Rich's sometimes disjointed rambling

I've said it before and I'll say it now: There's nothing like spending some time at the ballpark in the summer. If you get a chance, go to Cowboy Field this weekend for the first Dooley Oil Classic American Legion baseball tournament. The tourney will run through Sunday evening. The host Laramie Rangers took on Dothan , Ala., Saturday night, with Dothan coming away with a 1-0 win. What a game! Possibly one of the best I have ever watched on the American Legion level. Dothan has competed in the American Legion World Series twice in the last four years. Other quality teams competing include Wheatland , Cheyenne Post 6, Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs), Sand Creek (Colorado Springs) and the Colorado Bandits and State Farm (Boulder County). The Rangers received a scare Friday night when Jordan Rhodine dove back hard to third base on a pick-off attempt and hurt his knee. All indications are, however, that the injury is not serious. It's always refreshing to see Legio...

The Laramie Rangers AA American Legion baseball team bounced back from being no-hit Saturday by Watertown , S.D., at the Rich Hinseth Agency Tournament in Rapid City, S.D., by splitting on Sunday. Laramie edged Great Falls, Mont., 6-5 before falling to Wheatland 6-5 in eight innings, The Rangers were 2-3 in the tournament and are 7-16 on the season. Against Great Falls, Laramie bounced back from a 5-2 deficit with four runs in the top of the seventh, then survived a bases-loaded, one-out rally by Great Falls when starting pitcher Coley Wilson induced a double play to end the game. Mike Garner had two hits and three RBI to pace the Rangers, while Max Schoen also added two hits. Laramie had nine hits in the game. Wilson picked up the win on the mound, scattering 10 hits. In the second game of the day, Laramie jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning, but saw the Lobos score three times i n the third inning for a 4-3 advantage . Laramie tied the game with a run in the fifth and...

Laramie High School's Stephen Michel keeps on bringing home the hardware. Last week Michel was named the G atorade Boys Track and Field Athlete of the Year, and on Saturday, he was selected the Milward Simpson Award boys' winner. All this while competing and placing in the NIKE National Outdoor High School Championships over the weekend in North Carolina. Lovell's Kristen Scheffler was also named the female Simpson Award winner Saturday at the Wyoming Sports Hall of Fame banquet in Casper. Both Michel and Scheffler will be competing at the University of Wyoming -- Michel in track and field and Scheffler in basketball . Michel set three overall outdoor track and field state meet records as a senior. He shattered the existing state records in the 100 and 200 and also broke his own state record in the triple jump. He also won the long jump as a senior. In indoor track, he won six state championships in his career, including four as a senior (55, 200, long jump and tri...

It proved to be a tough morning at the ballpark for the Laramie Rangers on Saturday at the Rich Hinseth Agency Tournament in Rapid City, S.D. Watertown , S.D., pitcher Nate Vanlaecker no-hit the Rangers in the 8-0 win that ended in the fifth inning because of the eight-run rule. The loss dropped Laramie to 1-2 in the tournament and 6-15 on the season. The Rangers had just four baserunners in the game on four walks. Vanlaecker struck out two Laramie hitters. This was the third no-hitter in this tournament, as a pair of Rapid City Post 22 (varsity) hurlers have achieved the task as well. Watertown had plenty of offense to back up Vanlaecker, with 12 hits off of Laramie sgtarter Jordan Rhodine and reliever Jason Rodriguez. Watertown broke the game open with a five-run third inning. Laramie will look to close the tournament strong, facing Great Falls, Mont., Sunday at 12:30 p.m. and Wheatland at 3 p.m.

The Rapid City Split Squad used a four-run third and held off the Laramie Rangers 6-4 Friday morning during the second day of the Rich Hinseth Agency Tournament. Laramie led 2-1 before Rapid City took the lead in the third inning. Laramie came back with two more runs in the fifth to cut the lead to 5-4, but Rapid City added an insurance run i n the bottom of the frame. The Rangers are now 1-1 in the tournament and 6-14 on the season. Jon Sorenson paced the Rangers with two singles and a double for two RBI, with Sean Gardea , Skyler Joy and Coleton Wilson all adding two hits. Laramie outhit Rapid City 9-5. Max Schoen was the tough-luck loser on the mound for Laramie, giving up five hits and five runs in 3 1/3 inning. Mike Garner pitched the final 2 2/3 inning. Laramie faces Watertown , S.D., today at 10 a.m., before taking on Great Falls, Mont., at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday and Wheatland at 3 p.m.

The Laramie Rangers AA American Legion baseball team used the big inning to their advantage this time, as well as the outstanding pitching from Coleton Wilson, in running past Merced , Calif., 12-1 in five innings to open the Rich Hinseth Agency T ournament on Thursday in Rapid City, S.D. The Rangers, 6-13 on the season, have had the misfortune of giving up one bad inning in losses this season, but scored nine runs in the third inning and never looked back. Wilson did the rest on the mound with a four-hitter. Left fielder Sean Gardea had a big game for the Rangers , with four singles and a pair of RBI. Shortstop Skyler Joy, first baseman Mike Garner and third baseman Max Schoen knocked in two runs each for the Laramie offense. Wilson, meanwhile, gave up one run on two hits in the first inning , but yielded just two hits the rest of the way, walking one and striking out two. The Rangers will face Rapid City Post 22 at 9:30 a.m. on Friday, before playing Watertown , S.D., Satu...

Gathering around the water cooler early on Wednesday, talk was on Game 6 of the NBA Finals. After the Celtics blowout, the discussion probably ended with a "thank goodness" that there will be no Game 7. For the most part, the much anticipated Lakers -Celtics reunion was somewhat of a dull event. Give credit to the Celtics, they were the better team. The games as a whole, however, were not what most people had hoped for, especially those, including me, that were wanting the series to be somewhat of a nostalgic rehash of the old days. Did this series bring in old NBA fans who had grown tired of the current show? The ratings might have been up, but I doubt it. I can speak for myself in saying that I am not much more of a NBA fan than I was a month ago and I was just luke warm then. We'll see, but I'm glad the season is over. By early afternoon, the water cooler talk turned to Tiger Woods, when it was learned that he is out for the season because of pending knee surge...