BRENDAN GRANT SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD GIVEN AT 2003 BABE RUTH WORLD SERIES

Award given to Ryan Brophy from Beaverton, Oregon
and Matt Sodolak from Weimar, Texas.

Ceremony held on Saturday, August 16 at the conclusion of the
2003 16-18 year old Babe Ruth championship game in Weimar, Texas

WEIMAR, TX -- This year marks the second presentation of a special sportsmanship award named in recognition of Brendan Grant by Babe Ruth League, Inc.  The awards were given on 16 August 2003 at the conclusion of the 2003 Senior Babe Ruth 16-18 year old World Series at Weimar Veterans Memorial Park in Weimar on a warm summer Saturday afternoon in southern Texas.  

This year, the recipients of the 2003 Sportsmanship awards were Ryan Brophy from Beaverton OR, representing the American Division, and Matt Sodolak from Tri-County TX representing the National Division.  Both of this year's recipients are catchers for their respective teams.

These two young men, representing the American Division and the National division of the 16-18 age bracket of Babe Ruth Baseball, are acknowledged for their true sportsmanship characteristics, both on and off the field.  They are honored with this award for their outstanding contributions to the sport of baseball, and are recognized for having that same "something extra" that Brendan was also known for.

Weimar is one of the smallest towns to ever host a Babe Ruth World Series, and the tournament was a great success in a handsome ballpark with welcome Texas style hospitality.  Weimar is located about equal distance between Houston, Austin, and San Antonio, Texas.  By coincidence, last year the "Tri-County" team from Weimar Texas was the overall winner of the 16-18 year old Babe Ruth Tournament.  Last year's winners of the Sportsmanship Awards were Luke Prihoda from Weimar, Texas, and Ryan Mack from Stamford, Connecticut.     Click here for the full story about last year's tournament and award winners.

This year's award ceremony followed the championship game, with the home team from Hammond Indiana beating the visiting team from Mobile, Alabama with a final score 6 to 3.  This was the second year in a row that Mobile finished as the second place team.  The third place teams were South Texas State Champion for the American Division, and in the National Division it was the tournament host Texas Tri-County.

Participating teams in this year's 2003 playoffs, and making the long trip to Weimar Veterans Memorial Park, were the American Division teams of: Pacific Southwest (San Leandro California); Pacific Northwest (Beaverton Oregon); New England (Cape Cod Massachusetts); Southwest (Mid-County/Nederland Texas); and South Texas State Champions (Eagle Pass Texas).  From the National Division were: Ohio Valley (Hammond Indiana); Midwest Plains (Mineral Area Missouri); Middle Atlantic (Iron Area New Jersey); Southeast (Mobile Alabama); and Texas Tri-County (host team)

Next year's 2004 tournament for the 16-18 year old group is anticipated to be held in the new Babe Ruth complex located in Newark Ohio, just East of Columbus.  For more information, check out the Babe Ruth League website for further details. 

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