The Classics: What’s Right With Lansing-Area Sports

There are a lot of things in sports (pro, college, or high school) that are wrong.  And they get talked about all of the time.  And the same applies to Lansing-area sports.

But I wanted to devote this article to something that is RIGHT with sports in the Lansing-area...

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And that would be "The Classics".  The Dean Shippey Capital Diamond Classic and the Greater Lansing Sports Hall of Fame Softball Classic.

Let's start with softball:

The Greater Lansing Sports Hall of Fame Softball Classic just completed their 43rd annual tournament a couple of weeks ago at Ranney Park near Frandor.  It was won by Grand Ledge, who knocked off defending champion Leslie in the title tilt, 7-1 in front of a near-capacity crowd.  But that's secondary.

That tournament was in serious trouble after the death of longtime director Fred Whitten years ago.  And the tourney dabbled with the format, doing a round-robin format that was confusing for everybody.  But when former Lansing Community College softball coach Bob Every took over, he simplified the format.  He made it a bracket style tourney with eight teams participating (quarterfinals, semifjnals, and finals).  That change has saved the tournament, IMO.

Now for baseball:

The 62nd Dean Shippey Capital Diamond Classic baseball tournament came to a climax on Monday night at McLane Stadium on the campus of Michigan State University with a thrilling 10-9 victory by DeWitt over Williamston in 10 innings.  But the best part was the atmosphere.  It was a perfect 80 degree night with two quality teams playing in front of a near-capacity crowd.  Williamston had a student section for the game.  A student section!!!  You only see that in football and basketball.  It was really great.  And DeWitt brought a crowd, too.

Congratulations to tournament director Mike Brya and his staff for continuing to make the Diamond Classic a big deal.  And after seeing the title game in person, McLane Stadium is the perfect place to host the tournament.  Moving it out of Jackson Field was the right move.  All they have to do now is get the championship plaques that were in Jackson Field in downtown Lansing over to Michigan State for proper display.

There's a lot that's wrong in the sports world.  But I salute the area Baseball and Softball Classics for being part of what is RIGHT with sports, especially in the Lansing area.  They do things the right way.  Great crowds, great participation, great interest.

And it's local.  How great is that??!!