In Leavenworth, they play for tradition and fun

By KURT NESBITT

Journal Staff Writer

LEAVENWORTH -- For close to 30 years, people like Dean Schumacher have suited up in their warmest winter gear and grabbed their softball mitts and bats and headed out to the Leavenworth to play softball from 8 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon.

The annual tournament pits at least four teams made up of players from all parts of Brown County ranging from 12 years old to 52 years old against each other to raise money for the Leavenworth Baseball Association.

Saturday afternoon had the kind of sun and clear skies most baseball players love, mixed in with below-freezing temperatures and a thick blanket of snow that made snowmobiling seem ideal.

Six teams made up of people from ages 12 to 52 and hailing from New Ulm, Sleepy Eye, Springfield, Leavenworth and Stark Township began playing softball at 9 a.m. Saturday on the field just next to the School of the Japanese Martyrs.

The fundraiser is organized like practically any other softball tournament, beginning with four of the six teams facing each other and then advancing onward until the championship game, which the team from Springfield won this year.

The best part about playing softball in the snow is, in fact, the snow, he said. Because snowdrifts get so deep, an infield hit can actually turn into a home run because the ball can be so hard to find in the snow.

Sliding into a base is almost always done head-first because it leaves a dust of snow that makes seeing a baserunner harder for infielders. One of the worst years for the snow was 1997, when three feet of snow meant batters had to dig out a place at home plate.

Next year, the fundraiser will celebrate its 30th year in existence. Brad Augustin has played in every tournament since the fundraiser began. He was 15 years old at the time and began playing ball with his father. Now that he's got his own family, Augustin takes his children to play softball in the snow. These days, he said he prefers catcher because he doesn't have to go very far out into the snow.

"I've never hurt so much or been so tired," Augustin said. "With the snow, a fly ball can take three days to find."

Augustin remembers one of the original prizes -- smoked carp.

"We used to just sit and eat carp all day long," he said. "You smelled like it, so everyone knew where you'd been."

Many of the players are second-generation outfielders, infielders, pitchers and catchers whose fathers played in years past and passed the game on to their sons.

The fundraiser usually includes other activities, like a concession stand, a raffle for a Browning pump shotgun and a drawing for prizes that included giant turkey legs and packages of porkchops, steaks and hot dogs.

Unlike some other tournaments that depend upon advertising, the Leavenworth Baseball Blast is a word-of-mouth tradition that has attracted pretty much the same teams for the last 10 years. One hundred-fifty kids benefit from the fundraiser.

"We do it for love of baseball," Schumacher said. "People come just to support the Leavenworth Baseball Association."