The fact Ellsworth is captain of Softball Canada's national men's development team is a feather in his cap. He has been a member of the national team since 2007.
The 34-year-old Brooklyn, P.E.I., resident is certainly deserving of the honour, considering his accomplishments on the field that go along with the time, commitment and travel that he has put into the national team.
Also played baseball
Ellsworth has played many ball games over the last 20 years, and for a short period was a member of the Tignish Aces’ senior team in the old Charlie Ryan Baseball League in the early 1990s.
I saw him make a play in Tignish that turned a lot of heads. While coaching the Summerside team playing against the Aces, we were in a sacrifice-fly situation to score a run. Ellsworth was playing centre field, and tracked down the deep fly ball.
It should have been an easy run, but Ellsworth made a perfect throw to the plate to get the runner by a good 10 feet. The Yankees’ Curtis Granderson could not have made a better play!
As good as Ellsworth has been on the softball field, he may have been even better on the baseball field. Another time on Queen Elizabeth Park's Baseball Field, I saw Ellsworth hit an opposite-field home run in slow pitch that went across Granville Street – about 330 feet away.
It doesn't matter that it was slow pitch – the fact he could hit a softball that far to the opposite field on QEP’s Baseball Field was certainly very impressive.
Opportunities as teenager
In my opinion, if Ellsworth could have had opportunities as a teenager, he would have had a pretty good chance to play professional baseball. I do not recall seeing a better ball player in this province over the last 20 years.
At any rate, Ellsworth has had a great run playing fast pitch, and has some goals that he would like to accomplish before he hangs up the cleats. He has his sights set on playing with the national team for another three years, and hopes to compete in next year's world championship in New Zealand. He also has his sights set on the Pan American Games in Toronto in 2015.
He is one of P.E.I.'s best-ever athletes, and there are a lot of people right across the Island that wish Ellsworth well as he enters what looks like the final stage of a great fast-pitch career.
Tankard curling
The provincial men's curling championship is underway in Cornwall. Twelve teams are competing, and the only one entered from west of Cornwall is the Blair Jay rink from Summerside's Silver Fox Curling and Yacht Club.
Last weekend's provincial women’s championship had five teams from Charlottetown and one from Montague. Although there are players from this end of the province that are playing on various teams, I guess the lack of a competitive league in Prince County may be one of the reasons for the lack of teams from this end of the province.
Could the sport be dying of a slow death at the competitive levels on P.E.I.?
Best Caps ever
I mentioned in last week’s column that I thought Mike MacIsaac, Jordan Knox and Gordie Rodgerson may have been the best players to ever play with the Summerside Western Capitals’ junior A hockey team.
I was talking to longtime Caps’ season-ticket holder Don MacInnis, who has been a loyal fan for years. He thinks that both Kris MacPhee and Darren Langdon should be mentioned with this group.
Both were league most valuable players – Langdon in 1991-92 and MacPhee in 2000-01. Both went on to play professionally, with Langdon playing a total of 546 regular-season and playoff games in the NHL. He was also one of the toughest players to ever play junior hockey in this province.
Rivalry heats up
A lot of roads will be leading to the Evangeline Recreation Centre on Saturday to see the return engagement of the Arsenault’s Fish Mart Western Red Wings and the Kensington Moase Plumbing and Heating Vipers.
These two junior teams had a rough and tumble affair last Sunday in Kensington, and a lot of people will want to see what takes place this time around.
These two teams have a great rivalry to say the least. With no NHL hockey on tap tonight, a big crowd is expected.
Spring training
Spring training for Major League Baseball is only three weeks away, and that is a pretty good sign that winter is moving right along. Most teams’ pitchers and catchers assemble on Feb. 19. Have a great week!
Joe MacIntyre is a Summerside resident. His column appears every Saturday. Comments and suggestions can be sent to j-mac@eastlink.ca.
