Country Chatter

“The Couch Potatoes” (as they were affectionately dubbed!)

(Photo by Marilyn Durham)

This weekend was the sixth annual Robbie Green Memorial Softball Tournament in Powhatan. I asked Robbie’s older brother, Charlie Jr.  to tell me the story behind Robbie Green.  I remembered the accident happening but couldn’t remember all the details. Robbie was one of the Powhatan sheriff deputies and on September 20, 2006  he was killed while on duty.  His patrol car ran off the road while responding to back up deputies and state troopers in a vehicle pursuit. The driver had attempted to avoid a DUI check point by making a U-turn and leaving the area. The accident rocked the county.  This was the first and only time the county has lost a law enforcement officer while on duty.  He left behind a grieving wife and young son, Chaytor.  Just an interesting tidbit I learned today… Chaytor was baptized today.

Read more: http://www.odmp.org/officer/18506-deputy-sheriff-robert-earl-robbie-green#ixzz2ezor8LBI

Robbie and his family loved softball and the following year a memorial tournament was held in his memory. It has become an annual event.

Somehow the tattered flag flying at the ball field seems an appropriate tribute to the fallen deputy.

Several days before the 3rd annual event, Robbie’s father, Charlie Green, died unexpectedly from a bout with pneumonia.  Mr Green was well-known and well-loved in Powhatan. He served on the Board of Supervisors and was very involved in athletics in Powhatan.  His obituary in the Richmond Times Dispatch read.... Mr. Green was a coach, league director, vice president, and president of 15 years with the Powhatan Youth Athletic Association Inc.. At his death, he was state director of Virginia Dixie Youth Baseball. After decades of work with others in the community, he recently saw the opening of an athletic complex at Powhatan’s Fighting Creek Park. 

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Gene has played in three of the tournaments, twice as pitcher for the sheriff’s department team.

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This year an interesting side-story developed that involves an old sofa.

Several of the local deputies were at the County Seat eating lunch when they spied a pickup pulling a trailer loaded with an old sofa go past the restaurant.  Deputy Daniel Dehart knew the guy and texted him asking where he was going with the sofa. The man replied that he was taking it to the dump.  Dehart wanted the sofa!  The “softball playing deputies” now had a clever, creative, team rallying idea up their sleeve.

The sofa became a fixture on the sidelines or in the dugout (depending on the field) for the sheriff’s team the duration of the tournament.

The word was…this was their “good luck” sofa. If they won they were storing it for next year and if they lost they were burning it.  This afternoon they lost!  They won 3 and lost 2 in the double elimination tournament.

 Rest in peace old sofa.

Several pictures from today…

Let’s play ball!

Celebrating a homerun!

The Scott Broughton family watching the game. Scott played for “The Band of Brothers” team.

The two final teams playing valiantly to the end.  Both teams were from the Farmville area. The “Band of Brothers” (in red) ended up playing 4 games back-to-back….5 plus hours to win!  Both teams were superior and both deserved to win. Congratulations to Band of Brothers for earning a title well-deserved!