Rattlers amatuer baseball

I was watching the Rattlers play Miller last night and had some thoughts. These guys should have bigger crowds at their games. Last night wasn't bad, but take a look at who is playing and what have meant to Pierre baseball over the last 20 years. Tyson Lindekugel played a couple of years of independent minor league ball and was part of a Pierre Post 8 team that still goes down in lore as the team that beat mighty Post 22 that August afternoon in the first championship game of the state tournament. Then there are the Decker boys, Harry and Dalton. Kyle Kurth. Brett Graves, Allen Goodman, Tony Rislov to name a few that had a pretty good run of their own during their Legion careers, part of a couple third place state tournament finishes ironically in both cases because an umpire didn't have the guts to eject the other team's top player out of the game for 1) running in from left field and becoming the third man in a third base altercation (2002 vs. Rapid City Post 320 in an elimination game) and the following year against Post 22 when Pat Moran of Post 22, the best shortstop in the state, ran over Jesse Gooselin at home plate (rule book states in legion baseball, the slide rule). Then there is Sam Koenecke, Michael Gardner, Jordan LaBrie and my kid, Mike Fisher, who wasn't there last night because he was coaching his teener team in Sturgis. Couple of years ago they had 42 or 43 wins at the Legion level. Then add Brock Swanson who played for Post 22 (and finding out how hated that team is in Pierre) and John Richter to name a few.

Why do they still play competitivly? Because they still love the game! They didn't or haven't given it up to play slow pitch softball. Some of them Also play slow pitch softball, but they still come to the baseball field and put a pretty good product together on the field. You have to had played the game of baseball and have a certain love for it to understand that the game gives you something that some of the other sports, like soccer and basketball, doesn't.

It's why amateur baseball is so much a part of South Dakota. And it's why the guys should be given a pat on the back by each of us and thank them for reminding us that playing a game kids play, it's helps us to remember what it's like to be a kid again.

I hope we see a good crowd this weekend when the Rattlers play Saturday night (Wessington Springs) at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday afternoon(Aberdeen) in a doubleheader at 1 p.m. I interviewed Tyson Lindekugel this morning and he has some nice things to say. Listen in to KGFX at 12:25 and later this afternoon at 5:25 and on River 92.7 FM at 5:45 or so. Probably on 100.1 The Eagle at 5:38 p.m. as well.