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Sunday, March 18
Hitters Reaction Time
Is it tougher to hit off a major league baseball pitcher or an elite fastball pitcher ?
Article by : Dave Paetkau
From The Inside Curve web site
Saturday, January 27
1980 Grimsby Peach Kings @ ISC Worlds
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1980 ISC World Softball Championship
Tempe, Arizona
Grimsby Peach Kings : 3rd Place
TOP ROW (L to R) Trainer (Name ? ), Duff Benallick (catcher), Doug Forth (1st b), Dave Jackson (P), Greg Dick (1st b, DH), Bob Fisher (P), Pete Landers (P), Ed Unrau (P), Brian Ostrosser (SS), George Giacinti (Utility) Larry Christie (Head Coach), Bob Baird (Ass't Coach).
BOTTOM ROW (L to R) Craig Barnfield (OF), Larry Foxton (2nd b), Dan Donohue (1st b), Joe O'Neill (CF), Dick Bosher (3rd b), Bill Everest (catcher), Doug Foxton (SS, 3rd b), Wally Kusy (catcher), Dave Bourne (LF), Bob Christie (OF).
BATBOY Dave Benallick ( currently playing OASA masters with Waterdown Hammer )
Ontario Masters Fastball Web Site Administrator's note : I asked Duff Benallick for some background information about the team and here is his reply to me which is re-printed with his permission.
That year, the Grimsby Peach Kings qualified for the I.S.C.'s by being the
mid-season leader of the Ontario Fastball League. The OFL, at that time, had
achieved a really high level, and invitations to International competitions
had become more frequent. As you may remember, Ontario had been a virtual
hotbed for fastball for some time and the OFL was a product of that.
The late George Vanderburgh (spelled right ?) owned the team and he decided
to take advantage of the pick up rules to "beef up" a roster that was
already pretty good. I had been playing in Oshawa that year, with the Tony's
and when Grimsby added Pete Landers to their ISC roster, I was invited too.
That was my first year catching for Pete but that was one more year than the
catchers they had so I got to catch a lot. Pete was 4-0 that tournament and
made 2nd team All World.
I don't have the tournament game stats at home but they're somewhere,
probably on the net. But, I do remember we had a really good run at it.
The format was straight double knock-out. Lose 2, you go home. Ten day
tourney, big crowds, beautiful fastball stadium, perfect weather conditions
(Tempe, Arizona in August). Morning games ended at 11:00 every day before
the heat got too intense and afternoon games resumed later in the day. Hot
with "0" humidity, perfect for some of us veterans ( I was 36 at the time).
Kept me going.
As I said, I don't have scores and stats for individual games but I'll drag
out what I can.
We started out by putting up some "W'"s and that gave us the benefit of
playing every 2nd day until about Thursday. Then, the pace picked up. We
had a lot of great individual efforts from guys like Pete Landers, Dan
Donohue, Joe O"neill but looking back, we really came together as a team
those 10 days. In one game ( an elimination game), I remember we batted
right through the line-up to come back from a 5 run deficit (5 ?) to stay
alive.
It was Jay Bob Bickford and the Phoenix, Arizona 7th Ave. Auto Supply that
put us in the loser bracket on the 2nd last day and when we came back to
meet them in the semi finals, Jay Bob did it again. We finished third and
7th Ave. lost to Aurora, Illinois in the final.
Now, when I look back, I remember that tournament as the fastball
experience of my lifetime. I grew up dreaming about / listening to /
watching the World Series and always wondered what it would feel like. Well,
shrink the stadium, compress the field, fill the seats and put the best in
the world on a fastball diamond and it's pretty close.
Enough about Duff. Let me tell you a little bit about that team.
First of all, there were 19 ball players, 2 coaches, a trainer and one bat
boy in uniform. My son Davey was our bat boy in Oshawa that year and Mr.
Vanderburgh picked Davey up for the Worlds. That was pretty special, too.
But the 19 players were all on OFL rosters and most of them (including all
the pickups) were used to being in starting line-ups somewhere. No-one came
down with bench riding goals. Our coach, Larry Christie, knew the game and
he knew how to win so he just went with who he thought would win for him.
Larry must have known that was no time for sentiment or ego-soothing, it was
all about "W'"s and a shot at the big one.
