Can Del Ray businesses defend their title against Old Town in the annual softball battle on Thursday?
Mayor Justin Wilson will throw the first pitch at Eugene Simpson Park (426 E. Monroe Avenue) at 6 p.m. The five-inning game will include food trucks and ice cream. The businesses even got permission from the city to serve draft beer from Port City Brewing Company.
Old Town team captain Trae Lamond, owner of Chadwicks, told us that despite a 50% chance of rain, the real forecast is “cloudy with a chance of lumberstorms.”
“We plan to drop more runs on Del Ray than all their taco concepts, craftsman rebuilds, and labradoodles combined,” Lamond said. “Bill Blackburn and company should be shaking in their yoga pants.”
For the last two years, the John Porter Cup (named after the longtime Alexandria High School principal) has stood on the bar of Blackburn’s pop-up bar at 2312 Mount Vernon Avenue. Blackburn is the Del Ray team captain and says his players are ready.
“In our quest to retain the John Porter Cup for the third straight year, the only thing we are worried about is rain,” Blackburn said in a statement. “Everyone knows Trae will be stuck in floodwaters and we won’t be able to kick his ass again.”
Blackburn continued, “It’s my understanding they had problems getting their uniforms approved by the Board of Architectural Review and may have to forfeit, but I’m crossing my fingers they make it because Del Ray is ready to play.”
Longtime umpire Dana Lawhorne, Alexandria’s retired sheriff, will spend this year in the broadcast booth. In the first contest, in 2018, he threw Blackburn out of the game for questioning one of his calls, after which Blackburn kicked dirt at the retired enforcer of the peace.
“I was relieved of my umpire duties,” Lawhorne said. “Something about my reluctance to call balls and strikes, or whatever. I have been moved to the announcer’s booth, where I plan to tell the fans the real story.”
