MIAMITOWN — Two-time Fry Fastening ASA Cincinnati Metro City major division champion Watanabe Optical won't be a factor in this year's tournament, even after finishing second last year.

        Sponsor Dave Watanabe broke up the team last year, surprising some of his players, but he and five players from that team are looking to make it back to the top again. Watanabe is the assistant manager and co-sponsor of the Perkins Roofing/Watanabe Optical/TPS team. The team is 98-22 this year and won its first Metro game against Batesville K of C 24-23 Thursday.

        “We probably had half our players who were over 40,” Watanabe said. “It becomes hard to compete. I thought the time was right. I'm sure some fellas would have loved to keep it together. Times change.”

        The Watanabe team won the Metro in 1998 and '99 and was always among the tourney's favorites. They won the ASA national championship in the A division in 1998.

        The ability to keep most of the team together and securing good sponsorship were big reasons for the success, Watanabe said.

        “Most of the fellas got along pretty well,” he said.

        John Steele, now with Perkins, was one of the players who was surprised by the breakup.

        “It was a shock to everybody,” the second baseman/additional hitter said. “If he would have kept it together, we were the best team in the city by far.”

        But being one of the best comes with a price.

        Aaron Smith, manager of reigning Metro champ EMR/Worth, asked EMR sponsor/first baseman Don Holden what his goals were when they talked about Smith managing the team.

        “To beat Watanabe. That's all I want,” Smith said Holden told him.

        Watanabe knew he and his team wore targets on their backs.

        “We felt it and we knew it,” he said. “Every year, every game.”

        EMR has two players from the former Watanabe team — catcher Mike Boland and middle infielder Marvin Doyle. Neither would comment about their former team.

        “I don't like to burn bridges but I hope there are no hard feelings,” Watanabe said.

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