CABA high school "World Series" set to start here July 22

Rumors had been swirling in recent weeks that the city of Euclid would not be hosting the annual Continental Amateur Baseball Association (CABA) High School “World Series” this summer.

Reason: the press box building at Paul Serra Field, which had served as tournament headquarters in the past, was destroyed by an arsonist last summer and still hasn’t been rebuilt. And the scoreboard at Serra Field—also known as Memorial Park diamond No. 1—still wasn’t working, since the control system was destroyed in the fire that also consumed a concession stand and a restroom facility.

However, Ed Carpenter, the man who first brought the CABA event to Euclid 25 years ago, never flinched. He was sure that, somehow, the city would find a way to keep on serving as the primary World Series host.

It took a bit of scrambling, and, no doubt, a few eleventh-hour meetings with city and school officials. And maybe even a little heavenly help from Bob Feller. But, by golly, Euclid will once again host the baseball extravaganza that draws top-caliber high school all-star teams from across Ohio and much of the eastern U.S.

The tournament will begin July 22 and continue through July 29, with some of the round-robin games and most of the championship round games played at Memorial Park.

Teams will play eight games a day in Euclid for the first six days, Carpenter reports. “Euclid is still the main cog in the wheel. There was never a doubt in my mind that we’d be the host city again. We don’t give up easily—and Mayor Cervenik has been totally supportive.”

The Euclid High ballpark (“The Palace”), which has a functioning scoreboard, will be used, along with Memorial Park diamond No. 4. But Serra Field will still serve as the primary site, even without the brick building that served as headquarters the past 24 years.

“We’ll put up a tent behind home plate for the officials, scorekeepers, and announcers,” Carpenter points out.

As of the Observer deadline for this issue, the control system for the Serra Field scoreboard still hadn’t been repaired. However, Mayor Bill Cervenik assured the tournament planners that the city would find a way to get the scoreboard working in time.

Apparently, the delay in replacing the press box structure and related facilities has been due to a delay in collecting on the insurance policy the city had taken out on the building.

Yet another reason for speculation that Euclid wouldn’t be hosting the CABA tournament is that the Euclid Panther baseball program did not field a “summer team” this year—in part, because some of the top players on the high school squad preferred to play for traveling teams and others wanted to play for Colt League teams. Traditionally, the Panthers’ summer team has competed in American Legion ball.

Nonetheless, Euclid will have a team entry in the World Series again this year, Carpenter asserted. He said that Paul Serra and several others have agreed to assemble a tournament team, built around a core of EHS players and augmented by top players from other area high schools.

The defending World Series champions are the Top Tier Americans from Chicago, who should be one of the favorites again this year, along with a couple of teams from Miami, Fla., and, of course, the always-tough Bergen Beach team out of Brooklyn, N.Y. One report has it that Bergen Beach has been holding tryouts all around the U.S. to try to assemble another “super team.” Over the years, many of its former players have gone on to stardom in the major leagues. (Does the name Alex Rodriguez ring a bell?)

“With a little luck, we might see an Ohio team win it,” Carpenter says hopefully. “Last year, about five local teams made it through round-robin play and into the championship round. And I wouldn’t be surprised if Euclid comes up with a pretty good team this year.”

Well, let’s hope so. And let’s hope that, one of these days, the local police will finally get the tip they’ve been waiting for that will lead to an arrest of the dimwits who set the press box ablaze last year.

But the important thing is that there is some exciting baseball in store – and it’s just a few weeks away.

 --30—

PHOTO CAPTIONS:

PHOTO  1:

ED CARPENTER, who has been the guiding light behind the staging of the Continental Amateur Baseball Association’s annual World Series in Euclid for the last 25 years, says the final plans are being worked out for this year’s event – even though the brick press box has not yet been rebuilt after being burned down last summer. He’s confident the city of Euclid will get the scoreboard at Serra Field working in time for the July 22-29 baseball extravaganza.  (File photo by John Sheridan)

PHOTO 2:

BASEBALL FANS in one section of the stands take in a game during the 2010 CABA World Series which attracted teams from across the United States.

Pictured in the background is a section of the press box at Paul Serra field, which served as headquarters for the event. The structure was destroyed by an arsonist during last year’s World Series and has not yet been rebuilt.  But tournament officials are making alternative arrangements for this year’s event. (File photo by John Sheridan