Star gazing

Some random thoughts and notes from the Frontier League all-star festivities hosted by the Wild Things:

* The big winner of the all-star break? The Schaumburg Boomers.

Schaumburg produced the Home Run Derby winner in Steve McQuail (pictured) and the MVP of the all-star game, Sean Mahley, who drove in two runs in the second inning with a triple to right field that sparked the West to a 4-2 victory.

* Guess where Schaumburg opens the season's second half? Against the Wild Things Friday night at Consol Energy Park.

* No, the Schaumburg all-stars, and broadcaster Tim Calderwood, don't have to make a trip from Washington to Illinois today and then return Friday. They are staying in Washington County and will wait for the rest of the team to arrive.

* The Most Amazing Play of All-Star Week? That's an easy one.

During the Home Run Derby, Traverse City's Chase Burch hooked a line drive down the left-field line that stayed in the field of play but headed for the visitor's clubhouse. Just as an Akron Racers softball player opened the door of the clubhouse and stepped out, the ball hit by Burch went between the player and door, ricocheted off the metal and went into the clubhouse on a fly. You could hit a thousand baseballs and not have that happen again. The odds of that happening are astronomical.

* It's looking like Washington will field a team in the National Pro Fastpitch women's softball team as early as next year. No official announcement has been made, but even the Akron Racers players were saying they've heard the rumors.

* A couple of fellow O-R employees said they were surprised the Racers won the Battle of the Sexes game against the Frontier League All-Stars. My response was, "You're kidding, right?"

I can remember former Olympic softball pitcher Jennie Finch striking out Mike Piazza, Albert Pujols and Larry Walker during a segment for "This Week in Baseball," so I didn't think the baseball players had much of a chance against any of the Racers' pitchers. If you're a baseball player and you've never played fastpitch softball, it's going to take many at-bats to get used to the pitching and make the necessary adjustments to your swing.

* I enjoyed listening to Steve Blass talk at the all-star luncheon almost as much as watching him pitch Game 7 of the 1971 World Series.

* All-star games are nice, but I prefer covering any regular-season or playoff game.

* It was good to see former Wild Things general manager Ross Vecchio back at CEP and working as a scout for the Seattle Mariners. Vecchio said he had also been to the Atlantic League all-star game in Waldorff, Md.