JOHN OGDEN

Men’s Major Fastpitch Softball Sportswriter for Cedar Rapids Gazette

Covered fastpitch amateur softball starting in 1981

Initial primary focus was the Cedar Rapids Men’s Major Fastpitch Softball League

Games were played every night of the mid-week and along with articles written for the Gazette, John also performed PA announcement along with official scoring duties for each game

Compiled statistics for the league and intermittently reported standings primarily in batting averages along with pitching records in Gazette articles throughout the season

Wrote a weekly softball notebook during the season including a very popular preseason preview of the Major Open teams to start the season coverage

Performed consistent Gazette articles on player performances throughout the season which included year end interviews with the top pitching and hitting finishers

Covered in his 40 plus year career with the Gazette ( including being promoted to Sports Editor ) writing about all forms of amateur softball which included coverage of yearly district, state and National / World fastpitch tournaments

Covered and reported the entire 1987 ISC World Tournament won by Teleconnect from Cedar Rapids Iowa which took place in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Canada which featured First Team All World and MVP Pitcher Michael White along with Second Team All World Hitting sluggers Jody Hennigar and Kevin Hartwig

The glory days of fastpitch softball were thrilling to John and he was a big fan and proponent of the game and the players and managers who took the field

What is now USA Softball ( formerly ASA Softball ) John was recognized with awards for coverage and columns of his softball journalistic work