Our pitching staff had Pete Landers at the top and Ed Unrau right behind.
Davey Jackson from Mississauga and Bob Fisher (from the Peach Kings) were
there when we needed them.
Pete was the work-horse in Tempe, he just wanted the ball. I'd like to see
his stats from that tourney but I can tell you most of the guys who faced
him wouldn't. They always had those machines that measured the pitcher's
speed at the ISC's and I remember Pete getting clocked at 100 mph (no
exaggeration). He was so tough to hit. My batting average definitely went up
the year I started catching for him since I didn't have to face him (eliminated a lot of O-fer's).
Anyway, he was something to catch. We called Pete "the hook" because he had
this pitch that he could throw at different speeds but usually threw it
around 90. It was a late-breaking curve ball and it froze a lot of good
hitters. No reaction time for the hitter at all. But his drop ball, which he
also prefered to "smoke", was also late-breaking and heavy (sometimes it was
like catching a brick). And, if Pete decided to show the hitter something
upstairs, he'd snap off a 90 mph rise ball that broke up and in to a right
handed hitter. that's the one that used to discourage righties from
"cheating" (leaning in to smack the outside pitch). And, once in a while,
he'd reach back and fire one right onto a corner at about 40. How cruel is
that. Fun to catch though. I can remember enjoying how overly polite a lot
of batters seemed to be when they came to the plate. I used to think it was
my glowing personality but now I realize they just wanted to stay on my good
side. Why piss off Pete's catcher, right ?
All the years I played against Pete, I thought he was this mean, nasty guy
or something but it couldn't have been further from the truth. Pete's a great
guy, loves kids like he loved winning. He took my son Davey under his wing
that year, gave Davey one of the last ballgloves that he used. Davey still
talks about him.
Anyway, I just realized I'm getting a little "wordy", hope you don't mind
doing a little reading but I'm on a roll. Back to the roster.
We had three 1st basemen on that team, all of them OFL All Star calibre.
Greg Dick, from St. Catharines, was a right-handed power hitter with a good
glove but Dan O'Donohue got most of the innings at first and Dick took a DH
role. O'Donohue's defence was as good as I've seen and an excellent
left-handed hitter. Doug Forth produced when he played.
In the infield, we were solid with a nice blend of left and right handed
hitting. Larry Foxton, from St. Catharines, made ISC All World 2nd team that
year at second base. Larry was a left handed hitter who fit into the top of
the line-up as an on base guy who could move runners. With Larry at 2nd and
Brian Ostrosser at short, we turned over a lot of double plays that week. I
don't know how Brian didn't make All World, he was awesome.
SPORTS TRIVIA
When Willie Mays had his last official at bat in the majors, he was with
the Mets and it was in a pinch hitting role. He hit for a young 3rd baseman
who was trying to make it to the Majors and his name was Brian Ostrosser.
How about that ?
Back to the roster (still reading ?).
Our outfield was in good shape too. Dave Bourne was solid in left and Bob
Christie did the job in right (or as DH). Bobby Christie had become, by that
time, one of the best left handed hitters in the OFL (against guys like
Landers, Hames, Domik etc.). If the game was on the line and Bobby stepped
into the batter's box, you hoped you had a base open, great RBI guy, clutch
hitter. Joe O'Neill was a human spark plug. The fans loved Joe, he'd run
through a fence to catch a ball (saw him do it once in the Ontario's) and a
totally intense guy in the batter's box (game breaker, loved the spot
light).
Behind the plate, there were three of us. Bill Everest had been Grimsby's #1
catcher and Wally Kusy was his back-up. In Tempe, I caught for all Pete's
games and a little more besides.
I hit the ball a little bit that week, picked up some RBI's (mainly with Sac
flies) but I was on the field in a lot of winning situations and we went a
long ways so they picked me for the ISC All World 1st team (along with
Robin Voss of Aurora). I couldn't believe it.
I don't like to dwell on that award too much, Dave. I had always considered
myself a journeyman catcher who learned enough to get me to some pretty
exciting ball parks but I never put myself in the upper echelons of
catchers. Guys like Jim Brown, who was Dick Hames' catcher for many years
and Bob Solomon, who was Pete's catcher until he retired, they belonged
there. Anyway, it was appreciated but it's just something that happened. The
tournament was a lot more fun.
