runs after everyone has hit wins the event. The Little Leaguer from the winning team will be presented with a trophy and wiffle ball and bat set.
This year’s Speedbowl Slugger roster is comprised of weekly racers with varying experience in the game of baseball. Most notably is Ron Yuhas Jr., who competes in both the SK Modifieds and Late Models this season, was a successful baseball player from his days in the Groton Little League up to his years playing for Bryant College. Although he may have the most impressive resume in organized baseball of this year’s participants, Yuhas believes it’s anyone game this weekend. “Playing organized ball isn’t necessarily an advantage. Everyone’s played some wiffle ball when they were a kid. Any of the drivers could do well.” Defending Late Model Champion Bruce Thomas, who will be making his LL Night HR Derby debut this weekend, is quite confident he’ll get some runs on the board for his squad. Citing his legendary status from the neighborhood wiffle ball games during his youth, Thomas said, “I have no doubt I will take (Sid) deep next week.”
Other drivers might not be as confident. 1998 SK Champion Jeff Pearl is hoping to be paired with a power-hitting Little Leaguer. “I hope I get a ringer. What size bat can I use? Can it be four inches wide?” Last week’s Sportsman winner Walt Hovey shares the same sentiment, “I played Little League and that was as far as I went with baseball so I hope I get paired with a good kid.”
Regardless of his baseball skills, Hovey remains enthusiastic about the HR Derby exhibition.
“It’s good to get back to the kids. We used to live for that kind of stuff when we were young, it’s good to get back to the things where kids can be part of the action.” Yuhas agrees “It’s just as much fun for us as it is for the kids to be down there with the drivers. I’m looking forward to it.”
Sources :”Sid” Dimaggio