History of the Loose Spokes softball team

2007 marks the fifteenth season for the Loose Spokes softball team. In its inaugural season of 1993, the Spokes came out of the gate running and finished with an undefeated 10-0 championship season. The team followed that with two other championship seasons in 1995 and 1996 and a second place finish in 1994. In these early years of the team, the main rival was the Verplank Trucking team. Many spirited contests were played between the clubs during that time with the Spokes winning their fair share of the games. In the 10 seasons since there has not been a return to the winner’s circle but it isn’t for lack of effort. The Loose Spokes team always puts forth a full-out effort that is punctuated by good sportsmanship. The late ‘90s saw the team come close a couple times with two second and a third place finish, but from 2000 on, it has been a tough haul for the Spokes. A couple of 2-win seasons and a 1-win season early in the decade had the team going through some hard times. The Spokes rebounded nicely in 2003 with a 6-4, third place finish that included a final game upset over the American Legion team that cost the Legion a share of the league crown. That victory marked the first time the Spokes had beaten the Legion in the history of the teams. During this period in time, the team’s chief rival was the Tip-A-Few/Rosebud team but budding rivalries with the American Legion and Clover Bar teams was growing.  2004 saw the team regress to another 2-win season, but included was a 6-5 victory over the Legion. 2005 saw the Spokes sink to the lowest point in its team history, going winless for the campaign. At season’s end, the team was on a 14-game losing streak and there was talk of it folding. But buoyed by team owner Jack “The Boss” Crawford and Coach Tom Seekman, the Spokes team returned in 2006. The Spokes losing streak was extended to 16 games over three seasons, but a victory over the Clover Bar team in the third game of 2006 ended it. The victory marked the first win over the Clover Bar team in the history of the teams. The Spokes went on to 4-6 record and a third place finish officially, with 3 victories coming against the Clover Bar and two 10-run mercy rule victories highlighting the season. The final game of 2006 should have been a forfeit victory for the Spokes as the opponent used ineligible players but the Spokes did not lodge the protest after being routed. Three players on the 2007 roster have played on all 14 previous editions of the Loose Spokes team: Coach Tom Seekman, Paul Bogdans, and Paul Miller. The team has high hopes of competing once again in the Thursday Night Elite “A” Men’s league in 2007 as there will be a number of new additions who are fine ballplayers and good sportsmen. The current chief rivals in the league for the Spokes are their longtime nemeses American Legion and Clover Bar teams. That is the hallmark of the team: full-out effort with a never say-die attitude and great sportsmanship in every game.