Gold
The unlikely City,Weyburn,the Crocus City south of Regina,toiling in The Inter-CityLeague five teams from Regina,one from Moose Jaw,and Weyburn,population,nine thousand,
the competition was well balanced,well run League
the fans were great and well supported the league
it was not uncommon to see up to a thousand fans at times.The agenda was to win Gold for Weyburn,a sincere desire ,a goal driven Community
After two years of great success,we decided to import one more pitcher.
That was hard on me,I was their Ace, yet we needed pitching help!
We went out and got the very best,Pete Landers,a big lefty,
what do I do,I could have left ,or,stay and learn to cope and be with My Team!
I knew what laid ahead,I had to take it up a notch,Pete and I hit it off, good friends,
he was here to help me and the fine base of players in the fold,he saw good!Once the season started we split the first four games,starter four innings,reliever ,three,
the first four league games,Pete and I shared ,three perfect games and one one-hitter
what a start,I was relieved and my own confidence rose another notch or two!
This City gave me support,a career in Radio that I always wanted,huge respect for my contribution and many good friends!The Free Methodist Church, Pastor Childerhose,were especially kind to us!
This was 1972,the reigning World Champs,were the Richmond Hill Dynes from Ontario
The Canadian Championships were held in Edmonton,each province and the Yukon and Northwest Territories,fielded teams for the Gold.
We added pitcher Gene McWillie ,catcher Jim Penrod from Saskatoon to fill our lineup for the Championships!
After all was said and done,Weyburn Canadians Captured the Gold Medal,what a dream come true for a Neuanlage Mennonite boy!!!
Some papers headlines,were :Weyburn:600 miles north of Minnesota,Crocus Capital Wins ,Etc...
Jake and the Kid ,author Mr.W.O.Mitchell, a Weyburn native was used as well.
What a home coming at the Regina airport,hundreds of fans and Media.
After the win sank in, we had many banquets to attend ,special gifts from City and Province,inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall Of Fame,half-time guests at the Sask Roughriders vs BC Lions game on National TV. George Reed was our special friend through Molsons and he and Ron Lancaster came to many of our games.
Goodtimes,Good memories,Good people,thanks!!!!FOOTNOTE:Special thanks to Jim Laing,owner of CFSL Radio,former Boston Bruins play by play voice for allowing me to have a great experience in Radio,play by play of some Red wing games,colour analyst,host my own shows and cover curling ,Thanks,James T. Our 88 year old Doc Bath proudly holds Canadian Cup!!!! Doc represented England in early Olympics as a runner!!!
Congratulations to the Red Wings On their RBC National Cup in JR.A Hockey,a great game,and yes,that is the same Dwight Macmillian ,the coach who was on Gold 72 as player!
Weyburn was a very deserving small city to win,it had a loyal fan base as I've never seen before ,the ball players were respected as heros and the whole city was a buzz when ball games where on ,for me it was the right thing to do and have always been proud of the City. The fans deserve it ,as they deserve the Red Wings and their championship years. in my time there,hockey and fastball were King!!!CFSL was a good training ground for my near 30 years in the media,thankyou Weyburn,and its fine people
THE BOTTOM LINE: Weyburn has the solid economic and community foundation on which new opportunities are built. WMFL: After the great 1972 season,a new league,western major Fastball was formed .
I played the year in Regina, for Kappy Kaplans ,Carlings
the experience was good,the flights,first class Pro ball,and the new players from all over the World
that competed,was a new and ,perhaps another level to remember,
Players from New Zealand,Australia and USA,all brought the best out, in all of us.(Landers,Friesen)
Teams were in Regina,Winnipeg,Saskatoon. Camrose,Red Deer ,Edmonton,Calgary,and Wetaskawin.
Affiliated leagues were in BC and NW United States and the Travel League from Ontairio.
Eventually the World Series of Fastball came from this in Camrose,lots of good ball and hype!
Truly the best was on display and for me ,only one year was great.I played A ball in Saskatoon, for the Merchants,we won the provincial in 1974,and went to the National in Victoria!
