Bill Plummer's Book "Best of the Best" Highlights Softball's Greatest Players
What do a veteran sports journalist and a practicing clinical and community psychologist have in common?
Some would say not much. That is, until the subject turns to softball, which in that case the two, Bill Plummer III and Dr. Steven Clarfield, have a lot in common, and it’s all because of softball.
Before 2004, Steve and Bill didn’t know each other. But a phone call from Steve, a former fast pitch hurler for almost three decades, one day that year changed everything. Steve was researching a book on legendary softball pitcher Ty Stofflet. Ty said Steve should contact Bill Plummer because he might be able to help Steve with the book (Softball’s Lefty Legend…Ty Stofflet). Steve took Ty’s advice, called Bill, who eventually wrote an 11 page piece on Ty’s remarkable 20-inning no-hitter in the 1976 ISF Men’s World Fast Pitch Championship against New Zealand. That was, some said, the greatest game ever pitched in ISF men’s competition.
Besides contributing the story, Bill gave Steve names of people and their phone numbers who would help Steve write his book about the southpaw Stofflet, who retired from active play in 1990.
Then, in 2009, after Bill retired after a 30 ½ year career with the Amateur Softball Association in Oklahoma City, Steve called Bill and told him about doing another book. Originally the book was going to be about the evolution of women’s college softball. In the back of the book would be a section called Best of the Best. The original group was 15 and then latter expanded to 19.
The more and more Bill and Steve discussed the book it was eventually decided to drop the evolution idea and concentrate on the Best of the Best book and the 19 people that were selected by Bill, who had gotten to know the people during his years at ASA. Picking the people wasn’t easy because the people had to qualify according to the following criteria: How they excelled (as a player or a coach) in college, how they excelled in the ASA, how they excelled in the Olympics, how they excelled at the international level and how they excelled in the women’s pro league. Some originally were players, then became outstanding coaches, such as Susan Enquist, Sharron Backus, Carol Spanks, Margie Wright, Judi Garman and Joan Joyce. Besides them, also profiled in the book are Debbie Doom, Lisa Fernandez, Dr. Dot Richardson, Stacey Nuveman, Ralph Raymond, Mike Candrea, Jennie Finch, Shawn Andaya, Cat Osterman, Natasha Watley, Monica Abbott, Michele Smith and Cindy Bristow.
Besides the 19 people that were selected another 58 were selected and comprise chapter 20 as an additional group of difference makers.
The book has career highlights, a 16-page color section and 39 black and white photos, and centers on three themes for each of the 19 people selected: “Growing Smarter,” “Grace under Pressure” and “Doing Good by Being Good” and how these people thrived to become difference makers in softball.
Bobby Simpson, owner of Higher Ground and a former Georgia ASA commissioner said “Best of the Best explores the very guts of the game and what it takes to be successful in softball and in life.”
Paula Powell, manager of the El Paso Parks and Recreation Department and a Texas district commissioner, said this about the book “I like it. I want my daughter to read it. I think it would be an inspiration to her.”
The book was published by Clear Vision Publishing, Inc. Manalapan, New Jersey and is available for sale on the CV website www.CVPublishing.com. The book sells for $16.95.
