On July 31, Local 848 participated in the Region 5 Softball Tournament sponsored by CAP. 848 played Oklahoma City Local 1999 in the first game and looked like the team that has won that tournament so many times. We outscored 18-7.

We played well that first game, but the next game matched us against the eventual UAW Region 5 champions from St Louis.

The young guns combined with quality veterans of St Louis' championship team has brought about a realization that comes to every good team: 848 softball is ready for the influx of young and new talent. The second game, 848 was forced to play back to back. St Louis made a statement by scoring 10 runs in their first inning! 848 never got close in this one. We then had another back-to-back game against Kansas City. We played a close and competitive game. Charles Mueller, lead the team in hitting, began this game with a three-run homer. It appeared that 848 had found its second wind and was playing well in this third game.

However, the back-to-back-to-back schedule that we had to deal with began to take its toll. Going into the bottom of the fifth inning, 848 trailed just 8-9. All we needed was a break! Unfortunately, the break went Kansas City's way, and, like all good teams, they knew how to capitalize on it.

I think this 848 team realizes that there is a solid nucleus with the likes of Charles Mueller, Denny Webb, Scooter Stephenson, and a mix of some young quality players to complement role players such as Jeff Jamison, Danny Halfaker, and Mark Humphries. 848 can return to the days when every team in the tournament dreaded playing the mighty 848. Let the retooling process begin! With the influx of people from Nashville coupled with an increased hiring mode by our employers, the 2005 team could be very encouraging.

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