Police-firefighter softball game highlights Boulder City event

By Jean Reid Norman

Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2009 | 10:43 p.m.

The stats from the annual police-firefighter softball game Tuesday in Boulder City went something like this:

Home runs: Police 3, each with a trip around the bases; firefighters 0.

Strikeouts: Firefighters 3, each with a trip to the dunk tank; police 0.

Final score: Police 14, firefighters 13.

Number of consecutive wins: Firefighters 1, police 3.

But who’s counting? What mattered during the highlight of the National Night Out crime-prevention event was the trash talk, and the firefighters no doubt led by a wide margin.

As Officer Dave Olson ran to first base after his first single, a voice from the firefighters’ stands yelled, “Don’t lean forward too much. You’ll stretch out your shirt.”

Two innings later, Olson replied with a home run.

After an officer swung hard and missed, a voice from the firefighters’ stands offered, “You OK? You need a paramedic?”

And later, as Olson headed to first base when his team had no first base coach, the voice from the firefighters yelled, “Hold up, hold up.” When an error was made, the voice yelled louder to Olson, “Hold up, hold up!”

The chiefs had their own, quieter duel at first base. Left-hander Police Chief Thomas Finn playing first and Fire Chief Kevin Nicholson coaching first base.

Nicholson tried to persuade Finn that police runners should have been out at first twice. Finn replied by checking the digital camera of Parks and Recreation Director Roger Hall, who was shooting photos, and shrugging.

Ultimately, the Police Department got the last word. After giving the trophy to the police team, emcee former Councilman Mike Pacini asked police coach Sgt. Slade Griffin if he had anything to say to the firefighters.

Griffin yelled into the microphone: “We’re better!”