Mentor Firefighters Host Matt Henk Foundation Benefit Softball Tournament

Forty-eight softball teams from as far away as Indianapolis, Detroit and Baltimore will gather for the third annual , which begins this Saturday morning at .

The tournament began as a way to raise money for the wife and twin daughters of Matt Henk, a Mentor firefighter who died from colon cancer in 2009. Henk's friends and co-workers in the Mentor Fire Department started it.

In three short years, the tournament became successful enough that it could also support other causes, including Mentor Youth Hockey, the Ireland Cancer Center and the family of Tom Hough, another firefighter who died because of cancer.

The first softball games begin 8 a.m. Saturday, but the festivities truly start with the opening ceremony at 10 a.m. Several honor guards from around the region, including Mentor, and the Cleveland Firefighters Memorial Pipes and Drums will welcome everyone to the tournament.

Then teams will square off until the tournament championship Sunday afternoon.

Additionally, Jose Canseco and his brother Ozzie Canseco, a fellow former major leaguer, will make an appearance at the tournament. While they plan to watch Saturday evening, the twins will take some batting practice about noon on Sunday.

The public is invited to the tournament. If the kids get bored, they can play on inflatable playgrounds that will be at the high school.

Also, profits from concessions and the sale of T-shirts will go to the Matt Henk Foundation.

The tournament's brackets are attached to this story as a jpg. It would be easiest to see the brackets if you download the photo.