To celebrate 50 years of Bergen County softball, we tracked down the Top 50 players

Fifty is a big number.

It’s halfway to 100. It’s a milestone, a marker, a moment to pause, to consider, to look back at your accomplishments and think about what is next.

In other words, it’s time to think about time.

I’m not sure when the idea hit me to pick the 50 greatest Bergen County softball players of all time, but I knew now was the time. The Bergen County softball tournament is 50 years old this year. It started in 1974 and has continued every year, except for 2020, but let’s not talk about that.

I've been covering North Jersey softball long enough to know a few things already. I’ve picked a lot of All-North Jersey teams, but never 50 women spanning five decades.

TO SEE THE FULL LIST, CHECK OUT THE GALLERY AT THE TOP OF THIS PAGE OR CLICK HERE.

What was the process? What was the criteria? Listen, I’ll let you in on a little secret. There are never any set criteria. How can you even compare softball players from today to ones from 50 years ago? You can’t. The greats of each decade are the greats. Period. The game has evolved too much.

I’ve also been around long enough to know what I don’t know. I did the work of scanning our All-Decade teams and our All-Century team, but more than that, I talked to the coaches who were there. Former and current Bergen County softball coaches Frank Baldino, Joe Leicht, Frank Venezia, Darren White, Rob Stern, Al Taliaferro, Brenda Canal and others all helped me come up with names to consider. Then it was up to me.

It was important to me to include players from across all five decades. It was important to try to find players from as many different schools as possible. We’ve been playing softball in Bergen County for 50 years, so each school has had at least one great player, right?

Then I came up with 50 names. Melissa Smith from Bergenfield, I’m sorry, you were No. 51, but I know you were great. I didn’t know what to do with some of the sisters. Can I really pick a better Piccinich between Amy or Carly? Heck no. They both made my list. Same for the Sebastian trio. My list, my rules.

There’s no official coach, because that would be too hard, but Brenda Canal would be my choice. She was a Title IX pioneer at River Dell, a successful coach, a role model for the next generation. She has impacted Bergen County softball directly and indirectly for 50 years. And she’s great to talk to. It’s easy to see why her former players adore her.

After picking the 50 women, then it got hard. How would I track them all down? Today, coaches have the phone number of each player. But back when, not so much.

I couldn’t find former Pascack Valley star Lisa Carter, but come on, is there any quality female athlete at Pascack Valley who Jeff Jasper doesn’t know? Jasper, who by the way was a heck of a softball coach before going into basketball, was able to help me find her.

I also had to find Fair Lawn star Karen Mishelof. Former Cutters coach Jack Smithlin tracked her down in Washington state. She told me multiple times how thrilled she was to talk to her old coach when he called.

The last one I reached was also maybe the easiest one to pick. Ramsey’s Cathy Kaminski was probably Bergen County's first softball superstar, the first girl with 1,000 strikeouts. I had phone numbers for her sisters. No luck.

Finally, about 10 days ago, I caught a break. I found a story written about Cathy’s husband, a former New York Jet. He worked in Canton, Ohio as a money manager. The phone number was listed online. I called, got his very bemused secretary who listened to me ramble on for 30 seconds, then patched me through. Cathy K called me later that night.

The idea was to get fresh pictures of all 50 women, all in the same style, sort of a “Sportsman of the Year” style. Clean, regal, distinguished pictures. All credit goes to world-class photographer Chris Pedota for making it happen. We invited everyone who could come to IHA for the Bergen County quarterfinals and pop into the gym for a quick picture. It was the biggest (and, dare I say, best) Bergen County softball reunion ever.

It also gave me great joy to connect with so many players. Christy Dellapenta lives on a working farm in Texas. She sent me cow pictures. Former Saddle Brook star Kim Prevedel (also in the 1,000-strikeout club) is also in Texas. Ridgewood speed demon Jackie Tyler is pregnant with her third girl, due in August.

Patti Gerckens sent me the nicest note. She somehow went from Old Tappan all the way to San Diego, and has been the head softball coach at UC San Diego for the last 32 years. The pride of Cliffside Park, Johnna Tolomeo, is a school principal in New York. She said getting this honor made her think back to her softball days.

Donna Ricker is the lone deceased player on the list, but she was also an easy choice. Finding former friends and teammates was easy. Donna’s impact still resonates among those who knew and miss her.

Fifty years is a long time. Softball in Bergen County is still strong. These are the women who helped build it, and sustain it, and they marvel at it now. That’s how you define greatness.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: 50 years of Bergen County softball: Finding top players