Many changes were made this year for our annual softball tournament that probably should have been made years ago. Bacon ball was dropped and John Scollo Memorial was born. We will forever be grateful for Bacon ball and all they contributed in the past. The tournament was moved to a different complex along with the host hotel, and both received very positive reviews.

Between the World Series and the DEA Kickoff, veteran teams folded, new teams formed, players moved to new teams, new players arrive on scene, and which team has the best new uniforms. But this year, it was much more than that.

We kicked off the 2018 year with the 19th Annual Brian Aselton Memorial Tournament early this year in January but welcomed the sun and 70 degree weather making for a highly competitive tournament with several close walk off games. It didn't take long for the guys to shake off the rust and get right back into it.

On the night of October 1, 2017, a cowardly gunman opened fire on a crowd of concertgoers at the Route 91 Harvest music festival on the Las Vegas Strip, leaving 58 people dead and 546 injured. My wife and daughter were in that crowd and escaped physically unharmed. My daughter had to step over wounded concert goers to escape and there were moments of terror as my wife and daughter were separated for over 10 minutes while the shots rang out. Unable to contact each other, they had no idea if the other had escaped. Fortunately, they both did.One week later my wife and I returned to Las Vegas, feeling blessed and also looking forward to spending the week with brother law enforcement officers from all over the United States and Canada. The event we were celebrating was our 13th annual Police Softball World Series at the pristine Big League Dreams complex.

Every year Garrett Metal Detectors honors a police softball player who goes over and above the normal call of duty in order to better serve his community. This year, Oakland Police Department Sgt. John Koster was selected for his outstanding efforts in a city plagued by crime and violence. Sgt. Koster supervises the Oakland PD Youth Outreach Unit (Y.O.U.). This unit’s primary mission is to mentor at-risk youth and to bridge the gap between the police and the community. Through Sgt. Koster’s direct leadership and efforts, the Y.O.U. has become an integral part of the Department and the community.

Paul Chavez approached PS last year and through his association with Rockwell Watches and Arpin Van Lines, he coordinated rewarding over 20 PS players last year with Rockwell Thin Blue Line watches at world series XII as a way to thank our officers for their service. Paul will be doing the same thing at world series XIII. In addition to that, Paul wanted to specifically recognize a PS officer this year for outstanding work off the field.

Every year we recognize the best and the brightest stars of our game with the the help of our award sponsor, the Sacramento County Deputy Sheriff’s Association (SCDSA). SCDSA has been invaluable to us in this endeavor and once again we are thankful for their assistance. It is through their assistance that we are able to properly recognize the best of the best. As always, we received many award nominations and our staff had a difficult time selecting the winners. What we know by reading them and from what we see and hear on the fields, is that our game is filled with some amazing people. Our future as a sport is indeed very bright. All the award winners are cordially invited to come out to the World Series on Friday night and receive their award. Congratulations everyone, well deserved!

After a very thorough review and voting process, our East and West Hall of Fame Committees led by Dennis Leonard and Anthony Costanzo are pleased to announce the 2017 inductees for the Police Softball Hall of Fame.