By GENE KEMMETER
of The Gazette
Employees of the Stevens Point Wal-Mart store couldn't measure up to a team of All-Stars from Major League Baseball and the U.S. Olympic Softball team on Saturday, Aug. 4, at Zenoff Park in Stevens Point.
But it didn't really matter. The fact that the employees were on the same field as the All-Stars, was enough. After all, they were playing against Brooks Robinson, Ozzie Smith, Gorman Thomas, Steve Garvey, Gary Carter, Randy Hundley, Darrell Porter, Steve Bahnsen, Dot Richardson and Lisa Hernandez.
The All-Stars, with the possible exception of Richardson and Hernandez, have slipped somewhat in their abilities, losing some of the zip on their throws and showing difficulty getting around. Carter, for example, had elastic braces on both his knees.
Yet most showed they hadn't lost any ability to come up with balls they could get their gloves on. Even Carter tracked down a long fly to left field, making an over-the-shoulder catch.
Smith, known in his playing days for his fielding skills, may have lost a step, but he still got to a lot of balls at shortstop and flipped several throws to first underhanded.
Robinson, a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame and eligible for Social Security, displayed his characteristic fielding prowess, but had difficulty with his throws from third base.
The employees got the opportunity to face the All-Stars, officially the Nabisco/Coke All-Stars, as part of a "Field of Dreams promotion by the Nabisco Biscuit Co. and the Coca-Cola Co.
The Stevens Point Wal-Mart had the highest percentage increase of purchases through the register of all Coke products and Nabisco cookies, crackers and breakfast snacks compared with other stores in the region from April through June.
In fact, Garvey, the former Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres star, said after the game, the Stevens Point store had the highest percentage increase of any Wal-Mart store in the nation.
This was Garvey's third game against a Wal-Mart team, having played in Massachusetts and Minnesota, with games still to go in Kentucky, Kansas and Missouri.
"We're the club of corporate softball," he said, adding that he's enjoying himself with the games. "It gives us a chance to visit."
He did plenty of that, leaving the field in between innings and visiting the crowd, even bringing some of them cold drinks to counter the heat of the sun during the game.
The games are a weekend excursion for him. During the rest of the week he runs a marketing company in Park City, Utah.
Gorman Thomas, the former Milwaukee Brewer and Cleveland Indian, was called up for Saturday's game so there would be 10 All-Stars on the field.
Although he enjoyed his days on the baseball diamond, he said he never got interested in softball after his baseball career ended like some former Major Leaguers did. "It was never my game," he said, although he performed flawlessly in the field and hit several long drives.
"I enjoy golfing, hunting and fishing, just being outside," he said. He spends his time at Miller Park in Milwaukee, where he runs Gorman's Grill, and where he was planning to be the following day.
As far as the game went, both teams were limited to a maximum of five runs, 10 batters or three outs each inning. Several times, the All-Stars reached the five-run maximum quickly, while the Wal-Mart employees struggled to get base runners.
The game also had its lighter moments.
Bahnsen, a former pitcher, came in to replace Fernandez as the pitcher. He replaced the ball with a grapefruit that was painted white and pitched it to the waiting batter, Julie Wilkinson, who promptly swung and splattered the fruit.
Jim Davidson, the umpire behind the plate, ejected Bahnsen, but allowed him to continue in the game as Bahnsen handed over several dollar bills to Davidson. That prompted some Wal-Mart employees to complain they had paid the umpires more than that earlier.
Undaunted, the "game" ended shortly after the grapefruit incident, with the employees on the short-end of the 22-1 score.
After the game the All-Stars continued to linger around the field, continuing to sign autographs on shirts, balls or other items. Richardson even signed a box of candy. The candy was "Dots," naturally.