6/21/2010 UPDATE
Bend Elks win 10-1, now tied for first in the Western Division.
6/20/2010
It may not feel like summer quite yet, but a summertime favorite is back and ready to play on a cloudy Sunday. The Bend Elks face the Moses Lake Pirates in a special Father's Day game. Their third home game of the season, currently with a 7-4 record.
Back for his second season, Bend High Alumni, Tommy Richards, an infielder. Richards will be a Junior next year at Washington State University, where he plays baseball.
"It's awesome to come home, actually. A lot of guys on the team- they're all getting shipped off to New England and stuff like that, back at Washington State, but I get to come home. So I think it's a really good opportunity for me to just kinda, be around my family," says Tommy Richards.
Richards says his Dad and Mom are big supporters, no surprise when your Dad has an important role as well. General Manager Jim Richards will enjoy his Father's Day watching his son and the team for their first Father's Day home game in eight years. Richards says this team is stonger than ever.
"We probably have our strongest pitching staff assembled in a long time. Coach Anderson and Coach Kinney have done a great job of assembling a great group of arms. We've got the long ball, which is something you don't usually see in the wood bat leagues too much. We've had I think 7 or 8 home runs already, so we are pretty delighted with the fact that we can get on base, and the fact that we've got some guys that can get some base knocks and get some guys in," says Jim Richards.
A win this Father's Day would tie the Elks for 1st in the Western Division. For Tommy Richards, it's a win he wants to dedicate to his Dad.
"Ya know, my Dad really set me up to kinda be what I am, not that it's anything special, but I owe him everything. So it's going to be fun, and maybe I'll take him out to dinner or something after the game, but yeah I'm just excited to play for him and maybe he'll watch me do some special things tonight, hopefully," says Tommy.