So, I hope you enjoyed this little stroll through fastball land. I enjoyed
writing it but I see it's getting into mid afternoon and I have some stuff
to do. E-mail anytime.
Later
Duff
Part 2
Dave
By all means, you're welcome to use that story on your web site. Glad you
enjoyed it, I had a lot of fun with it, too. When I e-mailed you, I had no
intention of elaborating like that but, when I checked the resource stuff I
have (a few ISC programs and 1 yearbook), I was able to verify some facts
and as I was summarizing our line-up it made me aware of something. That was
definitely the best fastball team that I ever got to play with. Man, there
was a lot of talent there.
I didn't even mention Dick Bosher, our 3rd baseman. I don't think a ball got
through Dick all week. Or a base runner. He was a rock at 3rd.
Nor did I say enough about the guy who took us there, George Vanderburgh.
This was the only time I played for one of George's teams but he treated the
team really well. From the time we left the airport until we got back,
everything was looked after. We had good accomodations, transportation, team
meals were provided. All we had to do was play ball.
There were a lot of good sponsors/owners back then, people who took a
personal interest in their teams (as many do today). George Vanderburgh was
one but the one I remember most from my own fastball experiences was (the
late) Paul Edminston in Burlington. The Burlington Ancaster Provisioners
(Paul's business) were a charter member of the OFL and it was during Paul's
sponsorship that fastball really took off in Burlington (and a lot of other
cities and towns).
In the Provisioners' years, the city built one of the nicest fastball parks
in the area, Nelson Stadium, on New st., with lots more seating - just in
time for the increase in crowds. And if there was a game or a tournament on,
you were just as likely to see Paul cooking burgs and dogs for the fans as
watching the game. Paul not only sponsored us but he got involved in just
about any way he could to help the team. Again, things were looked after, we
just had to play. Great sponsor.
Dave, I was thinking last night, you're a Stoney Creek guy, right ? And I
know you like fastball history. Have you ever heard of the 1966 Stoney Creek
Quigley's Fastball Club ?
Interested ? Read on.
Fastball went through a lot of growth in the 60's, as it did in the
following decades. Every town and city in Ontario, it seemed, had fastball
teams. Mens teams competed in a variety of strong leagues (Niagara
District, Toronto District, Big Four etc) but when you played for the
Ontario's, your team was assigned to a division, governed by your town's
population. Stoney Creek, being a smaller centre, went Intermediate "A"
(considered a competitive step down from Senior "A" but the difference
wasn't huge).
Quigley's had a really solid, veteran club that year, had a good season in
the Niagara district League and did O.K. in tournaments (don't have stats at
hand).
But it was in the Ontario's where they caught fire. There was no tournament
format in 1966. You played 2 games out of 3, in each other's parks, loser is
out winner moves on. You started in your own area and, if you kept winning,
the road trips got longer, ending with a 2 of 3 series between the Northern
Ont. champ and whoever survived from the rest of the province.
Quigley's had to get through some pretty tough teams before they did much
travelling- like Jarvis with Johnny Edwards (he was really tough), St.
Catharines Blue Boys with Dick Balint (P) and guys like Bill Berg (SS) but
we persevered and when we met the Eastern champ from Kingston, we were only
one step from the finals.
The final game in that series was played in Kingston on a Saturday afternoon
and the ball park was packed. We played 20 scoreless innings that day and,
in the top of the 21st, our pitcher, Bill Kowalchuk (one of the smallest
guys on the team) crashed the catcher at home, sprung the ball loose and
started a rally (5 runs ?) that put us in the finals. Quite a party that
night.
The finals were in Stoney Creek on Thanksgiving week-end and it was one of
those sunny long week-ends, sort of like Indian summer. The Stoney Creek
ball park, on King Street, looked a lot different back then. There was a
fair amount of seating and lots of standing area for the fans and there were
lots of them.
The games were tight, excruciating at times, a lot of excitement.
Timmins was our opponent and the Mayor of Timmins even came down, watched
all 3 games with Mayor Victor Copps. This was serious stuff.
