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Local Sports

Local sports in the Panhandle are not just a game, they are a lifestyle. Our community eats, sleeps and breathes cheering on our local athletes.
News13 is On Your “Sidelines” bringing you more than the score.
News13’s Stephen Gunter is committed to giving you stories of the Panhandle’s top athletes, intriguing match-ups and unusual sports you may not even know exist.
sgunter@wmbb.com

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Simply the Best!

PANAMA CITY BEACH- Summertime always equals no school, summer camps and baseball.

The boys of summer are crowding the fields at Frank Brown Park this week for the Simply the Best Baseball World Series.

It’s the seventh time Simply the Best Baseball World Series has made Panama City Beach its home for a week.

Last year brought in 98 youth teams from all over the southeast, and this year welcomes in 72 teams full of future baseball stars.

“The original concept was made by Larry Winkle and John McFatter from Panama City, and they would go out to the community around the different states putting on coaching and sports events and good training with players and coaches on sportsmanship. Coaches wanted them to do a tournament for Panama City. They could come to the beach and have a tournament for the players to play in,” said tournament director Landon Davis.

“It’s a well known fact the kids take there baseball seriously, as do the coaches, but what makes this tournament so intriguing to the teams?

“We try to set it up that you only play one game a day to start off with so that you can go to the beach and go have other family activities to make a little vacation out of it, and making fun baseball trips,” said Davis.

Being able to spend some relaxing time at the beach is a big selling point for the players as well.

“It’s been fun; we just go swimming after every game. We just play hard every game and then we just go and relax in the pool. Go to the beach and check out the ladies and do whatever,” said Elite Red Sox player Zack Woods.

Playing in a tournament at the beach does catch the attention of most of these youngsters, but most of the players are strictly here to take care of business.

“There are a lot of things to do, like go to the beach, but we are down here to play baseball and that’s the main thing,” said West Georgia Jackets player Darryl Pearson.

“Baseball. We didn’t come down here to have a vacation, we came down here to win a tournament,” said West Georgia Jackets player Landon Faulkner.

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