The participating teams for the 2008 tournament were:

Columbus Ohio Pirates, Indianapolis Expos, Ft. Wayne Expos, Crawfordsville Orioles, Chicago Giants, Indianapolis Stallions, Louisville Sluggers, Terre Haute Cubs, Indianapolis Sox, Woodzys Marlins(Fort Wayne), Chicago Oaks, Chicago Thunder

For 2008 we had a field of twelve teams. Newcomers to the tournament were the Fort Wayne Expos and the Chicago Thunder. The tournament also featured three former Labor Day champions in the Indianapolis Stallions, Indianapolis Expos and the Terre Haute Cubs. For the first time we had two current IABL Champions, The MABL Stallions and the MSBL Expos

Teams were seeded after the first two games, with all teams making the tournament. The top four teams all received a first round bye. For the second consecutive year, using a tie breaker of runs allowed made for accurate seeding as evidenced by the fact that the semi finals and finals featured the top four seeds.

“I don’t believe what I just saw”. A phrase coined by legendary broadcaster Jack Buck is eloquent in its’ simplicity. It says, “I’ve been around this game for a long time and seen a lot of baseball, but I’ve never seen THAT!” It also pretty well describes a lot of the action in the tournament.

The unbelievable events started in the first round robin game, when the Columbus Pirates fell behind the Chicago Thunder 10-2 after just three innings. Refusing to quit, the Pirates chipped away at the lead finally winning the game in their last at bat with a bases loaded walk off double by Keith Hausler.

Standings After Round Robin Games

1. Indianapolis Stallions 2-0

2. Indianapolis Expos 2-0

3. Columbus Pirates 2-0

4. Terre Haute Cubs 1-1

5. Chicago Giants 1-1

6. Chicago Oaks 1-1

7. Woodzys Marlins 1-1

8. Louisville Sluggers 1-1

9. Fort Wayne Expos 1-1

10.Crawfordsville Orioles 0-2

11. Indianapolis Sox 0-2

11. Chicago Thunder 0-2

The pattern continued in the first round of elimination with the winning teams scoring in double digits in all four games. Balls were flying into the farmland surrounding Trinity Ballpark at an alarming rate.

First Round Results

Double-digit scores continued into second round action with three of the four winners scoring 10 or more runs.

Second Round

The most unbelievable events took place in the 8^th inning of the game with the #4 Cubs against the #5 Giants. Trailing 6-2 the Cubs started the bottom of the 8^th inning with a base hit. What happened next was the most complete pitching meltdown you will ever see.

The sequence of events is as follows.

Runner on first, next batter reaches on a base on balls. Two on, no outs.

Next batter is hit by a pitch, bases loaded no outs

Next batter is hit by a pitch, run scored, bases loaded no outs.

Pitching Change.

Next batter is hit by a pitch, run scored, bases loaded no outs.

Next batter, walks on 4 pitches, run scored, bases loaded no outs.

Pitching change.

On the second pitch, the Giants pitcher drops the ball in the middle of his windup.

Balk, run scored, runners at 2^nd and 3rd no outs.

Throw in a wild pitch and a passed ball and the Cubs take a two run lead while putting the ball in play once in the inning.

In the top of the 9^th the Giants tried to come back. But, with one run in and runners at 1^st and 2^nd with no out the Giants decided to swing away…the result was a fly ball to center followed by a ground ball double play. Cubs win 8 to 7.

This set up the semi final matchups for Monday with three of the four teams being former Labor Day champions. The #1 Stallions facing the #4 Cubs and #2 Expos facing newcomers to the final four, the #3 Pirates. Congratulations to the Pirates for their first appearance in the final four.

Teams brought out their aces for the semi-finals.

Pete Martin, winner of the MSBL Championship game the week before took the mound for the Expos and threw a complete game gem, shutting out the Pirates 13 –0.

The Stallions, MABL champions and two-time Labor Day winners started longtime staff ace Bruce Stanley against the Cubs. Stanley came into the game undefeated in regular season play and in fact has never lost in league play.

The Stallions took the early lead 8-2, chasing Cub starter Eric Atwood and appeared to be cruising to an all Indy championship game. As anyone who has ever played the Stallions will tell you, falling behind 8-2 means it’s time to start packing your equipment but the never say die Cubs had different plans.

Breaking through in the 7^th, the Cubs closed to within one run chasing Stanley.

Manager Rick Davis relieved and got out of the inning with a lead. Then in the 8^th surrendered the tying run before giving way to Matt McLaren who wound up taking the loss giving up the lead in the 9^th.

Entering in the 5^th inning Jared Clark picked up the win in relief for the Cubs, stranding the tying and run on base in the bottom of the 9^th, completing the Cubs win 10-9.

Clark then took a quick breather before starting the championship game against Matt Tibbs, also the Expos starter in the 2007 Labor Day Championship.

Staying true to form the Cubs fell behind early when Expos leadoff man Jeremy Honaker left the yard on the second pitch of the game.

The Cubs came back and actually took an early lead scoring unearned runs in the 2^nd, then adding a single run in the 3^rd taking a 4-1 lead.

The Expos picked up an unearned run in the 4^th and tied it with 2 runs in the 5^th on a Home Run by LF Dan Taylor. First game starter Eric Atwood coming back in relief just in time to give up the dinger to Taylor.

Cubs CF Matt Moore lead off the seventh with a solo shot ending the day for Tibbs. Expos SS Honaker came through with an RBI double for his 4^th hit of the game to get the run back, and then was thrown out at the plate when he was sent by Expos skipper Ron Sexton on a shallow fly to left. Sexton claimed it was not he but his alter ego, radio personality Donny Baker who sent the runner.

The Expos tied it in the bottom of the 8^th on two singles and a Sac Fly, to set the stage for an unbelievable 9^th inning.

CF Moore started the action getting hit by a pitch from the Expos Paul Siegrist advanced on a wild pitch, and scored the go ahead run on a single by DH Chad Lawson. This was followed by 5 more hits, 2 sac flies, and another hit batsman, until getting back to Moore who jacked the first pitch from Siegrist for his second home run of the game. A 3 run blast to complete the scoring, giving the Cubs a 15-6 lead going into the bottom of the 9^th.

If he were still with us, Jack Buck might have been at a loss for words.

The Expos, however, weren’t done scoring. Plating 4 runs in the bottom of the 9^th. Three of them coming off a bomb by Honaker making him 5 for 5 on the day with 12 total bases and 5 RBI.

Reversing roles, Atwood picked up the win in relief of tournament MVP Jared Clark returning the favor from the semi-final game, giving the Cubs their second tournament championship in 5 years.

E_Expos: J.Honaker, D.Taylor. Cubs: C. Esson, G.Brock, M.Jacobson 2. PB_Kurt Corbin. LOB_Expos 6, Cubs 8. SB_Expos: Kyle Corbin, Cubs: Esson CS_ Beyers Sac Fly_Expos, Kurt Corbin, Cubs, Chessir, O’Neil, Jared Clark, Jacobson Sac_Guhl

HBP_Chessir (By Siegrist) Moore (By Siegrist) WP Siegrist, Tibbs pitched to 1 batter in the 7^th, Clark pitched to 3 batters in the 5th