Annual Softball Game

[SLAC]

* 2009 Game:  Research defeats Accelerators 28-12; game highlights described in SLAC Today article.  Bill Kirk MVP award goes to Ryan Auer.
* 2008 Game:  Accelerators triumph 30-28 over Research!  Bill Kirk MVP award goes to Herman Winick.
* Drell-Richter Trophy
* Championship History
* The Rules

Drell-Richter Trophy

The  Drell-Richter Trophy  was inaugurated in 1999 to recognize the significance of completing four decades of this annual tradition and to pay tribute to Sid Drell and Burton Richter, who initiated and  fostered the rivalry of competing Theory and Experiment teams over the years. The handsome tophy also creates additional incentive for the game and is on display at the SLAC Visitor Center.

The trophy represents Theory confronting Experiment at Accelerator Park. The home run fence is represented by a beam tree, a traditional symbol of the lab. The beam tree was provided by Bernie Lighthouse (Personnel). The tree surfaces were polished by Reggie Rogers (Central Lab Shop). The base was creatively added by Phil Brunner (Craft Shop). Krefeld's of Redwood City put the pieces together, with room for six decades of results. Following that, another layer will be added to the base a la the Stanley Cup.

 

Championship History

Begun in the 1950s as a Faculty versus Students game on the Stanford campus, Sidney "Lefty" Drell and Burton "Big Daddy" Richter carried this tradition to SLAC and led Theory and Experiment teams to compete for the laboratory championship.  The Post-Game Celebration was traditionally held at the campus home of Sid Drell.

In 2003, the Bill Kirk Most Valuable Player award was created to pay tribute to Bill who organized, presided over, and played in the annual Theory vs Experiment game for many years.
In 2007, the competing teams were changed to Accelerators and Research to enable lab-wide participation in this venerable annual event.  The Accelerators  team comprises players contributing to existing and future accelerators, while Research combines the formerly competing Theory and Experiment teams and all SLAC staff and users involved in research at SLAC.

This historical data was assembled by reviewing lab periodicals. Where no scores are available, the winning team has been designated with a W. It is believed - but not documented - that 1974 was the first win by Theory and that in 1988 the record was 28-3 in favor of Experiment. Additions and corrections to this record are appreciated. Updates to the official record will be made after conferring with appropriate referees.
 

YEAR 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Theory   3  12    7  18   1  12 20
Experiment  25  19  18    6  15  20 21
YEAR 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Theory 10 4 11 14 11 5 16 12 7 6
Experiment 9 16 16 8 9 13 29 9 15 8
YEAR 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989
Theory - - 22 17 15 - 10 - 11 11
Experiment W W 17 25 10 W 26 W 13 4
YEAR 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979
Theory - - - - W - - - 16 5
Experiment W W W W - W W W 17 18
YEAR 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969
Theory - - - - - - - -
Experiment W W W W W W W W

 

YEAR 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Accelerators               38 30 -
Research               10 28 -

The Rules

  1. 9 Innings, 10 players fielding.
  2. 60-foot base paths.
  3. NO called strikes or balls.  Also known as International Rules.
  4. Suggest 6-12 foot arc for pitches (i.e., 6-12 feet above ground).
  5. Additional bases at first and home.  Runner goes to outside base to avoid collisions.
  6. Force out at home – no need to tag runner.  Catcher stands on inner home plate.  If runner goes more than half-way to home, runner is committed to go home.
  7. Catchers responsible for calling balls fair or foul.
  8. Base coaches at 1st and 3rd.  1st base coaches calls outs at home and 1st  base.  3rd base coach calls outs at 3rd and 2nd.
  9. Overthrows:  One base is awarded.  Can cross 2 bases, if already more than halfway to base when overthrow occurs.
  10. No attempted bunts.
  11. Runner going from 1st to 2nd can’t interfere with throw.  Interfering results in automatic double play.
  12. Infield fly rule: 
    – in effect if runners on 1st and 2nd and less than 2 outs 
    – infield fly => batter is out; runners advance at own risk
  13. Break for 7th inning stretch to sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" (2008 is 100th anniversary of Baseball's unoffical anthem!)

 

Stanford Recreational Softball League  (SLAC Spinors compete in this league)
CERN Softball

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Last Update:  Oct. 12, 2009
Mike Woods