Softball and Soundbyte

Last month, I talked to WAFB Channel 9’s sports anchor Jacques Doucet about his charity softball tournament and detention-worthy cover band.

Here’s how it went down:

Over the radio in my Jeep, I heard, “And, coming up, we’ve got Channel 9’s Jacques Doucet…”

“No you don’t!” I said. “He’s mine for another 27 minutes!” Already other media were one-upping me…

Jacques Doucet was easy to find, on account of he’s normally on TV. He wore a T-shirt that read “2010 PRODAY LSU MEDIA.”

My T-shirt read “Slang Angus.”

Doucet and I chatted as I prodded my laptop. “I could just start talking about the tournament,” he said.

“I have plenty of specific questions,” I said.

“Great!” said Jacques. “Go ahead!”

“So,” I said, “Tell me about the tournament.”

Without making fun of me, Doucet got me up to speed on the softball tournament.

“When I was a senior in high school, I built a softball field on my parents’ backyard and got three to four teams to participate,” he said. Doucet would typically get teams from grocery stores and service stations for a four-team round robin.

“As it went on through the years,” Doucet continued, “the tournament was a reunion for the friends who originally participated.” But what if the tournament could be something more than a stimulant to the window-glass economy?

“A few years back (this was after I got into TV), a friend of mine asked if we could do something for the military as a charity,” Doucet continued. He explained that his friend had been in the military in the early ’90s.

Since that inquiry, Doucet and his tournaments have raised $35,000 for Louisiana Cares and Blue Star Mothers of Louisiana. This year, the target is Support Our War Heroes — an organization out of Mandeville that gives money to wounded warriors and sets up scholarships for children of the fallen. Thirty-two teams have already signed up for the cause!

So, why should you go to the tournament? “The tournament will kick off on Friday (July 16) with the Softball for Soldiers Celebrity/Sorta-celebrity Game.” Jacques gave examples of what this means: “Early Doucet is a celebrity,” he said. “Jacques Doucet is a sorta-celebrity.”

That said, Jacques Doucet gave me the list of celebrities. It was still growing at that point, but awesome nonetheless. “People scheduled to play are former NFL wide receiver Joe Horn, Chief of Police Jeff LeDuff, District Attorney Hillar Moore, Mayor-President Kip Holden, and Sheriff Sid Gautreaux,” said Doucet. Also on the list are some coaches: Southern University’s new head Jaguar football coach Stump Mitchell and LSU men’s and women’s basketball head coaches Trent Johnson and Van Chancellor.

The celebrity game also features LSU/NBA basketball greats, such as forward Rudy Macklin and guard Ricky Blanton. Retired MLB outfielder David Dellucci will be playing, and so will his wife. (Model/actress Rachel Reynolds Dellucci is best known for her work crashing cars on The Price Is Right.)

From LSU football, the celebrity game has ex-NFL quarterback Rohan Davey and safety Jack Hunt. Dual baseball/basketball threat and ex-MLB pitcher Ben McDonald will be playing, and so will former LSU shortstop Jason Williams.

The list of celebrities is rounded out by TV personalities. WAFB Sports Director Steve Schneider, WAFB sports reporter Erin Cofiell, and NBC33 sports reporter/ex-LSU softball All-American Emily Turner will play. Nashville Star’s David St. Romain will also play (softball, not country music. Phew!)

Doucet was also geeked about the music after the game. “We’re getting the Atomic Punks out of Los Angeles — the only Van Halen tribute band endorsed by David Lee Roth.” (This is not to be confused with the Ionic Punks, the only Van Halen tribute band to be endorsed by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino.)

“Also, we have a band called 5150 who will open,” Doucet said. 5150 is named for Van Halen’s seventh studio album, and also the last four digits of your Social Security number.

Jacques Doucet’s own band Soundbyte will be the opener-opener. That was awesome news to me…

“So tell me about your band,” I said into my laptop. (This only worked because I was typing.)

“I am the front man, the ‘weak link’ of the band,” Doucet smiled and shrugged. “Avery Davidson plays bass. Eric DiSanto plays guitar, and we’re excited to have back our ‘rock ’n’ roll’ attitude of the band, drummer Matt Tortorich.” Soundbyte was originally formed out of Doucet’s desire to preempt the turn-taking and “Journey quotient” of modern-day karaoke…

“I should tell you about the infamous 2008 Hollydays gig,” said Doucet. “When they asked us to play, I wasn’t sure if the music was best for the event.” There was something about Stone Temple Pilots covers that just didn’t go with women shopping for crafts.

“Five songs into the set, a guy came up to us and said, ‘You guys are going to need to take a break.’”

“For how long?” Doucet and his band asked.

“For the rest of the afternoon,” was the response.

“So we were pretty much kicked out,” said Doucet. “But Matt, our drummer, hadn’t wanted to tell anyone we had the gig until we got thrown out. So we just say that we have a total of nine-and-a-quarter gigs played!”

The 2010 Doucet Charity Softball Tournament is Friday, July 16 through Sunday, July 18 at Oak Villa Softball Complex in Baton Rouge. Rain gear and cell phones will be permitted for all attendees who are not Joe Horn. For registration, tickets, or ’80s rock facts, email jdoucet@wafb.com.