So the 4th Annual “Blade” Tournament took place this weekend out at the Moose and was once again well attended and well received. The term, “It Takes a Don Village” was alive and well and on full display on Kenosha’s north side. The KTown softball community came out in force to have some fun in the sun, shoot some bags, drink some drinks, watch or play some ball, and most importantly, continue to honor the greatest representation of a softball vagabond this town has ever seen. It was all hard work and tons of fun but at the end of the day, it is the memory of Steve Hess that brings everyone together. As I’ve said many times, the only true bummer in all of this is that Blade ain’t there to enjoy it…cause NO ONE would enjoy the Blade more than Blade..and that is the true testament to those that make it happen.
The softball that I watched was top-notch. Lots of one-run games and several walk-offs. Once again Scott Covelli and the Basement Benchwarmers provided outstanding PA coverage and hilarious interactions with all of the players. It is such a unique part of this unique tournament and just another example of something Blade would absolutely love. It was great to hear roaring cheers for softball games again…kinda stuff you never hear at the Rotary anymore. And the Bags tournament was once again a huge draw. Tons of teams and lots of serious bag throwers. I believe the team of Wood_Don and Don_Weeze registered a respectful 2 and 2 record before bowing out. The Bags tournament has kind of become a destination for Bags players I believe. The sport continues to grow and folks in the area know Griff and Jon and them do things right, so I’d plan on that being well attended forever!
The raffles and the 50/50’s were once again there to help the fundraising portion of this celebration of this man’s softball life and human spirit. It still blows me away that “The Dons” is a brand, and a registered non-profit that gives back. And again, “The Dons” went KTown mainstream with the help of The Blade. To see so many orange Dons shirts with the “Knife 13” number on the back is just outstanding (and lemme tell ya, there were a lot of em). And Thank You can not be said enough to the platoons of Volunteers that put in mad hours to make this event the must-attend event of the summer. The Blade Softball Ambassador Award went to the great Scott Kessler….and trust me, I need a whole story for that character, ha! That will follow. I personally pretty much sat at a picnic table with my stepmom and just let the softball world live life around me. Good to see The Lone Wolf, DL, Jay Kessler, Stouff, Myron, The Queen, Dave A, Dougie Fresh, and a guest appearance from Cibby. Good as it gets for a guy like me. And to the gal from AZ…thanks for the kind words about the site..I know what the numbers say and am always thankful my stuff gets read, but it is great to hear it from a human being…that you ain’t close friends with or related to, ha! Seriously appreciated.
The 2023 Blade was a living legacy to the leader of the band.