I found an old Spec clipping that describes the series, much of which I have
no chance of remembering, so it went like this. Quigleys won the opener,4-3
in 11 innings on Saturday night then we stumbled in game 2 ( 5 errors) and
Timmins pitcher Luke Lefevre shut us out, 7-0, Sunday afternoon. Lefevre was
a horse (started all 3 games) but we finally got to him in game 3 Sunday
evening. 1st baseman Chuck Kingston put us ahead to stay with a home run in
the 4th, our pitcher, George Bedford threw another complete game and we won
7-3.
Then we had to have another party.
It turned out that was the first time a team from Stoney Creek had appeared
in a Provincial final for 29 years so the Mayor invited us all down to City
hall and presented us with Civic rings (quite a thrill for a country boy
just out of Junior ball).
Still reading ?
I'd like to tell you a little about that team roster but first I should tell
you about my little role. The previous year, I had played Junior ball in
Binbrook, Gord Martin was our coach (best I ever had, bar none) and he led
us to the Ontario Junior "B" championship, thanks in large part to a tall,
lanky country boy named Ernie Killins who just kept putting "0'"s on the
scoreboard. Ernie had a dropball / screwball that was as good as it gets and
he had some "heat".
I caught every inning that summer and could hit the Junior pitching O.K.
so, when Quigley's invited me to try out, I thought "Great, I'm too old for
Junior but already there's teams ready to sign me". Pretty cocky,eh ?
But now I was playing with men, not kids and I had to earn a spot in the
line-up. Didn't happen that year. We had Vic Rosser behind the plate and he
really knew the game and Jim Pemberton was right behind him. Tons of
experience. I couldn't have cracked that line-up with a magic wand so I
caught a little, played a little outfield (not fun) and watched and learned.
I wasn't particularly thrilled about my new role (on the bench) but it
didn't take me long to understand why. Vic Rosser was one of the smartest
catchers I ever met, he knew how to work a batter and he knew exactly what
he could get from his pitcher. And lots of other stuff that I hadn't even
thought of at that time in my career.
George Bedford and Bill Kowalchuk shared most of the pitching that year with
Leno Salciccoli (also just out of Jr.) in reserve. George Bedford (later one
of the principle founders of the OFL) was a craftsman on the mound. He
didn't have over-powering speed but he could put the ball right where he
wanted and always with movement. He would tantalize the power hitters,
nibbling at the corners, probing for weak spots and then entice a weak
ground ball or pop up that would send him to the bench muttering to himself.
His off speed drop had so much down spin that it looked like it was going to
stop on the way to homeplate but he also made it break - either into or away
from the batter.
Bill Kowalchuk was an off speed pitcher too (great knuckleball, something
you don't see much anymore) but he had enough to get the job done.
Our infield was our biggest strength. Vern Agnew was our SS, a position he
learned in the Milwaukee Braves organization. Vern got balls up the middle
and in the hole that he had no right to get. I'd like to have a dollar for
every base hit he stole in his career. Smooth as silk, moved laterally like
a cat. With Turk Trtany at 2nd, we turned over a ton of double plays that
summer. At the corners, we had Chuck Kingston at 1st (great glove man) and
Mario Sebben at 3rd. "Mottsy" had no fear and every once in a while someone
would catch up with one of those off speed offerings and rip one down the
line. Motts would get his body in front of it and, more than once I saw him
take one of those one hop screamers off his chest, reach down, pick up the
ball and gun it to first for the out. Then, he'd smile, as if to say "is
that all you've got, batter?". Never flinched.
The outfield was pretty solid, too, with Jim Baran, George Savelli, John
Pegg and my brother, Dave. George and Dave could really go and get a ball,
lots of speed, and Jim Baran was a solid RBI guy.
In the fall last year, we had a team re-union at the Notte Ristorante in
Stoney Creek, exactly 40 years after that Championship season. After dinner
(and drinks, of course) we all took turns speaking to the gathering, mainly
about that season, and some of the stories told were hilarious. We had a lot
of fun that summer, lots of late nights and memorable road trips and it was
neat to hear them re-told. But, it was obvious there is still a "bond"
there. I hadn't seen some of those people for many years but it was like
yesterday that we played together, some things just don't go away.
Quigley Construction was our sponsor and Mr. George Marshall was the Quigley
rep who looked after the team. He ran things first class, stayed close to
the team, let everyone do their jobs and supported us to the nth degree.
