This Month's News
July2014

A labor of love for fastball - by Roger Legendre

July 9, 2014

Sudbury, ON

 

As I sit here at my working desk , I ponder and remember that tomorrow Thursday July the 10th is my 50th anniversary involved with fastball . I got started way back on July  10th of 1964 at the young tender age of 17 . A couple of ball friends of mine ,Gerry “Pooch “ Gauthier and Claude “Memere “ Grenier and Ron Robert coxed me into getting involve with the Church  Fastball League . I was the head scorer back then as well as the statistician  and public relations liaison as I do still to this date . Back in the day there those excellent fine pitchers as Gerry Gauthier , Roger and Bernie Gagnon , Gunther Schmidt , Eddy Gelinas , Steve Lebedick , Mick Chartrand , Ezzio Bevelacka and Metro Zeryk ( he went on to play semi pro fastball along the eastern coast of the USA) ruled the pitching mound all out of O’Connor Park in the Flour Mill district .Every night back then there were no less than 500 people filling the stands to cheer on their favorite team or local fastball hero. I used to do the play by play in both official languages (  the Flour Mill was at least 80% French speaking . It was actually through Claude Grenier’s girlfriend  a few years later in 1972 that I met my wife Susan that I will shortly on July 22nd be celebrating our 42nd wedding anniversary . Later I got involved as player , coach and manager . Some  years later in 1994  again this time Larry Pedersen , our present umpire in chief , invited me to join our present league in the same position .I was once for a three year period  the Commissioner of this fastball league that has changed name the past two years to become the Quentin Seeley Remax Fastball League .Before , for some years it was called the Rick McDonald Memorial Fastball League .  Keep in mind people that we have three big fastball tournaments coming up : on July 26 & 27 out of Azilda , it will be the 5th Annual Brad Rienguette (played with Garson Hounds for years ) Fastball Tournament . On August the 23rd , 24th and 25th , it will be the All Ontario Fastball Tournament being played out of Perry Island and Parry Sound . We expect 60 teams in four divisions ( men’s open , ladies “ open , senior men’s and junior men ). Finally the 28th World’s Senior Men Fastball Tournament being played out of Azilda’s Rick McDonald Memorial Sports Complex . It has been held in North Bay for 27 years but early this Spring was awarded to Sudbury and Ike McDonald . As I’ve told several fans and players lately , I will keep local and regional fastball alive as long as I live and you can take that to the bank ..
 
Roger Legendre
Head scorer , statistician , public relations liaison / advisor to the league and all three of those tournaments
 
Long live fastball !
 
Have a nice rest of the week
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