On Saturday, a total of 34 APBA fans descended onto the Comfort Inn-O’Hare in Des Plaines, Illinois to play APBA, talk baseball and have some fun. Thanks to the tireless efforts of organizer Rob Spatz this tourney could not have happened. APBA fans came as far as Michigan, Iowa and Wisconsin.
When it was it all over, it was Pastor Rich Zawadzki and his 2011 Philadelphia Phillies who were left standing. His Phils defeated Todd Daniels and the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks.
A thrill for me was playing Rich’s son, Eric. I believe this is Eric’s first Chicagoland tourney and wow, he really did well. He wasn’t in my division but my 2016 Nationals had one inter-division game with his 2016 Red Sox. Eric and the Sox had no problem scoring runs against the tough Nationals pitching (A-B-B rotation, five A*) and he came out the winner.
My scoresheet is still buried but I can tell you the Sox’ had their hitting shoes on. When I finished, Eric told me he was “Happy to play APBA”. Indeed. Eric made the playoffs and almost made faced his father in the final.
First-timer Ron Glos went 1-8 for the day…
…but Joel Koppenhoefer’s (right) first time included a playoff game against champion Pastor Rich.
Eric was one of several new Chicagoland tournament participants. Like Eric, Joel Koppenhoefer also made the playoffs with his 2015 Toronto Blue Jays. Others like Ron Glos, Alec Otto and John Gedwill cut their teeth on our tournament play. Regardless, it seemed like all had a great time all time!
How did my 2016 Washington Nationals stand up to the rest up of Chicagoland? Well, we started out 0-2, then won a few and got up to 4-3. We ended up losing the last two (thanks Eric Z.) and finished with a 4-5 mark. We were disappointed by AKZ starter Max Scherzer who enjoyed giving up runs (13 in the first two games).
Todd Daniels was in our division and represented us well. He made it to the final round.
“Son, stop hamming for the camera. It’s time to play.”
It’s worth noting that two father-son combos faced off in Saturday’s tournament. Organizer Rob Spatz played his father Bob Spatz. In addition, Larry Eichman and his son, Clark Eichman at the next table. Had Eric Zawadzki advanced in the postseason and faced Rich Zawadzki, that would have three father-son combos.
Awesome APBA videomaster, Ron Emch took a video of Chicagoland action and uploaded it to YouTube. Check it out!
Photos from the day here
A final thank you to Rob Spatz who pours his life and soul into this tournament. Rob, you provide us all a great service and continue a wonderful tradition that Doug Schuyler and Jim Saska began years ago. You should be proud. From all of us, thank you!
I am touched by the sentiment as much as the caption for mine and Pops photo. It is a labor of love, and I do go overboard for sure, but know I love it. Seeing people already committed for my next event tells me I must be doing something right. I appreciate the feedback – positive and negative – and the appreciation of what I do.