Softball Tournament with Sam Horn

Congratulations CVS and All Participating Teams! Rajiv Kumar

"I would like to personally congratulate members of the CVS team for winning the 2007 Sam Horn Softball Tournament in Newport on July 21st. Without the hard work and dedication of CVS and all our participating teams, the success of our fundraising efforts would not have been possible."

Rajiv Kumar
Chairman, Shape Up RI
Tournament Updates

Introducing Shape Up RI's Photo Gallery

July 30, 2007

Pictures from the 2007 tournament are now available! Please continue to our photo album to view our collection of over 200 photos from the games. A special thanks to our photographer, Bonnie Briant, for capturing the event.

Game highlights:


Congratulations to the CVS Team!

July 21, 2007

As the winner of the Sam Horn Softball Tournament, the CVS Team will receive the following prize package:

  • A Day at McCoy with Sam Horn on August 30th
    • 15 tickets to a PawSox game
    • A walk on the field before a game with introduction
    • The winning team's company name on the scoreboard during the game
    • Autographed ball for the team captain
    • The winning team's company name on the scoreboard during the game
    • Signed baseballs from Sam

  • A Day at Fenway with Sam Horn on September 5th
    • Early dinner at LongHorn Steakhouse on Sam's tab
    • An insiders tour of Fenway Park with Sam
    • A team photo opportunity with Sam inside Fenway.
    • 12 tickets to the day's Red Sox game
    • The winning team's company name on the scoreboard during the game
    • Signed baseballs from Sam

    The winning team will meet Sam at the Boston LongHorn Steakhouse at 3:00 PM for an early dinner, then head over to Fenway to have their tour of the park during batting practice before the regular ticketholders are allowed into the stadium. They will have an opportunity for a team photo with Sam before heading to their 12 seats down the first base line. During the game, their company name will be posted on the scoreboard.

We would also like to congratulate our four other participating teams who played in the games and whose contributions were essential to the success of our fundraising campaign: Hinckley, Allen & Snyder, the grand prize winners from Shape Up RI 2007; RISE, Governor Donald L. Carcieri's RI State Employees; the Brown Bombers from Brown University; and the House Leaders, Rhode Island House of Representatives. As the 2007 Shape Up RI spokesperson and overseer of the event, Sam Horn concludes: "The tournament went great, and it was a huge success... Congratulations to our winners from the CVS Team - see you at the ball game!"
2007 Sam Horn Softball Tournament

"We are inviting all Rhode Island companies to join us for the most exciting summer softball event of 2007. Shape Up RI and Sam Horn have teamed up to promote playing sports as an important part of a healthy and active lifestyle. Let's play ball!"

Rajiv Kumar
Chairman, Shape Up RI

Shape Up RI Invites Rhode Island Companies to Play Ball

March 29, 2007

Letters went out in the mail this month inviting Rhode Island companies to field teams for the 2007 Shape Up RI Softball Tournament in July. Tournament organizers, including former Red Sox player and NESN sportscaster Sam Horn, will accept the first 10 corporate teams to sign up. The tournament's winning team will get bragging rights among its corporate peers and a free trip to Fenway Park to watch a ballgame and participate in a behind-the-scenes tour of the stadium.

“In addition to the exciting games we expect to see in July, the teamwork and friendly competition will improve the health of the players, and that’s a good corporate ‘bottom line’,” said Rajiv Kumar, chairman of Shape Up RI, a two-year-old nonprofit health organization started by the Brown Medical School student to combat obesity, poor eating habits, and inactivity.

“We’re looking for the state’s corporate leaders to encourage their employees to live active, healthy lifestyles, and playing sports can help.”

Kumar explained that in 2006, Shape Up RI organized more than 200 workplace exercise teams that, in only three months, lost a combined 5,911 pounds and logged 69,132 hours of exercise. In 2007, there are 7,000 participants and over 600 workplaces participating in the exercise and weight-loss challenge. A very public corporate softball tournament should help spread the message of healthy lifestyles even further.

Sam Horn will be doing his part, too. As part of ‘spring training’ prior to the Shape Up RI Softball Tournament, Horn will personally work with each registered team to help players practice and sharpen their skills at his Around the Horn Sports Center in East Greenwich. He’ll also personally lead the Fenway Park stadium tours for the winning corporate team.

A first round amateur draft pick by the Red Sox in 1982, Horn was a designated hitter in the major leagues for eight years and a star player in the Taiwan Major Leagues for another two years, finally retiring in 1999. In addition to his training camp, he is a post-game analyst for the New England Sports Network following Red Sox games. He is the namesake for the highly-respected “Sons of Sam Horn” Red Sox online message board.

Corporations can sign up for the 2007 Shape Up RI Softball Tournament by calling the Shape Up RI office at (401) 421-0608.

Blue Cross Blue Shield Rhode Island is Shape Up RI’s lead sponsor for 2007.

Game Rules, Tournament Structure, and the Prize

April 3, 2007

Game Rules for the Sam Horn Softball Tournament:

  • Games will run 3 innings or 45 minutes, whichever comes first.
  • Games will be played on a field with 60 ft. base lines and a maximum field depth of 300ft.
  • Teams must be made up of eleven players total. Ten will play the field and the eleventh will be a designated hitter.
  • Teams must designate one coach. The coach can either be a playing member of the team or an additional, non-playing individual.
  • Shape Up RI will provide bats and balls for the tournament. Teams will be responsible for their own gloves and uniforms should they choose to have them. Teams are also permitted to bring their own bats of any kind.
  • All players must bat in an order designated at the start of the game.
  • All players will begin their at-bat with a 1-1 (one ball and one strike) count.
  • Foul balls will be counted as strikes at all times. If a player hits a foul ball and already has two strikes, s/he will be out.
  • Teams will be limited to scoring a maximum of 5 runs per inning.
  • Players can switch defensive positions only between innings.
  • Slow-pitch softball regulations will govern the remainder of the game.

Tournament Structure for the Sam Horn Softball Tournament:

  • The tournament will be structured as a single elimination playoff series.
  • Teams will draw slots out of a hat just prior to the start of the tournament.
  • In the event that there are six participating teams, the tournament will flow as follows:
    • In the first round, Team 1 will play Team 6, Team 2 will play Team 5, and Team 3 will play Team 4.
    • The losing teams in round one will be eliminated from the tournament.
    • The team with the highest winning score in Round one will receive a by into the championship game. The remaining two teams will face off in a semi-final.
    • The winner of the semi-final will play the team that had the highest winning score in Round 1 for the title of "Sam Horn Softball Tournament Champions" and the Sam Horn Prize package.
  • In the event there are more than six teams, a revised tournament structure will be posted prior to the start of the game. It will remain structured as a single elimination playoff.
  • Each team can pick their own name – they may wish to incorporate their corporate sponsor in the name.
  • We encourage teams to bring their boosters; the tournament will be open to the public, free of charge.

The Prize

The winner of the Sam Horn Softball Tournament will receive A Day at Fenway with Sam Horn prize package, which includes:

  • An insiders tour of Fenway Park with Sam
  • A team photo opportunity with Sam inside Fenway.
  • Lunch at a Boston Restaurant on Sam's tab
  • 12 Tickets to the day's Red Sox game
  • The winning team's company name on the scoreboard during the game