TIC: I’d like to start off by congratulating Larry, Conrad, the players and coaches and yourself on your 2007 successes. A National Championship coupled with a 6th place finish in the ISC World tournament are quite the accomplishments. With all of last year’s success what steps have to be taken from a management perspective to maintain this direction in 2008?

Mulka: Last year (2007) was truly a year where I felt we realized some excellent results one year earlier than we as an organization envisioned. Coming off the 2006 season, when let’s face it we did not meet our expectations, we had the difficult task of having to revamp our roster – in essence we were getting longer in the tooth in terms of our core nucleus and thus we needed to move some players along and bring in some youth and build from that group. As the 2007 season progressed we continually developed, and although we had to learn some hard lessons along the way, we felt enthusiastic and optimistic about our chances and liked the way the team was shaping. It was a great sense of satisfaction to witness how the team had a truly outstanding month of August. The 7th place finish at the ISCs set the stage for our championship run at the nationals. The team gelled at the right time, with our top flight players stepping up and leading us and delivering in the clutch, our role players continued to be solid and we added some youthful enthusiasm in the Medwedrichs who unexpectedly provided a lot more than we anticipated to the team and its make up. Our pitching was always a strength, and Korrey Gareau at the nationals was rock solid in terms of the quality innings he provided. As well let’s not forget that Nick Underhill during the month of August took the team under his right arm and was consistent and led by example. - I can assure you that as an organization we are not resting on our 2007 success and sitting back and being complacent. We set an off season goal to produce a stronger 2008 team on paper – of course the results on the field in 2008 will be the determining factor if we made the right moves. Naturally it would be easy to be comfortable that we achieved a 7th at the ISCs and won a National Championship with the group so you should just roll that group of players over and go again. As we always do at the end of a season, we met and conducted a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) as it pertained to the team and then proceeded from there. In large part for 2008 we believe we have strengthened our core group, and have added some solid and experienced open level players that will lend itself well to the team and the success we are striving towards.

TIC: The Grey Sox have relied on youth and local talent to stock their team. Will this continue to be the case?

Mulka: Most definitely – having said this I would like to elaborate on the current realities. First and foremost we have a mandate to make every reasonable effort to supply opportunities for BC based players to experience and play open level ball. When planning and executing our recruitment efforts, we always seek BC based players first. We spend considerable time and effort in communication with BC based players in hopes of them deciding to join our program. However given the excellent talent pool of players in this province I have found it increasingly difficult to attract and maintain a 100% BC based roster. In most cases the ability to not be able to secure a BC based player comes down to one of two reasons; (a) the lure of playing with a United States based team or (b) the required time away from work and family, and physical preparation and commitment necessary to play at this level results in a player declining the opportunity. Keep in mind being located on the west coast adds considerable traveling to attend top flight competition and adds another layer of difficulty when recruiting someone into the program. When we cannot fill a roster spot appropriately with a BC based player then we have little choice but to step outside the province. It is important to note that we do receive interest from a number of players within North America about potentially joining our program and depending upon the situation and our needs as it pertains to the roster we have declined based upon our desire to provide an opportunity for a BC based player.

TIC: What are the difficulties management finds in keeping the Grey Sox at this competitive level?

Mulka: I touched on this in the previous question with regards to player recruitment. To play at and be competitive at the open level, it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep the elite caliber player in the province of BC. I have no hesitation in suggesting if players were bound to play within the province they reside – BC could comfortably have 3 open level teams – based upon the wealth of talent in this province, particularly when it comes to pitching. Being located on the west coast proves problematic in that most of the major events are in the mid west or east coast, and the travel and associated costs are significant. When you assess our travel vs. a team located in the mid west – there is simply no comparison. We usually have one or two vehicle trips a year and the rest via air, whereas in some instances a team in the Midwest or east can use vehicles to get to all or most of their events. With the decline of major programs on the west coast we have no choice but to travel and seek out competition. The lack of a structured league with the likes of Victoria, Seattle etc has hurt in that the established rivalries for the fans is non existent and there is no consistent opportunity to lure the young up and coming ball player aspiring to play at the open level.

TIC: What are the advantages and/or disadvantages in using predominantly BC talent?

Mulka: Advantages – it allows the players to play with each other in local leagues during the week and also gives us time and the opportunity to practice on a more consistent basis then most open level teams. It also supports our mandate to provide opportunities for BC based players to experience open level ball at the highest caliber possible. Disadvantages – in some instances some ISC teams will build their teams based upon having the best possible player at each position – no matter if they are Canadian, American, Australian, New Zealander etc. – so in some instances we are not playing a team representing a certain city or state but more we are facing an all star team made of the best players from many countries. Having said this we accept this as a current reality and we will not stray from our organization’s intent and purpose.

