Oct. 23, 2009
LOS ANGELES, Calif. -
Six former Lion baseball players will return to the diamond next week, as Al Gad, Bernie Kruer, Bill Morris, Pat Mullen, Jim O'Keefe and Ron Russo join forces once again to play for Team Australia in the 2009 Men's Senior Baseball League (MSBL) World Series Tournament. The tournament, which runs from October 26 through November 1, will be played in Phoenix, Ariz. The six players competed for Loyola University between the years of 1960-1964.
Gad has been in Australia since 1969 teaching at the University of South Australia, where he is also actively involved in the development of baseball. Over the last 10 years, the ABF (Australian Baseball Federation) has selected Masters teams to compete in the MSBL World Series Tournament. The process started by sending an over-45 team, then an over-50 squad, followed by an over-60 team. This year the group expanded the bracket even further, introducing an over-65 group.
The journey began about a year ago when Gad and 16 other Australian players were selected to represent their country on the field in the over-65 division. Eventually, for a variety of reasons including health, money and other family commitments, the team started to diminish and seemed on the verge of collapsing. Gad, the group's liaison to the United States and its players, was asked to try to find Americans willing to be "honorary" Australians and join the team. Eager to reunite and get back on the field, Gad contacted some of the players that he played with in high school and at Loyola, each of which responded that they would like to play.
In preparation for what will prove to be a fairly demanding schedule, Gad, Russo and a few Australian players are expected to travel to LMU's Page Stadium for a light workout and a game of catch prior to traveling to Phoenix for the tournament. According to Gad, "the 1960 team had six freshmen who started and played together for four years, so the opportunity to get together for a week and play again together is a real gift. We are all 67 years old or older, but we have seen the Lion spirit and competitiveness coming to the surface in all of us as we prepare for this tournament.
Each team in the tournament will play five nine-inning games, and if the Australian squad is in the top-four of its bracket, they will go to playoffs, which could result in another two games. According to Gad and the other American players on the team, alumni and former teammates from Loyola have said they will be in attendance to cheer on the group.
For more information on the Men's Senior Baseball League, please click here.
- GO LIONS -
