Brought to you by Easton Sports
This next Hot Corner profiles Hall of Famer David Stevens. David is no longer an active player on the PS.com circuit but he is still very involved attending tournaments and taking professional quality photographs of the game which have been used by Softball Magazine
Name: David Stevens
Nickname: Popeye
Team: Jacksonville Police Softball Club
Position: Left Center
Years Playing LEO softball: 1980-1997
Q-Describe your game in one word?
A-Intense
Q-What would bother you the most, forgetting your bat(s) or glove at home?
A-Glove
Q-Favorite Tournament and why?
A-Dayton because of it's rich history and the support of the community.
Q-Who is the best gamer in cop softball?
A-Sammy Sapienza when I played but today I would probably go with Bobby Lambert
Q-Who is the best player right now in the East?
A-Paul Cullen
Q-You unintentionally nail the pitcher with a line drive. Do you acknowledge him?
A-Yes
Q-Is the middle open?
A-Yes but not right at the pitcher if you can help it.
Q-Should pitching masks be mandatory or optional?
A-Optional
Q-Whose message board posts do you enjoy the most?
A-Skip's
Q-Who is the best player right now in the West?
A- I have not seen a lot of the west but I have to go with Ryan Coe from what I have observed.
Q-Who is the best overall player EVER in the game?
A- Doug Cullen, he was a tremendous 3rd baseman before his back injury and his power at the plate continues to haunt opponents.
Q-Who is the best player that flies under the radar?
A-I don't know if he really flies under the radar but he does not get the recognition he deserves. I have to go with the shortstop for the Ohio Lawmen (Rob Menke). He always plays extremely hard and contributes with a great glove and is a force at the plate.
Q-What is the best team you have ever seen?
A- 1992-1993 Jacksonville Police Softball Club. We won every tournament we played in (Houston, Jacksonville, Dayton, Detroit, just to name a few two years in a row. We also took the USSSA World Championship in Atlantas Georgia during that run.
Q-What does your current team need to do to improve?
A- Be more consistent
Q-If you need a base hit, who do you want up on your team?
A- Doug Cullen
Q-If you need a HR, who do you want up on your team?
A- Paul Cullen
Q-If a defensive play needs to be made on your team, who do you want to have the ball hit to?
A-Bubba Baldwin
Q-What is your most exciting moment in police softball?
A- Winning the National Championship in Dayton, Ohio in 1989. We were definitely the Cinderella story that year when we knocked off NYPD but after finishing second in 1990 and winning back to back titles in 1992-1993 we were more like the wicked step-mother.
Q-What is your biggest disappointment in police softball?
A- That Rick Hall did not travel with us to Dayton in 1989 when we won the title and he died before we won it again.
Q-If a teammate was using a juiced bat, what would you do?
A-Tell him to get rid of it or find a place on the bench. That is a discredit to the entire team.
Q-Are you on the social networking site called Facebook?
A-Yes
Q-Provided bat tournaments, yes or no?
A- No
Q-Is your game more resemble a lion, a bear or a greyhound?
A-Greyhound.
Q-What team is not living up to their potential?
A-South Florida Lawmen, they have some outstanding players but they also have some headcases and big egos.
Q-State rule, yes or no?
A- Yes
Q- Who will win the 2009 Police vs. Corrections All Star game?
A- The Police because we are use to working in the elements :-)
Q-The HOF, too hard to get into, too easy, just about right?
A- Too many inducted in 2006 but about right now.
Q-Who was/is your police softball mentor?
A-Rick Hall
Q-If you are king of police softball, what do you do?
A- Stop the bashing of fellow law enforcement officers on Police Softball.com. This site is open to the public and it puts some of these "law enforcement professionals" in a bad light.
Q-Who is the toughest pitcher you have ever faced?
A-Sammy Sapienza
Q-Biggest problem with cop softball
A-It's not cop softbal anymore
Q-Which team has the hottest girls?
A-Minnesota. They have held the title for years!
Q-Other than your own, what manager would you want to play for and why?
A-Dennis McKee of Wayne-Oakland because he cared about his players and was a great supporter of police softball over the years.
Q-Best glove on the circuit?
A-Donny Meyer (he is very good now but was simply tremendous his first 15 ears on the circuit.
Q-Who has more overall talent, East Coast or West Coast?
A-East. the West seems to be top loaded
Q-What team do you root against even when you are not playing them?
A-South Florida
Q-Who should be in the Hall of Fame that isn’t?
A-Lonnie McDonald and Mike Lahey
Q-What is your pet peeve in police softball
A-Games with time limits
Q-Any last words?
A- While I don't play anymore I still enjoy keeping up with those who do on your site. Keep up the good work!