When we beat Kingston out, George had a cooler of champagne waiting for us
in the dressing room and when we won the final, it was one of the proudest
moments of his life.
George was at the re-union as were his sons, Charlie and Mike. Outside the
restaurant (on a smoke break), Charlie talked to me about the importance of
that team to his dad and it kind of "grabbed" me (nostalgia can do that to
you). Some things just don't go away.
I have the team picture from 1966 and a few from the re-union if you're
interested. Unfortunately, I haven't (yet) figured out how to get them into
an e-mail (computer rookie) but if you want them let me know and I'll get
Davey to scan them for you.
I'm on your web site now (thanks for the address), looks good and I'll
continue to visit. And if you think there are some people out there that
might enjoy this trip down fastball memory lane, feel free to share it. A
little reflection now and then is good for the soul, isn't it ?
Catch you later
Duff
Ontario Masters Fastball Web Site Administrator's note : Although Duff had a pretty good fastball career Im sure one of his most cherished memories was watching his son Dave belt 3 home runs at the 2006 ISC II ToC for the Waterdown Hammer.
Monday, January 22
Paul Lizotte - Sponsor & Athlete
Editors Note : The following article appeared on the www.sudburysports.com
web site back in 2004, Paul most recently pitched for the Garson Hounds at the 20th. Annual World Senior Men's Fastball Tournament back in September.
Paul Lizotte - Sponsor and Athlete
July 22 / 2004
by Randy Pascal : sudburysports.com
Paul Lizotte is not an unknown to most local sports fans. The thirty-eight year old owner of Paul Lizotte Fuels comes from a strong sporting background, which has undoubtedly played a role in his commitment to support the Sudbury sporting community. He is especially active in his hometown of Garson, playing an integral role as both sponsor and volunteer for the Nickel Centre Minor Hockey Association.
What may come as a surprise to some is not only that Lizotte remains active to this day as an athlete, continuing to follow his deep-rooted passion of fastball, but also the level at which he still performs. For the past four years, Lizotte has been recruited to join his long-time adversaries from Bracebridge to help them secure both Eastern Canadian and National Championships.
While the sport of fasball is now overshadowed locally by slo-pitch, such wasn't always the case, and definately not in Garson where Lizotte could follow in the footsteps of both Brad Ringuette and his older brother Pat in putting the small northern community on the map in the provincial fastball scene. "I think I was pitching since I was about six or so and we won four All-Ontario titles", noted Lizotte.
But the highlight to this day for the personable business owner was the opportunity to represent his country in 1979 at the World Youth Games in the Virgin Islands. Throwing a perfect game in the event finals before a crowd of 10,000 or so fans, Lizotte was besieged by autograph seekers and well wishers. While he continued to play at both an intermediate level and in regional leagues for several years, his interest waned somewhat as the sport struggled on the local scene.
That all changed in 2001 when Bracebridge won the right to represent Ontario at the Eastern Canadian Fastball Championships. Allowed to pick-up one player, Bracebridge followed the general rule of thumb, adding one extra pitcher to their staff in the form of Lizotte. "I knew a lot of the players on the team from playing against each other over the years as kids and they had seen me pitch at the provincials that year", said Lizotte.
Pitching alongside National team member Mike Crawford, a pitcher very well known in fastball circles world-wide, has been a thrill for Lizotte, even moreso when the team decided to have Paul pitch the Gold medal game last summer. Taking the title last year in Fredericton has qualified Lizotte and his Bracebridge teammates to participate in the World Fastball Championships this August in Fargo, North Dakota. Unfortunately, it may not come to pass as a number of the team members work for the same company in Bracebridge, a small firm which is struggling to find a way to allow six or seven members of its work-force off to attend a week-long event.
"It's kind of sad in a way that we were so excited to win last year and now it looks like we will have to miss the Worlds", said Lizotte. Still, the team is looking at attending the European championships in Holland in 2005, an event they were invited to based on their success achieved in Canada. "Probably the best thing about this whole experience is that the guys are really a great bunch of people", says Lizotte. That, and he credits is wife Lise for allowing him the opportunity to live out his passion. The 6'2" hurler, who has added a more refined aspect to his pure power pitching repertoire, sums it up best: "I know I can't keep pitching forever so I'm really trying to make sure I enjoy this while I can."
