Battle of the Badge is about bragging rights for a good cause

MOSES LAKE — Will there be a little swag happening? Yep. How about little smack talk? It’s possible. What about 100 percent fun for a good cause? Gar-ron-teed.

The second annual Battle of the Badges softball game between the Moses Lake police and fire departments get underway at 6 p.m. on Thursday at Larson Playfield. The fire department is the defending champions in this short-lived series, but the real winners are the Moses Lake Boys & Girls Club of the Columbia Basin. Last year, the game raised around $3,000. They’re hoping to raise more this year in the battle for bragging rights amongst Moses Lake’s finest.

“All proceeds go to the Boys & Girls Club to help fund what they do throughout the year here in the community, which is the real purpose,” said firefighter/paramedic Jason Koziol. “People need to see the police and fire departments working whether it’s a small community or a large community. The large communities don’t have the camaraderie, I guess you’d say, like we do. We’re neighbors. We see each other off-duty. We’re coming together as a brotherhood to raise money for a good cause.”

There are anywhere from 175 to 200 elementary students through teenagers at the new Boys & Girls facility on Paxon Drive at any one time and upwards of 250 throughout the day. They provide a game room, gym, a computer lab, or just a place to hang out in a safe environment.

The kids get help and tutoring. They have an arts center. The game room that promotes social activities, learning how to share and play together and resolve conflict.

They have acres of outside facility, so they promote physical activities, as well as health and nutrition awareness.

The Boys & Girls Club is not just elementary-aged students, but the teen program is new. They have a dedicated staff for teenagers to give them some direction.

The Moses Lake Police Department is happy to raise money for kids in the community and promote a safe place to learn and grow, officer Juan Rodriguez said.

“The great thing about it is the community outreach and having them be a part of game and get them involved,” Rodriguez said. “The Boys & Girls Club is a very positive place for kids to be, a safe place for kids to be, we definitely what that to continue to grow in the Columbia Basin.”

Brotherhood, shmotherhood, cops and firefighters are human and they want to win no bones about it. It’s for bragging rights.

“Fire did beat us last year, so we’re looking to take it this year,” Rodriguez said. “We’ve been practicing and playing hard. Hopefully, we’ll be able to take it this year.”

The cops are going to have to take it, because the firefighters will defend their honor.

“Obviously everybody has a competitive spirit and we want to win,” Koziol said. “So a game like this has a competitive side for bragging rights. When we won last year we gave them a hard time, but it was all in good fun.”

Good fun and a better sense of community spirit, the Battle of the Badges has it all.