Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, September 10, 1995                   TAG: 9509110112
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: GREG EDWARDS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

POLICE HIT, STEAL AND RUN - BUT FOR A GOOD CAUSE

Stealing is OK with the Virginia State Police in Salem this weekend.

Eleven state police slow-pitch softball teams from around Virginia, along with nine local police and fire and rescue teams, have descended on the city for the annual "Blue and Gray" charity softball tournament, which benefits Virginia chapters of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Stealing bases is allowed and even expected. So, too, are hitting and running, hollering and generally having a good time. It's one of the few occasions, outside of a coal strike, that state police officers from around Virginia have a chance to get together.

The teams participating in this weekend's round-robin tournament each play a minimum of 10 games over a two-day span, with the championship round determined by team records, according to Ben Caldwell, who organized the tournament 10 years ago and has run it ever since.

Games are played at three locations around Salem, primarily at the Moyer Sports Complex. Much of the success of the tournament can be attributed to the city of Salem, Caldwell said. "They've treated us like gold," he said.

Caldwell, a state police narcotics investigator who works out of the Salem divisional office, said the tournament has raised $152,755 over its previous nine years and for the past six years has cleared over $20,000 each year. The money goes to Make-A-Wish chapters in Richmond, Virginia Beach and Northern Virginia, which use it to fulfill the dreams of seriously ill children.

The participating officers arrange their schedules ahead of time to be in Salem for the tournament, Caldwell said. The favorites to win this year's tournament are teams from Virginia Beach and Culpeper.

Members of a Richmond team, playing in Saturday afternoon's 85-degree weather, said they look forward to the tournament because it's fun and raises money for a good cause.

The troopers raise funds for the tourney through a contest that features as prizes television sets and other appliances donated by Lee Hartman & Sons of Roanoke. The State Police Association also donated $5,000.