Paul Lizotte Fuels Ltd. has been in operation since 1996. The company started with four employees and two delivery vehicles serving the Sudbury area. An active supporter of minor hockey throughout the region, Paul Lizotte has been an active member of the Nickel Centre Minor Hockey Association serving in many positions on the executive.
In addition to their head office in Sudbury, the company now boasts offices in the cities of North Bay, Bracebridge and Barrie, which now employs 28 people with 16 delivery vehicles serving the areas of Manitoulin Island, Kirkland Lake, New Liskeard, Mattawa, Midland, Parry Sound and some parts of northwestern Quebec.
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Monday, January 22
1945 Ontario Sr. A - O.A.S.A. Champs Windsor Meretsky & Gitlin
Photo courtesy heydon.com web site
1945 Ontario Sr. A - O.A.S.A. Champs Windsor Meretsky & Gitlin
Back Row: (L-R)
Johnny Locke Sr.(Trainer), Dean Jackson(Bus. Mgr.), Lyle Dowell, Gerry Parent,
Art Moores, Russ Nantais, Gussy Angus, Eagle Reid (Mgr.)
Front Row:
Herman Landry, Harry Heydon, Art Murphy, Bill Hodgins, Johnny Locke, Steve Zepka
Philip Bakst (Batboy)
The 1945 Meretsky & Gitlin (M-Gees) brought the first O.A.S.A. Sr. A title to Windsor
since 1931. They won first place in the the Windsor Softball League but in the playoffs
they faced the Butcher Engineering squad. In an exciting 5 game playoff series that went to
the wire the M-Gees won three games to two. They had earned the right to represent the city
of Windsor in the Senior A title hunt.
The M-Gees faced the Hamilton Beavers in the next round and defeated them in two games
straight.
The final series was against the Toronto Cadmiums. The M-Gees won the first game 2-0
and followed with a 12 inning thriller by a score of 5-4. The Meretsky & Gitlin team
had become the first Windsor team in 14 years to win the O.A.S.A. Senior A title.
Monday, January 22
1969 Oshawa Tony's
Photo & article courtesy heydon.com web site.
1969 Ontario Sr. A - Tournament O.A.S.A. Fastball Champs Oshawa Tony's
and Canada Summer Games Silver Medal Winners
Front Row (L/R): Larry Marshall, Bob Solomon, Bob Young, Jack Sneddon, Bo Burke,
Wayne Cheesman, Ralph Davis.
Back Row L/R: Geordie Easton, Harry Heydon, Rich March, Phil Solomon, Ron Wright,
Paul Gibbens, Ian McNamee, Pete Landers, Gord Smart (Manager).
The Coaches: Bob Booth, Brent Oldfield, Gord Smart
Trainer: Jordy Easton
The Players:
"Boo" Burke, Wayne Cheesman, Ralph "Moose" Davis, Paul Gibbons, Harry Heydon,
Pete Landers, Ian McNamee, Rich March, Larry Marshall, Paul Parkinson, Jack Sneddon,
Bob Soloman, Phil Solomon, Alvin Tilk, Ron Wright, Bob Young.
The O.A.S.A. was advised that a representative team was needed from Ontario for the
first Canada Summer Games to be held in Halifax in Aug. 1969. They decided on a double
knockout Senior Elimination Tournament to be held prior to the Canadian Summer Games,
with the winner to represent Ontario. The tounament was held in Oshawa with 14 of the
top senior teams in Ontario vying for the honour.
The teams record in the 5 rounds:
Oshawa Tony's - 4 Newmarket Rays Gulf - 0
Oshawa Tony's - 7 Richmond Hill Dynes - 3
Oshawa Tony's - 4 St. Catharines Old Guard - 3
Oshawa Tony's - 1 London Cable T.V. - 0
This setup a final game between Windsor and Tony's and due to rain was rescheduled for
June 21 1969.
Oshawa Tony's beat Windsor Drop-in Tavern winning the tounament and the right to
represent Ontario in the 1st Canada Summer Games.
