By Matt Stout
Staff Writer

With Crispin’s House annual Charity Softball Tournament approaching, area teams are finalizing their rosters for the Friday, Aug. 4, showdown at Villa Augustina Fields. And the selection process can be meticulous.

“I’m taking anybody with arms and legs,” said Neighborhood News sports editor and coach Jerry “Geritol Time” Liptak. “Sure, it’s not perfect, but give me eight chimpanzees and a shortstop, and we’ll still take the title.”

Though primates haven’t been a staple of the event, tournament commissioner and Crispin’s House executive director Laurie Hambleton has seen her fair share of quirky lineup moves.

“The teams use a lot of strategy and superstition,” Hambleton said. “In some cases, I’ve seen the guy with the smelliest socks go first, and sometimes they just send out the smelliest guy.”

Lt. Michael “The Hatchet” Sullivan said the Goffstown Police Department is on the verge of selecting its roster, but is weighing which players get the axe.

“We’ve been having tryouts throughout the last couple of weeks and the coaches, who are yet to be determined, are going to make cuts any day now,” Sullivan said.

Teams meet at the Villa fields starting at 6 p.m. on Aug. 4. The public is welcome to come and support their favorite team and, more importantly, Crispin’s House, a nonprofit organization in Goffstown that works to keep kids making positive choices.

For details on the tournament or Crispin’s House, call 497-3499.