Black Sox softballer Patrick “Paddy” Shannon has had a break to heal a break

The soggy outfield at North Harbour’s Rosedale Park and a weekend when the others were in Wellington for a big tournament helped All-World softball catcher Paddy Shannon recover from of an arm injury caused by repercussions from last season’s world series win in Christchurch.

Based in Wisconsin right through the US summer, he played on the Marathon team with fellow Black Sox world title stars Mark Sorenson, Thomas Makea, Karl Gollan and Brad Rona, the man the Canadians blamed most for their troubles on those final two world series days.

Seeking revenge for Rona’s tussle with Canadian pitchers used body shots in the US tournaments to intimidate the Kiwis.

“I like to stand close to the home plate and they like to power pitch right at us. It went on all season,” Shannon said, “and Brad got most of them. They say he started the row at the world series which led to a Canadian getting a ball on the helmet, a fight that followed and a Canadian ejected. They also still swear we cheated and had their pitching intentions signalled sent from over the outfield fence.”

They also know that Shannon was the man who, along with Mark Sorenson, took the title away from them. He slammed seven hits from eight turns in the last two games and hit the two-run homer which dragged back the early Canadian lead.

“As well as a sprain, I have a bone chip from one of the body shots and it needs a rest, with surgery almost ruled out. Because I want to be ready for my new club’s key games I ruled myself out of being a guest player for Ramblers in Wellington.” (Howick’s scheduled match at Rosedale was postponed because a tractor was stuck on the field, trying to collect the long cut grass).

Shannon’s US club side, County Materials of Marathon, a small 15,000 town, was rated the top club side in the world going into the national finals but, for the second time in two years, dropped the final game.

But he was named as top catcher out of the dozens of sides taking part.
“We won every tournament all season, I was named as Most Valuable Player in each one and we still lost the key game. The sponsor has signed me and some more Kiwis to play next year to win the world club title.

“Being top is the only reason to play and my ambition is to be number one catcher in New Zealand and go on to win the world title again in five years time. It is too long, but I am prepared to wait. We are all hoping that softball makes it into the Commonwealth Games, as proposed.”

Shannon has made a huge playing change this year, switching from the North Harbour club Northcote, a side where he was guaranteed Harbour rep status and a place in the national club finals, to lowly Howick, a team picked to finish near the bottom of the eleven-club local series.

It is also a long trip across town from the Henderson Valley vineyard where he works when not playing softball but the 29 year old, super-confident, articulate and very able, has a good contract and the promise of better things to come.

“Howick is passionate about making the top quickly so they made a good offer to get a top Black Sox player who is a leader and a captain, as well as boosting the coaching. Lance Croawell is still the field coach.

“I travel a long way but they have not let me down and we won three from three last weekend. We have a pitching shortage, with a player who can play half the Saturdays and no Sundays and I will pitch if I have to, but am hoping that Mike Aro will come through to help Kyle Kouka.

“The club is now busy setting up a coaching director’s position and I will be keen to get into schools as well as the club.”

Shannon has a keen supporter in wife Krissy and five year old daughter Taylah and three year old sone Tyrelle. Eli is too young to know, but Tyrelle thinks that every player is a Black Sox and has started in the junior T ball series where his father is the coach.

“I am also keen to support the Waitakere Bears’ club in their junior development. Softball deserves the boost and we might get some notice now we have won at home.”

Paddy, and his identical twin brother Heinie, a pitcher, could both end up in the Black Sox after Heinie’s outstanding showing for Samoa in the world event. They would be a formidable combination again. But Paddy is in the Black Sox training squad and brother Heinie will need to concentrate on Samoa for February’s re-match against the world champion side.

But Paddy’s time off came to a end last weekend as Howick, a side in top form until the break, will faced Metro and Waitakere Bears, then the lethal combination of Ramblers and Northcote on Sunday. A narrow 2-3 loss to Metro, a 5-0 win over Bears and a close result, 2-4, against Ramblers, the big-hitting winner of the previous week’s games when the side piled up 27 hits against Metro and Northcote, did not prepare Howick for the revival of Northcote.

At one stage Paddy came on to pitch as Northcote started to pile up the runs and he suffered at the hands of his old pal, Brad Rona, who slammed one of the Shannon specials over the fence. (At least Paddy had some joy at hitting Thomas Cameron out in the Ramblers’ match). The team missed Mormon stalwart Brian Stephens. The former Australian team pitcher, who played at the 1992 Manila world series, does not play on Sundays so Howick will need to make some adjustments to survive.