The Canada Games Fastball Tounament had teams from every province in Canada including
the Northwest Territories and the Yukon. The games were extremely competative with
B.C., Alberta, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, Quebec and New Brunswick all having
excellant ball teams. The three teams that remained for medals were Alberta, British
Columbia and Ontario. Ontario drew Alberta with the winner to take on B.C. for the Gold.
The Ontario team won 1-0 with a perfect game pitched by Pete Landers to advance Ontario
to the final game against B.C.
The final game was won by B.C. by a 5-2 score giving B.C. the Gold Medal and Ontario the
Silver. Although disappointed at the final loss the Ontario team enjoyed the excellant
treatment and accomodations at the Games and the sportsmanship demonstrated by the teams.
This was a once in a lifetime experience, the players from Newfoundland, the North
West Territories and the Yukon were the most interesting and most fun.
The 1969 Canada Summer Games Results:
Ontario - 7 Yukon - 1
B.C. - 3 Ontario - 0
Ontario - 5 Newfoundland - 2
Ontario - 1 Saskatchewan - 0
Ontario - 5 New Brunswick - 0
Ontario - 1 Alberta - 0
B.C. - 5 Ontario - 2
Front Row L/R: Larry Marshall, Bob Burke, Ron Wright, Jack Sneddon, Rich March,
Bob Young, Phil Solomon, Paul Parkinson.
Back Row: Norm Parker (Equipment Mgr.), Gord Smart (Manager), Ian McNamee, Ralph Davis,
Pete Landers, Paul Gibbens, Harry Heydon, Brent Oldfield (Coach), Jordy Easton.
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Monday, January 22
Odessa Carroll's Texaco A's
Photo courtesy Loyalist Township website ( http://www.loyalist-township.on.ca/athletics/oasa1977.html )
ODESSA CARROLL'S TEXACO A's
ONTARIO AMATEUR SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION
INTERMEDIATE "D" CHAMPIONS 1977
Back Row: Rick Revell (MGR/COACH), Les Storms, Paul Blakely, Barry Warren, Murray Blakely, Dave Blakely, Chuck Saigriff, Dave Peters, Tim Griffin, Terry Bellamy (ASSIST COACH) Front Row: Mike McNeill, Harv Sharpe, Larry McNeill, Pat White (bat boy), George Gordon, Joe Flowler, Carl Hart.
Monday, January 22
Capreol Legion/Mazzucas
Editor's note : Photo courtesy sudburysports.com web site. Can anyone identify the players in the photo ? Send any team information to ontariomasters(at)hotmail(dot)com
The Capreol Legion/Mazzucas dominated the provincial scene, winning 8 of 10 OASA intermediate "C" titles in the fifties and sixties.
Monday, January 22
Camlachie Fastball Club
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Editor's note : Photo and article courtesy www.sarniasports.com Hall of Fame web site. The team was inducted into the Sarnia Sports Hall of Fame in 2005. I'm looking for names of players in photo ??? Send names to ontariomasters(at)hotmail(dot)com
The Camlachie Grain and Feed Fastball team was formed in 1962 and played fastball in the community for over 25 years. Camlachie Grain and Feed sponsored the team for those years. Some of the teams highlights are as follows:
1962 - 1st year of play in the Town & Country League
1965 - Town and Country league Champions
1967 - Watford Tournament Champions
1970 - Town & Country League Champions
1971 - Joined Bluewater Fastball League
1973 - Bluewater League Champions
1974 - Petrolia Tournament Champions
1975/77/79 - Markdale Tournament Champions
1976 - Bluewater League Champions
1976/78 - Chatham Tournament Champions
1978 - Won 1st Annual Camlachie Tournament
1978/79 - Camlachie Tournament Champions
1978 - Bluewater League Champions
1978 - Sarnia Glis Tournament Champions
1979 - Joined London & District Fastball League
1979 - Dorchester Tournament Champions
1979 - OASA Intermediate "C" Champions at Hearst, Ontario
Zone 1 - defeated Wyoming 2 games
Zone 2 - defeated Port Stanley 2 games
Zone 3 - defeated Wellesley 2 games
Zone 4 - defeated Caledonia 2 games
Zone 5 - defeated Verona 2 games
Oct 1979 defeated Hearst 3 games
1980 - Hosted OASA Intermediate "C" Championship at Camlachie Community Ball Park
1981 - Won OASA Intermediate "C" title in Elmvale, Ontario.