TIC: Could you compare for us the differences between the PRAWN rule utilized in the ISC to the Out of Area rule used in the Canadian Championships and which one do you prefer?

Mulka: We believe that both rules are most appropriate and provide the right guidance and parameters. We do have concern with the Softball Canada rule and its enforcement or lack thereof. We have witnessed certain provincial associations blatantly disregard the rule, which of course is concerning, particularly when we believe in the spirit of competition one must govern themselves according to established rules and regulations. We find that the ISC PRAWN rule is clear, concise and to the best of my knowledge has not been circumvented or abused in recent times. The Softball Canada rule in our opinion is clear as well, however consistently appears to be challenged or in some cases outright circumvented.

TIC: The pitching rule is also getting a lot of press over time, the benefits of having one pitching rule utilized in all organizations is obvious. What is your preference?

Mulka: The ISC rule – simply it takes the onus away from potential illegal pitches and allows each and every pitcher depending upon their natural mechanics and style, to have an equal opportunity to pitch within their capability.

TIC: You’ve been involved in the sport for 20 years, managing the Grey Sox, Grande Prairie Pride and Camrose Merchants to successful outcomes. Have you experienced a different mentality from the top teams in their pursuit of players from years past?

Mulka: Unfortunately there has been a significant shift in the mindset of many programs, and the pursuit of winning by openly enticing players away from other teams. In my opinion it has been to the detriment of many programs and the sport in general. There was truly a time when teams could be the most intense rivals on the field, but off the field they held mutual respect for one another and always operated with the best interests of the sport in mind. When a certain team would have a player(s), other teams would resist the temptation of enticing them away as they recognized the possible negative impact it could have upon the team and the sport and its long term sustainability. Too many times recently programs have ceased operations, after building a solid core nucleus of players only to have them be enticed away by a particular team or program that is making valiant efforts to win a championship immediately and then in some cases be gone from the sport within a year or two. In essence it is a double whammy the team who lost the players cease operations and the team who enticed them away usually is only around for a few years due to the win at any risk attitude or mentality.

TIC: What are the difficulties in obtaining more corporate sponsorship?

Mulka: The lack of awareness of the sport by the general public. The return on investment for a corporate sponsor is low as a result of the low fan base, included with the lack of public awareness of the sport. In most cases the teams who attract corporate sponsors usually comes about as a result of a contact or friendship etc. When you compare our sport for example to soccer – immediately there is a more public recognition of soccer via youth programs, the Whitecaps, the World Cup etc. In comparison unless that individual connected to the company has experienced the sport of softball as a player etc. in most instances they know very little about the game and its impact etc. – so on a purely business decision they shy away from sponsorship.

TIC: The 2008 Grey Sox roster has a few changes in store for their fans. Would you like to address the most recent ones for us?

Mulka: As I mentioned previously we feel we have shored up our core nucleus and strengthened that aspect of our team. Granted it will be difficult to replace the steady bat of a Derek Mayson and the innings provided by Rick Smith over the past few years. But having said this we are excited by adding proven open level talent in Mike Piechnik, Brian Ree and Kevin Rasmussen. Each one of them will bring proven leadership and high quality open level experience and results. Do not forget that Dan Whiteford was injured all of last year and with his surgically repaired shoulder we anticipate he will be a key contributor. When you factor having both Nick and Andrew Medwedrich with us for the entire season as well, we feel we have added depth, speed and experience to our line up. Jeff Wilson will also be looked at to log some innings, and we feel he is poised for a break out year at this level.

TIC: The Vancouver Challenge tournament is most likely one of the most successful tournaments in this area. What can we expect for the 2008 version?

Mulka: More of the same in terms of high quality teams, who in most cases are using the event as a tune up for the ISC World Tournament and thus are providing close to peak form for the fans who venture out to South Hill. As is always the case fans can expect to see at least 2 and maybe 3 of the top seven or eight ISC ranked teams. Through this event we have been fortunate to generate some coverage of the team and the Vancouver Challenge from the major media and we hope that will continue and that some potential new corporate contributors who have seen that coverage and perhaps attended some of our events will offer some financial assistance in the future. More details on this event will be released in the very near future.

TIC: We've recently learned that the annual Red Rock tournament has been cancelled. What's your take on that and how will it affect the Sox?

Mulka: When I learned of the cancellation, I was deeply saddened and disheartened by this - in that the number of top quality tournaments is constantly dwindling and to see one of the premier events unceremonioulsy cast aside by St. Georges, Utah is most concerning.  The immediate impact upon the Grey Sox this year is minimal in that we did not have it in our plans to attend, but were ear marking this event for 2009 - I sincerely hope that something can be done to maintain this classic event. 

TIC: I’d like to thank you for participating in this interview and wish Larry, Conrad, the Grey Sox and yourself success for the 2008 season.