Anyone for Wiffle Ball?
Rhode Island native Simone hosting event Aug. 12 to raise money for Osborne Foundation
Get out those yellow bats and ice down your elbow because a Wiffle Ball League will soon call Pacheco Park home.
NORTH SMITHFIELD – According to Justin Simone, a native of this country hamlet, he has always had an extreme love for three different subjects – music and the arts, sports and his home state.
Blend those things with his intense desire to help people in need, and you get the 2018 version of the R.I. Wiffle League All-Star Charity Tournament, slated for Sunday, Aug. 12 at Pacheco Park.
Simone indicated that proceeds from the event will go to the Jeffrey Osborne Foundation, so he’s looking for more wiffle ball lovers to form teams to register and prepare for a funfilled day of play.
“The connection for me is two-fold: First, music and the arts have played a huge role in my life; I have my PhD in music theory from the University of North Texas, and I also got my masters from one of the most renowned conservatories in the country – the Cleveland Institute of Music,” stated Simone, 32, the founder of the RIWBL.
“The second is sports; I’m a huge fans of all of our local professional teams, but especially the Providence College men’s basketball team,” he added. “When I found more out about the Jeffrey Osborne Classic, I discovered they have singing competitions for people and kids, and the winner gets a chance to sing at the Classic.
“Obviously, they also held the AllStar Charity All-Star Game at McCoy for a few years, so not only did his foundation have the appeal of sports, but also something near and dear to my heart – providing young boys and girls with a safe place to pursue the music and the arts.”
Simone indicated at one of those singing competitions in Newport a few months ago, he happened upon Terrell Osborne and offered him the idea of conducting a charity wiffle ball event for the foundation. Apparently, Osborne took it back to Jeffrey, and the tourney became reality.
As of Friday, Simone had 10 teams already registered, but has 14 more openings for anyone interested in assembling a squad (of five to seven members) for the fun-filled competition.
Registration fee is $250 per team (Simone noted that it you have seven, that’s a scant $36 per person), and you can do that either at 7:30 a.m. on “Tourney Day” or by visiting www.riwiffleball.com.
The games will begin promptly at 8 a.m., with teams settling in to play three opponents in one of six divisions. Simone noted teams will play on all four fields at Pacheco Park, not to mention two more of the “makeshift” variety.
All will take a break for lunch and special events between noon-2:30. Included in the morning session will be the “Hitting Challenge” or “Home Run Derby” for each player, depending on ability level.
The semifinal and championship rounds of each will kick off the afternoon session, and those who post the best records within their division will play in a single-elimination event to determine divisional champs.
Non-qualifying squads will compete in a single “friendly” before dinner is served between 5-7 p.m. After that, what else? The awards ceremony, with several honors up for grabs. Among them: Tournament champions, Most Outstanding Player, Napoleon Lajoie Unsung Hero, Cal Ripken Jr., Ernie Banks, Joseph M. Mollicone Sportsmanship, Elenora A. Simoe Volunteer Service and the HASBRO Children’s Hospital Best Team and Team Attire awards (last year, the Base Invaders captured the two latter laurels).
An RIWBL All-Tournament Team also will be selected.
Also during the day, memorabilia – including those signed by sports celebrities – will be auctioned off, and several Ocean State-based organizations will perform throughout.
“Jeffrey will not be there, but I’ve been told some of his representatives with the foundation will be,” Simone said. “The money raised by it goes to six different charitable partners, including Amos House, the Boys & Girls Club of Providence, Button Hole Golf, The Met School, R.I. Philharmonic and St. Mary’s Home for Children.
“To be honest, I don’t have a particular goal or target, but – at a minimum, I’m hoping for $10,000,” he continued. “Deep down, though, I want to raise more than that. The Jeffrey Osborne Classic, as you know, is very established in this state.
“Like I said, in addition to those two passions I have, I also have a deep love for this state, and I want to help it show the best it has to offer. I know PC men’s hoop head coach) Ed Cooley feels the same way. One of the reasons he wanted to coach PC was it’s his hometown team.
Simone mentioned he was a mere youngster when his dad began taking him to Friars games at the old Civic Center.
“I’ve always loved numbers, so when I went the first time – I guess I was four – I kept score on my makeshift score sheets,” he stated. “I’d do it every game through the years, and it got to be where I’d keep rebounds, steals, assists, etc. There would be people in the crowd who would miss something, so they’d ask me, ‘Hey, Justin, how many rebounds does such-and-such have?’ and I’d tell them.”
Simone nevertheless recalled that his favorite sport to play was baseball.
“The problem with it, though, is when you’re a kid playing at home with friends, the chances are you’re going to break a window; what parent wants that?” he laughed. “There are too many risks involved, and the only way it’s going to work is if you go to a park, and who wants to do that?
“The next best thing is wiffle ball. I’ve been playing that since before I remember.”
He indicated the informality of the games he and his friends would play in his backyard changed halfway through the summer of 1996. He was nine, and he decidedp to bring his penchant for statistics to those pick-up games.
Simone showed them to his buddies, and “they told me, ‘Hey, Justin, if you’re doing all that, we should have playoffs at the end of the year,’” he said, chuckling. “That became the R.I. Wiffle Ball League. We had a full-fledged regular season the year after that, with six teams playing 25 games each (before the postseason event).
“The charity aspect of our league began in 2001,” he added. “That’s when we invited other teams in and tried to raise as much money as we could.
“For me, my real goals are to help turn the grand ol’ game into a conduit for good, supporting local and national charities while uniting America’s great national pastimeb along with family and friends for a weekend of fun and athletic spirit.
“For over 20 years, since the spring of 1996, my family and I have made it our mission to encourage the advocacy of children and families connecting through playing outdoors together, engaging in sound sportsmanship and giving back to the community.”
For more information, or to register, or merely make a one-time donation, visit www.riwiffleball.com. (It should be noted donors may deduct contributions made to the RIWBL under IRC Section 170).