The Long and Winding Road

a 6 year trek to a National title

It's been the dream of co-sponsors Larry Kancs and Conrad Margolis (pictured with GM John Mulka) to win a Canadian National championship since the inception of the team in 2002.

The dream finally came true in St Johns Newfoundland, with a nail biting 1-0 win over the favoured host team - Roebothon McKay - in the final game of the 2007 Canadian Mens Championship.

The route began with a plan to use local talent and compete in the ISC World Championship as a precursor to the Canadian Championships.

Had Sox brass heeded the opinions of many they might have decided to enter the ISC II Tournament of Champions (a lower calibre tournament) but Conrad Margolis, in particular, was insistent that the club must compete at the top level and play a full schedule in order to enter the National tournament properly prepared.

The Vancouver club surprised the pundits by finishing a respectable 7th in the international event. They chalked up the 2nd best batting average, recorded the most runs scored and the most hits. Their pitching staff ended up with the 8th best ERA in the tournament coupled with the 4th most strike outs!

The Sox also placed 3 players on the 2nd all-star team: pitcher Nick Underhill and infielders Derek Mayson and Andrew Medwedrich.

But the best was yet to come...

Two weeks later the Sox arrived in Newfoundland and their appointment with destiny at the Canadian National Sr Men's championship. After dropping 2 games to the host Newfoundland team during the tournament, the club battled back and earned the right to face the hosts in a one game winner take all final game match up.

For 5 innings the two clubs, from opposite sides of the continent, battled scoreless in a pitchers dual between easterner Frank Cox and BC's Korrey Gareau.

Then in the top of the 6th inning, Rob Giesbrecht reached base on an error and 2 batters later Doug Cain doubled to score the games first run and quiet the boisterous home town crowd.

But the Newfie's kept coming.

In the 7th inning Blair Ezekial led off with a double - but the next batter hit a ground ball back to Gareau, who alertly chose to throw out a racing Ezekial heading into third base.

When the next batter hit a ground ball to Derek Mayson, who tagged the bag and gunned the ball to shortstop Kevin Schellenberg for the game ending 3-6 double play, the Vancouver bench erupted and swarmed the man of the hour - pitcher Korrey Gareau.

Mayson was later named Playoff MVP based on his .417 batting average and 2 home runs. He was also awarded the Championship's top hitter honours batting an unbelievable .560 for the tournament.

Pitching honours went to Korry Gareau who was 3-0 with a 1.11 ERA and 31 strikeouts.

The fact that only 2 players earned individual awards is a testament to a total team effort and the guidance of Field Manager John Stuart and coaches Doug Van Os and Todd Morrison.

TIC would like to know what the readers think the Vancouver Grey Sox should do to repeat as National champions and compete in next year's ISC World Tournament. Please vote in the poll on the left.