4's Enough
This was a group of four College boys touring Canada in 1973,they came to Weyburn and were anxious to play the reigning Canadian Champs .We accommodated them with a Sunday Exhibition game ,that turned , ugly!!!These 4 Lads were very good athletes and it was a new type of a copycat to Feigner,anyway ,a very good crowd on hand for this and before the game as I was warming up they were taunting and teasing me that this was an easy take for them,we were all washed up and slow, out of condition team,our Pres had been the Sask amateur boxing champ 25 years earlier and he was getting really upset with this bs,so he went and discussed this with them ,shut the cakehole or we would call the game off!!!They agreed and soon it was time to playball!the first batter stepped in and started talking to me ,washed up ole farmer,what year did you win and so on,normally,I dont pay attention to this kind of riff raft,but these young bucks from California urked me the wrong,big time!He said he;d pound me out of the park and so on,first pitch ,high drop ,he missed,lucky you fat B====D,then I went after him and dusted him into the ground twice,he kept yippin and yappin so I let him have it ,I told him,this ones at your noggin ,get ready,oh,Im ready,dont you worry ,well I allowed about a foot aimed reared back and smoked him on the head!He was badly hurt and para medics were on hand and rushed him to Hospital,the others came after me with bats and the fight was on,Smokin Joe ,the boxer came and 1-2-3,the boys were out cold ,what a sight ,the fans didnt even want a refund ,they all cheered and said the cocky little boys deserved all of it and more,as ball players we all felt kinda bad,at this turn of ugliness,but ,we made sure the hurt fella would be ok and let it go ,as ,oh well!!
We also had some very good moments with barnstorming teams,like the California Cuties,Donkey Fastball and Jack and the Jesters,all were good entertainment and fond memories!Does time heal wounds,you bet it does,a footnote to 4s Enough,when we had the early 80s Tour to Edwards Air-Force base,California,in the stands were the 2 brothers who made up half of 4s Enough,one was the man I injured,----they both offered their services to us and joined the tour,just amazing!!! We then flew into LA Brian Pallistar,now MP in the Harper cabinet,fastball is a true people sport,thats all I have to say,and hope it recycles itself back to the good ole days!!!
Red Basics: What affects pitching?Weather,spin or rotation ,speed,momentum,inertia,all play a role in the Art of Windmill Deliverance!I will go into detail about each,please remember ,I was self taught and found these out by being obsessed to learn and improve. When I was very young ,a well respected sportsman ,told me ,not to try and pitch,I had too short fingers ,naturally,so I would find it tough going. He recommended infield ,so ,I started playing second base,however,I always practiced pitching,now I was driven and challenged, I will come back as to how the short fingers really helped me!
WEATHER: One of the most and severe effects on pitching is the conditions naturally,wind,rain,humidity. All of these affect the rotation and allowances have to be allowed. The higher the humidity the heavier the ball is ,all stuff put on the ball ,is dramatized to a certain degree. the dryer conditions produce a lighter ball and a catcher can tell you .
The first is goals,we set our wants and needs
The second is fear,self fear of not attaining our goals
Third is Pride to succeed
Fourth,goals are set in smaller steps,one step at a time
Surround yourself with goal driven people
Be willing to change methods of reaching your goals
Think of achieving the goal
Do all you can to reach the goal
As humans,greed will play a part as well,learn to control this one~
Keep your own honest dairy,are we happy with the plan?
* Drive on,Drive on! Š
* There may be certain material things you would like,perhaps a Roll Royce,if so you must be able to make Rolls Royce money,or settle for a Pontiac Sunfire. To make RR money you need Education,risk and planning.
* You must set the goals so that they are within reach,realisckly,or else, its way to unbearable,small steps ahead ,and stick with the plan.Always seek to better yourself!
* If you suffer a setback ,remember,What should have been,isn't,what is, is,and thats the Truth
* Think of your profession as a Service,to help people,the rewards will follow,always think of helping people.
* Be thankfull for the everyday roses,stop to Smell them.
* Also be thankful for the Thistle,they make the Rose even better.
* Priority factors: God,Family,People,Profession
* Listen to all,edit,and remember the good.
* Time Management
The unlikely City,Weyburn,the Crocus City south of Regina,toiling in The Inter-CityLeague five teams from Regina,one from Moose Jaw,and Weyburn,population,nine thousand,
the competition was well balanced,well run League
the fans were great and well supported the league
it was not uncommon to see up to a thousand fans at times.The agenda was to win Gold for Weyburn,a sincere desire ,a goal driven Community
After two years of great success,we decided to import one more pitcher.
