Saturday, August 04, 2001
Softball is manager Wildt's life
He even got married on a playing field five years ago
By Malcolm C. Knox
The Cincinnati Enquirer
MIAMITOWN — Bill and Mary Wildt added new meaning to the old standard, “Take Me Out to The Ball Game,” when they were married at Eggleston Softball Complex at home plate five years ago.
That's how much softball is a part of Bill Wildt's life.
Mary didn't like the idea at first but eventually agreed.
“You think of dirt and mud and everything else,” she said. “I'm glad it didn't rain. It would have been a muddy mess.”
The wedding happened between Metro tournament games, in which Bill was managing a team. His team, though, didn't play that day, July 29, 1996.
“If we'd been playing, I would've worn my uniform,” he said.
Said Mary: “He would have liked to.”
In this year's ASA Cincinnati Metro City Tournament, Wildt is managing two teams — Heuer Heating and John Morrell/Nieman Plumbing. Heuer was eliminated when it lost its second game of the tournament Wednesday. Morrell, fighting for its life in the loser's bracket, played a late game Friday.
When both teams played at the same time last Monday, Wildt managed the less-experienced Morrell team and followed the Heuer game by cell phone.
Steve Dashley, who works with Mary for the post office, plays for the Heuer team. He has also managed and can't understand why anyone would manage two teams.
“It's an unappreciated job out there,” he said. “I don't know. It takes a lot of sincerity or just a little craziness.”
If that's true, Wildt, who said he has played softball for more than 30 years, may be more than just a little crazy.
“If someone else asked me to manage, I might do three teams. ... They're probably going to bury me on a softball field.”
GAME RESULTS: Perkins/Watanabe Optical/TPS will play Cooper Sports/Pohlman Tire/Worth tonight for a spot in Sunday's major division championship. The losing team could still advance to the final but would have to win three in a row — one against whichever team survives the loser's bracket and two against the upper bracket champ.
EMR/Worth eliminated H & W Sports/Our Place Tavern 23-22 Thursday. EMR will play the winner of Friday's Freeze Concrete/Nike-Batesville K of C game, tonight. Freeze beat EMR 22-20 in the first round.
GAME DELAYS: A storm hit Miamitown at about 5 p.m. Friday, soaking the playing fields and delaying games.
The Franchise and VSC/The Roost teams started at 8 p.m. instead of 6:30.Both were in the winners bracket of the D division.
Six games scheduled for Friday were pushed to Saturday, and six Saturday games were rescheduled for Sunday.
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Softball is manager Wildt's life
