Published: June 14, 2014
Teams proving it’s more than just a game
Benefit Game combines 2 Wisconsin traditions; fish frys and
baseball
By NICHOLAS DETTMANN
Daily News
Baseball fans were greeted to a pleasing smell at Regner
Park on Friday night: a fish fry.
The Friday night fish fry has been a longstanding tradition
for Wisconsinites. For more than 40 years, The Threshold Inc. Benefit Baseball
Game was tradition in West Bend.
Sadly, the charity baseball game fell off the calendar for a
number of years.
First played in 1955 and hosted by the West Bend Lithia
Baseball Club, The Threshold Benefit Baseball Game was a key fundraising event
for the not-for-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of people
with disabilities.
“It’s always been a part of the community,” said Willie
Mueller Jr., who remembers being a bat boy at age 10 during the early days of
The Threshold game.
“I had a great time,” he recalled.
The ceremonial first pitches were thrown by John Rozak, a
longstanding West Bend Baseball Association board member Jason Conti and Ben
Werner, representing The Threshold.
“It’s always difficult to make sure that we have money to
support our programs,” said Laura Eggert, director of public relations and fund
development for The Threshold. “It’s been challenging for us the last couple of
years. But we are starting to come out of things and seeing more of an increase
in donations, which is wonderful. But we could always use more.”
Since the game has slipped out of the community’s realm for
so many years, those associated with organizing it have had to pick up some of
the pieces left behind. And in most cases, without much knowledge of what may
or may not have worked previously.
“It’s been stressful, but very exciting,” Eggert said. “What
goes better with a Friday fish fry? So we thought what a great combination.”
For more than a generation, baseball fans were treated to
intense baseball action, all for a good cause, helping those less fortunate.
“It was a way for the Lithia Beer Company and the teams to
give back to the community,” Eggert said. “The importance of it is we rely on
the support of the community to maintain our programs; making a difference in
the lives of people with disabilities.”
The fish fry smell was just the first indication the
once-proud tradition was back.
The West Bend Benders and the West Bend 7 UP on the diamond
of Carl M. Kuss Memorial Field at Regner Park was the other reminder. The
Threshold Charity Baseball Game was back and there is plenty of hope and
optimism the event is here to stay for good.
John Beisbier and his wife, Arlene, were pivotal organizers
for the event for more than 30 years as was Charlie Walter.
Throughout its storied history, the game featured some of
the greatest baseball players West Bend has seen. It also featured some of the
greatest and oftentimes heated games fans could put their finger on.
And the best part about those games was a lot of money was
always raised.
“That’s what it was about; giving back to the community,”
Mueller said. “It was always for a good cause and we’re very happy to do it.”
The West Bend Baseball Association is one of the
organizations that wanted to get the tradition restarted to make it fun and
memorable for baseball fans and those at The Threshold.
“Very excited,” Eggert said when asked how excited the
organization is to have the charity baseball game back. “We feel that this is
going to be a really good fundraiser for us going forward. We know that it’s
been a success in the past and we hope it continues in the future.”
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