All Boxed Up

Sox sign Darren Box

The Vancouver Grey Sox may have added the final piece to the puzzle. The puzzle of how to bring a Canadian championship to Vancouver.

The Sox were allowed three "out of area" pick ups to take to the Canadian tournament in Prince George later this summer. Rob Geisbrecht and Pat Macintosh were named earlier and Box was recently named as the third player.

Box, primarily a catcher, has been named to the ISC All World team three times and won countless top batter and MVP awards at the "Open" level.

The Grey Sox could now field nine players who are presently on the 30-man roster for Team Canada.

Is that too much power?

As one anonomous writer on the Jr Diamondbacks forum asked "What if they still don't win"?

The Sox must be feeling the burden of expectation, at least a little bit - but it doesn't show.

"The chemistry just feels good this year" said head coach John Stuart. "Darren is a good guy, an honest guy, and a good fit - he's a great catcher but he can play other positions as well, and his bat speaks for itself".

This issue of picking up OOA's (out of area players) has been the focal point of many heated debates.

Some argue that it's the local players who will suffer as they get moved farther down the depth chart and ultimately lose some playing time.

So...will the imports bump local guys out of the starting lineup? Not necessarily says Stuart...

"Guys like Whitey (Dan Whiteford), Kennedy (Gerry Kennedy), and Gooch (Jeff Kawaguchi) are all smacking the ball right now. It's all about winning it's not about stroking ego's so anyone can wind up on the bench".

Others are quick to point out that this is "A" ball - it's a business - and teams can and should take advantage of whatever options are provided by Softball Canada and the less experienced players need to sit on the bench and learn from time to time - like in the Canadian championships.

TIC would like to know what our readers think of the present Softball Canada rule that allows teams to pick up to three players from outside thier province. Please vote in the poll on the left.