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2003 Blueball Tournament A Qualified Success Once again the annual BlueBall tournament was held on the First of
January at Veterans Park in Green Township. The roster of players was
down from the previous year's total of seven but competition was spirited
as always. Persistent rain was a possible reason for the reduced entry
list but the caliber of play was at its usual high level. Also to blame
for the light turnout was a premature cancellation announcement posted
to the GCHA website. Courtside, the rain ended at noon and the temperature shot up to a balmy 78 degrees for a few minutes in a microburst of 3-wall weather, allowing for the completion of all brackets before the rain and cold returned, just as the last killshot rolled out. Those who wimped out and stayed home were the true losers. |
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 Burkitt tests the official green ball (?) prior to the 2003 Blueball |
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Before the first match, Burkitt announced to the crowd that the green "ROC" ball would again be the official ball of the 2003 BlueBall Tournament. When asked "How can you call this the BlueBall tournament when the ball's green?" Burkitt could only chuckle. |
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 Cheap joke, repeated from 2001 story with the 2001 picture (recycling is a good thing) |
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Two of the players managed a sweep with Bob Banta winning half of the brackets while Bob Burkitt was victorious over the remaining field, duplicating his 2001 slam. |
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 Banta in front court position for a fly kill winner |
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| The always-gracious Banta declined all trophies, asking only that his area code be updated from 606 to 859 in the Bluebook. | ||
 Burkitt readies the vaunted off-hand power serve |
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Both said that they would be back to defend their many crowns next year. All in all, the 2003 BlueBall tournament proved to be a great event, providing a chance for the truly dedicated 3-wallers to start the year on a positive note. |
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