Horseshoe legends put on a show

The Villages Daily Sun SPORTS Sunday April 7, 2002 Horseshoe legends put on a show
BY GARY CORSAIR DAILY SUN Class A matchup turns into a real ringer!
THE VILLAGES - There was a moment during Saturday's national qualifying horseshoe tournament in The Villages when the 150-plus spectators must have realized they were watching greatness. Forget Reggie Jackson hitting three home runs in. a World Series game. Nuts to Wilt Chamberlain scoring 100 points a single contest. Say "ho hum" to Gale Sayers scoring six touchdowns in one game. Horseshoes -pitching legend Walter Ray Williams, a nine-time world champion, found himself in the zone of zones during a match at the Paradise Recreation Center pits, and those who witnessed his performance won't soon forget it. His first pitch in a Class A matchup with world-champ Ron Deckard was a ringer. So were the next 22. Williams finally missed iron on his 23rd shot, but three tosses later he rediscovered the groove. When the smoke cleared Williams had thrown 38 ringer; in 42 tries for an astonishing 90 percent mark, leaving even the most proficient amateur pitcher agog. "I just loved watching them," said Villages pitcher Ken Grenzer, who had a pretty good day himself. Grenzer won Class E in his first sanctioned tournament. Organizer Mike Tatonetti said Williams and the other seven sharpshooters -- most of whom have won at least one national title -- who comprised Class A lived up to their reputations. . "The way these guys played today was just fantastic. Their ringer percentages were incredible," Tatonetti said. Amazingly, Williams lost two of the seven matches he played, despite having the best ringer percentage of the day, a sizzling 77.5 percent. Williams won his first game by tossing 19 ringers in 20 tosses for an incredible 95-percent mark He won his second game with 37 ringers in 46 tries (80.4%), then took the third match by tossing 30 ringers in 36 tries (83..3%). Williams slipped in his next two games, losing the fourth with a 68.6percent effort and winning the fifth with a 72.2-percent showing. Then came the game of games, which set the stage for his seventh and final match against Warren Woolsley. A win by Williams would result in a tie for first. Williams made a strong showing with 48 ringers in 66 tries (72.7%), but Woolsely was even stronger, nailing the stake on 51 of 66 pitches (77.2) to take the Class A crown. The two horseshoes pitching legends had 12 frames where they both threw two ringers. Tatonetti will be talking about the show for weeks to come. "Did you ever go some place where the atmosphere was just fantastic? It was just like watching the top baseball players, like watching the Yankees play.That's what it was like today," Tatonetti said. And the local pitchers held their own. Bill Roop of Lady Lake finished third in Class A with 212 ringers out of 292 pitches (72.6%). Villages resident Ed Napravnik also fared well in competition with the big boys, taking seventh place with a ringer percentage of 59.7. A highlight of the day for Napravnik: beating two-time Junior World Champion Renee Cowan of Virginia. And there were several other impressive performances by the locals. Grenzer, who averaged 32.8 during the Leesburg Metro Traveling Horseshoes League season, shot 56 percent on the day to win Class E. Grenzer served noticed early that he would be a force to be reckoned with, tossing 65 percent ringers in his second game. He then threw 21-26 ringers in each of his next four games. "I guess I was pretty lucky at times. I sort of practiced a little bit," said Grenzer, who credited a fellow Villager with helping him make adjustments in recent weeks. "I got a few tips from Ed Napravnik and he helped me out a bit" Villages pitcher Joanne Simpson won Class C with a record of 5-1 and 51.6 ringer percentage, while Bob Spears made the hometown crowd smile by finishing third in the tough Class B with a 4-2 record and 51.66 ringer percentage. Tatonetti had one of his best games of the year in his first match, taking a win with a 77.5 ringer percentage. He then beat State Singles Champion Linda Kershner, before cooling off and finishing the day with three wins and three losses. Tatonetti finished fourth in Class B. The event not only drew Villagers to the pits, but also players from as far away as Indiana and California. Florida. Horseshoes Pitching Association President Jerry Randall was also on hand. "It was a great day. A great, great day," Tatonetti said. "All the state officers were thrilled to death."