Randy Wackerle (Left) and Greg Keenan (Both of Bay City) claimed the Saginaw Paddleball Tournament recently held at the Saginaw YMCA. (Photo Courtesy of Jim Owens)

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Wackerle Still Adding to Paddleball Doubles Resume'

November 27, 2011
By: O. J. Cunningham

If you know anything about National Paddleball Player, Randy Wackerle . . . You know he's always looking for a game.

The 63-year-old lefty, and 2001 Bay County Sports Hall of Fame Inductee, just doesn't seem to be able to face the fact that Father Time might just be his final nemises.

But not this year . . .

Wackerle (with doubles partner Greg Keenan) found a "game" recently over at the Saginaw YMCA.

To hear Wackerle tell it, "I got my arm twisted into playing a paddleball tournament in Saginaw."

But the way it no doubt "actually came down" . . . Wackerle teamed up with Bay City's Greg Keenan and eleven games and a couple of days later, the Wackerle-Keenan duo were holding the winner's trophy over in Saginaw.

This is Wackerle's 46th paddleball title. "My most favorite thing to tell," says Wackerle. "Is that I've won those titles with thirty-two (32) different partners," Wackerle added.

"I actually thought my winning days might be over," Wackerle said about the tournament. "Cramps are effecting me now when I play for any extended period. "My wife Jane says I'm crazy . . . maybe so."

The championship match was against Bay City's Sandy DeGrief and Adrian's Sonny Salazar. Wackerle-Keenan outlasted DeGrief-Salazar in a hard fought third game tie-breaker. "It's always sweet to beat DeGrief," Wackerle laughed. The DeGrief-Wackerle head-to-head list of battles is a long one.



In the B Division, four teams battled over the weekend in a round robin format. The finals resulted in Rick Kogelman and Steve Weir defeating Jody Henning and Jim Price in 2 straight games.


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