Some very unique rules of baseball were brought forward during Sunday afternoon's slo-pitch baseball game featuring local Special Olympics athletes and members of the Estevan RCMP and Traffic Services.
Seven strikes were needed for some, foul balls that were counted as hits and some rather suspicious-looking efforts to tag stray baserunners that would make the crooked members of the 1919 Chicago White Sox blush.
But no matter, since all had fun although no one was keeping score in the fundraiser for the local Special Olympics chapter, which also included a barbecue.
“I think we had a very good day and I'd like to thank them all for coming out,” said organizer Don Cameron. “The ones that volunteers and got the ball field ready for us, M&M's, the city that helped us out really great. And our volunteers who got the law enforcement together with our athletes, I thank everybody who came out.”
The umpiring was nothing short of old-school pro wrestling-style but the fact the athletes and cops had fun was the most important aspect. The Special Olympics athletes, in fact, might have wanted to stay out further than the nearly two and a half hours that they were out.
“I'm sure they're going to go home tonight and sleep good,” Cameron said. “I think they could have went longer but we kind of said that's enough.”
The police officers also quite clearly enjoyed themselves.
“We were asked last month if we'd be interested to play some baseball to help raise some money for Special Olympics and the RCMP and Traffic Services made a team,” said Const. Greg La Rose.
“Everyone had fun,” he said. “Perfect day, perfect weather. Everyone had fun.”
Cameron wants to do this same kind of event next year as well.
