Future bright for Black Sox despite player exodus
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Black Sox mentor Eddie Kohlhase is set to bow out as a world champion but the record-breaking team's two most decorated players might put up their hands as future coaches.
The Black Sox, who beat Venezuela 4-1 in yesterday's final in Auckland, embellished their reputation as one of the most successful teams in New Zealand sport, winning their sixth gold medal in their eighth consecutive grand final.
Softball New Zealand general manager Dane Dougan hoped their triumph would attract continued funding and boost the sport's public profile.
Dougan said "one of the first of many" congratulatory texts came from High Performance Sport New Zealand chief executive Alex Baumann.
"That was the important one. This [victory] doesn't secure our funding [the Black Sox receive $200,000 a year] but it goes a long way towards it.
"We are going to get on and file our application pretty quickly."
The Black Sox planned a big party with whanau and friends last night but it was also a time for reflection for coach Kohlhase and several senior players hanging up their cleats at elite international level.
Home-run-hitting catcher Patrick Shannon confirmed he was retiring, as did long-time outfielder Thomas Makea - rated by Kohlhase as "alongside Mark Sorenson as our greatest ever player" - and former captain Jarrad Martin said it was likely he had had "my last at-bat".
Kohlhase said before the tournament that this was likely to be his last and he repeated his stance yesterday. "I've been involved with this team now for 30 years as a player and a coach and it's probably time to move on.
"I think it was very important that I carried on and put things right because we weren't overly pleased with our performance in 2009 [when the Black Sox lost their world title to Australia]."
He said he had not fully discussed his departure with the players but it seemed a perfect time to go out.
Kohlhase was unaware he had made history as the first New Zealander to win world championships as a player and a coach but it made him very proud.
"To win it as a player [in 1984] was great but to win it as a coach, I'm just honoured."
Yesterday Martin and Makea emulated Mark Sorenson's record of four world championship gold medals.
The Wellington pair won their first world title in 1996 but won't be tempted to go for a fifth in Canada in 2015.
"I actually talked to Thomas afterwards and said, 'what about one more [as a player]?'," Martin said. "But he said, 'nah, nah' [and] I said, 'I'm joking too.
"It's time for us to move on. There's a lot of young talent coming through and it's time to give them a shot."
Martin stopped short of saying he was retiring.
  
