For round ball lovers, don't be confused. This is all about baseball.
The Nebraska Baseball Association (NBA) is in its first year in Nebraska and planning regional state tournaments to begin this weekend and finish with state finals next weekend.
"We want to bring baseball back to Nebraska," said Rick Baxter of Lincoln, the commissioner of the new organization. "Not professional baseball - amateur baseball - where the action is pure."
It's evident that for Baxter, a parole officer by day, amateur baseball is his passion. He has little time for major league games on television or in stadiums.
"Nobody gets paid on most of these town teams," Baxter said. "They play just to play in counties where it's a matter of pride - bragging rights. The players are there for the pure joy of baseball."
Last year in October, Baxter and six other baseball fanatics from around the state began recruiting for teams to play in the NBA. About 40 teams - from Ogallala to Newcastle - and more than 600 players ponied up the $100 team membership fee for the first season.
The fruits will play out this weekend with regional tournaments for Class A at Crete and Hastings. Class B regionals begin in Hartington and Schuyler.
On Saturday, Aug. 11, at 9 a.m., the state championship and consolation games will be played in Cairo. (For more information, www.nebraskabaseballassociation.com is the official site of the NBA).
The first game in each regional contest will begin at noon. The team from the smallest town, Fordyce, is up first and will play the Lincoln Bombers.
Fordyce's team is managed by Bob Wiebelhaus, who has played in the Cedar County League since 1987. His day job is working for the Nebraska Department of Roads, and he currently is the project manager for the new bridge near Yankton.
"It's America's game," Wiebelhaus said of baseball.
Fordyce has been part of the Cedar County League, which has roots that date back 77 years. Every town in the county had a team in those days.
A California transplant on the Fordyce team, Don Whitmire, spent time playing college ball at Wayne State. He is past the competitive philosophy of baseball.
"I just want to play for the fun," Whitmire said. "I love baseball. It's not about winning and losing any more."
Two cousins on the Fordyce Flyers, Scott Becker and Jeff Hochstein, are excited about the development of the state tournament event. They started playing their way through little league at 6 years of age and then went on to American Legion seasons and tournament play.
Becker played college ball at Mount Marty College in Yankton and is the new head teacher at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Elementary School in Crofton. Hochstein is a horticulture program graduate and manages a garden department.
When Becker, a third baseman, trots out to the field on Saturday, he will be playing the same position his grandfather played when the league started in 1930. Becker's father also played for Fordyce.
Puddy Becker, as he was known, could only dream back in the 1930s about having a grandson still able to play in the league he helped create. The NBA has the same dream of a successful organization.
The NBA committee members talked up baseball all winter. They were instrumental in getting five small town teams up and running: Hartington, Pierce, Aurora, North Platte and Ogallala. They're not finished.
"Norfolk and Columbus are both ripe for the taking with amateur baseball," Baxter said. "Beatrice, Fairbury and Crete are getting interested."
The group would like to see more leagues open up across the state. Sunday games are played with 12-15 contests in a season and there is no age limit. The oldest player in the league is 57 years old.
American Legion players are welcome to play after the Legion games are over for the season.
It is also an opportunity for former Legion coaches and players who have retired from baseball to come back. It is a hope of the NBA that the Legion teams will be a feeder system in the future.
"We would love to have the Dodge County teams a part of our association as well," Baxter said. "But they have some county fairs they play at in these first two weeks of August and it is a tradition."
Wynot, which is in the Cedar County League, and Crofton, which has played for several years in the South Dakota baseball association, have been eyed. Both towns would like to see some stability in the new association before signing up.
Two of the teams in the Cedar County League - Pierce and Creighton - are first-year competitors. Talk is circulating for two more towns to organize teams.
It's the NBA's hope that this first year of state tournaments will rekindle the long-ball sport around the state.
"Don't get us wrong," Baxter said. "It's not about being a semi-pro or collegiate team. It's just about playing the game. We just want to play ball."