Monday, January 22
Gale Lumber Fastball Team 1966-70
Photo and article courtesy www.heydon.com web site
Gale Lumber O.A.S.A. SR. B Champions 1966-70.
Oshawa, Ontario. Canada.
Ontario Champions 5 consecutive years:
The Gale Lumber team was inducted into the Oshawa Sports Hall of Fame May 29, 1996. The team was sponsored by John Carnwith, coached by Joe Piontek and managed by Cy Thomson. The team trainer was Harry Ross, statistician Don McKay and bat boy John Hurst. The picture is the 1970 team.
Front row: (left to right) Harry Ross (trainer), Danny Price, Ralph Davis, Wayne Cheesman, Doug Cole, Johnny Hurst (batboy) Palmer Knight, Jim Rowden, Tom O'Connor, Lloyd Mapes, Cy Thomson (manager).
Second row: John Carnwith (sponsor) Don McKay (stats), Harry Heydon, Ron Taylor, Larry Marshall, Reg Hickey, Bob Young, Joe Piontek (playing coach), Ralph O'Reilly, Jack (Red) MacDermaid.
Other players who played during the Championship years not pictured above:
Jim Carnwith (sponsor), Ken Fisher, Dave Hickey, Bill Kornylo, Robbie Mason, Pete Norris, Ron Simcoe, Terry Vail, Reg White and Gord Wilson.
HISTORY of the TEAM: A legend in Oshawa baseball began in 1965 when T.G. Gale Lumber sponsored a team of Oshawa players. The first season the team played Kingston in the Eastern Ontario finals of O.A.S.A. Senior "B" and were defeated. In 1966 the team defeated Sault Ste. Marie to start the string of consecutive Senior "B" Ontario Championships. The Gales continued to win Ontario Senior championships in 1967, 1968, 1969 and 1970. The final victory a two game sweep over Sault Ste. Marie was capped by a no hit shutout win.
Championship Scores 1966-1970
1966
1st Round.......Peterborough _______ (2-0)*(7-1)
2nd Round......Belleville __________ (11-0)*(4-3)
3rd Round.......Toronto ___________ (2-0)*(7-0)
4th Round.......Galt ______________ (2-1)*(2-3)*(3-0)
Final Round.....Sault Ste. Marie _____ (6-0)*(2-5)*(1-0)
1967
1st Round.......Peterborough _______ (17-0)*(1-3)*(7-0)
2nd Round......Kingston __________ (0-1)*(8-0)*(2-1)
3rd Round.......Toronto ___________ (3-2)*(4-2)
4th Round.......Port Colborne _______ (2-3)*(2-1)*(2-1)
Final Round.....Sault Ste. Marie _____ (6-0)*(7-1)
1968
1st Round.......Toronto ____________ (3-0)*(9-0)
2nd Round......Kingston ___________ (0-1)*(3-0)*(2-0)
3rd Round.......Dundas ____________ (1-0)*(0-1)*(1-0)
Final Round.....Sault Ste. Marie ______ (3-2)*(4-0)
1969
1st Round.......Peterborough ________ (6-1)*(1-3)*(1-0)
2nd Round......Kingston ___________ (7-1)*(4-2)
3rd Round.......Welland ____________ (1-0)*(2-3)*(1-0)
Final Round.....Sault Ste. Marie ______ (3-4)*(2-1)*(5-4)
1970
1st Round.......Peterborough ________ (5-1)*(2-3)*(4-2)
2nd Round......Toronto ____________ (4-0)*(5-4)
3rd Round.......Galt _______________ (3-2)*(6-1)
Final Round.....Sault Ste. Marie ______ (7-2)*(5-0)
Statistics during the 5 Championship Years:
Total of 55 games - 44 Wins 11 Losses - 2 no hit no run games - 210 runs for 68 runs against (average score 4-1) 23 shutouts. The 1970 team had the best win/loss record of 8-1
Monday, November 20
Toronto Dalton Furs @ 1949 ISC World Tournament
This information was sent to me by my best friend during childhood, Steve
Dalton who found this regarding his Dad's softball team that played in a
ISC tournament in 1949.(Dalton's Furs).I thought it might be of interest.
The pitcher Cam Ecclestone is the father of Tim Ecclestone
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