I like a good prize fight. Experts rate these heavyweight fights as some of the best matches ever:
Joe Louis vs. Billy Conn. June 18, 1941. New York. Result: Louis KO 13.
Rocky Marciano vs. Jersey Joe Walcott. Sept. 23, 1952 Philadelphia. Result: Marciano KO 13.
Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier 1. Mar 8, 1971. NY. Result: Frazier W 15.
Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier 3, Oct 1, 1975 Manila, Phillipines. Result: Ali TKO 14.
In the “Thrilla In Manila”, Joe Frazier proclaimed, “I hit him with punches that would have brought down the walls of a city." On Tuesday, at the WHSS games we had the “Shaven at the Haven”. Both teams were as sharp as a razor and the hitters cut right through the defense. It was a softball brawl.
Team Frazier, Visiting team: Coffman, Gazarek, Duff, Doerbaum, Wiltshire, T. Smith, M. Gonzalez, S. Hill, Deano, Davis, Fabian and Linton.
Team Ali, Home team: Benson, Drouilard, Brock, Held, Seguin, Erb, Matta, Reagen, Parker, Osterreich and Ing.
Round 1: Smokin’ Joe came out on fire, scoring 5 runs to put Team Ali on the ropes. Coffman, Gazarek, Duff, Doerbaum, Wiltshire and Smith all reached base. Doerbaum delivered the haymaker, a rocket launch that went deep over the left field fence. It even had its’ own splash down, in the rain created lake that was on the other side of the fence. Pitcher JD Davis used his jab from the pitcher’s mound to neutralize team Ali, for the first three rounds of the fight. He only allowed one run to score. After 3 rounds the score was Team Frazier: 8- Team Ali 1.
In Round 4, the “rope a dope” was over, Team Ali came out throwing bombs. They scored 8 runs when Drouilard, Brock, Held, Erb, Matta, Parker, Osterreich, Ing and Benson reached base. Actually, Drouilard had two hits in the round. After 4 rounds the score was Team Fraizer 9- Team Ali 9. “ Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee,” Muhamad Ali.
Team Ali were not through delivering a beating, after pounding Team Frazier in the 4th round, they came out delivering more blows in rounds 6-8. The Home team scored 5-5-and 4 runs in those three rounds to leave Team Frazier face down on the canvas. After 8 rounds of softball/ fight action, the judges had the score Team Frazier 12- Team Ali 23. “Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them—a desire, a dream, a vision”, Muhamad Ali.
Team Frazier got up from the canvas before the referee counted to ten. One player after another, they came out to the center of the ring, bruised and bleeding, to fight in the 9th and final round. It was as if the visiting team echoed the fighter, Joe Frazier, when he said, “Life doesn't run away from nobody. Life runs at people.” Team Frazier took a hard run right at Team Ali in the 9th. They scored 7 runs, giving it all they had, trying to knock the Home team through the ropes. To quote the great Joe Frazier again, “I wanted him like a hog wants slop.” The desire was real, but it was not enough to overcome a huge lead. When the final bell rang Team Ali won the game, by a score of 19-23.
Tale of the tape:
WP: Held with relief help from Brock.
Osterreich and Parker, both threw runners out at 3rd base.
Outstanding defensive play: Jack Benson for a running catch over his shoulder in deep center field. The visiting players even came out of the dugout and applauded Jack for his spectacular catch.
Leading hitters for the Visitors:
Coffman: 2/4 and a walk.
Gazarek: 3/5.
Duff: 3/5 with a triple.
Doerbaum: 2/4, with two homeruns over the fence and a walk.
Wiltshire: 4/5 with two triples.
M. Gonzalez: 4/5.
S. Hill: 5/5, with a triple and a double.
JD: 3/4.
Fabian: 2/3 and a walk.
Leading Hitters for the Home team:
Benson: 4/5.
Drouilard: 4/5
Brock: 3/ 4 with a walk, a double and a triple.
Held: 4/5 with a double.
Erb: 3 / 4 with two doubles.
Matta: 3 / 4.
Parker: 3/ 4 with two doubles.
Write up by Nick Matta
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