Softballer Has Long History of Winning
By Aaron Guerrero
Posted at 12:01 a.m. on June 28, 2012
Canon Sobay’s winning credentials are the stuff of softball legends.
The native Michigander and captain of the House Softball League’s Liberty Square Sliders moved to Washington, D.C., almost 10 years ago to work for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Today, he works for Booz Allen Hamilton.
During that decade, he’s won a combined five league championships between his time in the Senate and House softball leagues.
He’s also prevailed four times in the King of the Hill game, which matches the winners of the HSL against the SSL. For three of the four, he was a member of the Senate league.
His playing days began in the Congressional Softball League for Milwaukee’s Best in 2002 and ended as a member of the Insliders in 2005. He transitioned to the Senate league in 2005, starting out as a player for the RBI’s of Texas before forming his own team, Well Swung. There, he won championships in 2006 and 2007 (RBI’s of Texas) and in 2008 and 2009 (Well Swung).
From 2006 to 2009, he did dual duty in the SSL and HSL. While in the House league, Sobay and friends have played under the Liberty Square Sliders moniker.
It’s not unreasonable to conclude that Sobay and the Sliders have advanced the HSL’s reputation as the more competitive league.
While careful not to critique the other leagues, he holds up the HSL as having a higher degree of organization and competitive muscle.
“The House league is definitely more competitive,” he said. “It’s the most well-run, most thought-out.”
He commends HSL Commissioner Anthony Reed for regularly updating the league website and integrating features such as RPI rankings and a trash-talk message board.
The high quality of the league has made winning its championship the most gratifying for Sobay. Having struggled to make it over the final-four hump for four consecutive years in the year-end tournament, the Sliders won the championship in 2010 by defeating Texas Republic.
Still, he’s modest when it comes to characterizing his on-field success.
“We’ve had a lucky run I guess. It’s been pretty fun,” he said.
To help ensure his streak continues, Sobay relies on teammates such as Nick Falvo.
Falvo — think of him as the Scottie Pippen to Sobay’s Michael Jordan — has played on every team of which Sobay has been a part.
“Canon may be losing a step in the outfield, but he’s still quick out of the box and has become proficient at turning triples into doubles,” Falvo jabbed in an email.
For Sobay, softball has been a competitive boon and a social one, as well.
The sport was vital in helping the native Midwesterner adapt to the urban terrain. He likes to recount a recent social event where, he said, about 95 percent of the attendees were people he’s met through softball.
“We’re really competitive when we’re playing, but I think it helps to be friends with everybody on the team as well,” he said.