That was hard on me,I was their Ace, yet we needed pitching help!
We went out and got the very best,Pete Landers,a big lefty,
what do I do,I could have left ,or,stay and learn to cope and be with My Team!
I knew what laid ahead,I had to take it up a notch,Pete and I hit it off, good friends,
he was here to help me and the fine base of players in the fold,he saw good!Once the season started we split the first four games,starter four innings,reliever ,three,
the first four league games,Pete and I shared ,three perfect games and one one-hitter
what a start,I was relieved and my own confidence rose another notch or two!
This City gave me support,a career in Radio that I always wanted,huge respect for my contribution and many good friends!The Free Methodist Church, Pastor Childerhose,were especially kind to us!
This was 1972,the reigning World Champs,were the Richmond Hill Dynes from Ontario
The Canadian Championships were held in Edmonton,each province and the Yukon and Northwest Territories,fielded teams for the Gold.
We added pitcher Gene McWillie ,catcher Jim Penrod from Saskatoon to fill our lineup for the Championships!
After all was said and done,Weyburn Canadians Captured the Gold Medal,what a dream come true for a Neuanlage Mennonite boy!!!
Some papers headlines,were :Weyburn:600 miles north of Minnesota,Crocus Capital Wins ,Etc...
Jake and the Kid ,author Mr.W.O.Mitchell, a Weyburn native was used as well.
What a home coming at the Regina airport,hundreds of fans and Media.
After the win sank in, we had many banquets to attend ,special gifts from City and Province,inducted into the Saskatchewan Sports Hall Of Fame,half-time guests at the Sask Roughriders vs BC Lions game on National TV. George Reed was our special friend through Molsons and he and Ron Lancaster came to many of our games.
Goodtimes,Good memories,Good people,thanks!!!!FOOTNOTE:Special thanks to Jim Laing,owner of CFSL Radio,former Boston Bruins play by play voice for allowing me to have a great experience in Radio,play by play of some Red wing games,colour analyst,host my own shows and cover curling ,Thanks,James T. Our 88 year old Doc Bath proudly holds Canadian Cup!!!! Doc represented England in early Olympics as a runner!!!
Congratulations to the Red Wings On their RBC National Cup in JR.A Hockey,a great game,and yes,that is the same Dwight Macmillian ,the coach who was on Gold 72 as player!
Weyburn was a very deserving small city to win,it had a loyal fan base as I've never seen before ,the ball players were respected as heros and the whole city was a buzz when ball games where on ,for me it was the right thing to do and have always been proud of the City. The fans deserve it ,as they deserve the Red Wings and their championship years. in my time there,hockey and fastball were King!!!CFSL was a good training ground for my near 30 years in the media,thankyou Weyburn,and its fine people
THE BOTTOM LINE: Weyburn has the solid economic and community foundation on which new opportunities are built. WMFL: After the great 1972 season,a new league,western major Fastball was formed .
I played the year in Regina, for Kappy Kaplans ,Carlings
the experience was good,the flights,first class Pro ball,and the new players from all over the World
that competed,was a new and ,perhaps another level to remember,
Players from New Zealand,Australia and USA,all brought the best out, in all of us.(Landers,Friesen)
Teams were in Regina,Winnipeg,Saskatoon. Camrose,Red Deer ,Edmonton,Calgary,and Wetaskawin.
Affiliated leagues were in BC and NW United States and the Travel League from Ontairio.
Eventually the World Series of Fastball came from this in Camrose,lots of good ball and hype!
Truly the best was on display and for me ,only one year was great.I played A ball in Saskatoon, for the Merchants,we won the provincial in 1974,and went to the National in Victoria!
4's Enough
This was a group of four College boys touring Canada in 1973,they came to Weyburn and were anxious to play the reigning Canadian Champs .We accommodated them with a Sunday Exhibition game ,that turned , ugly!!!These 4 Lads were very good athletes and it was a new type of a copycat to Feigner,anyway ,a very good crowd on hand for this and before the game as I was warming up they were taunting and teasing me that this was an easy take for them,we were all washed up and slow, out of condition team,our Pres had been the Sask amateur boxing champ 25 years earlier and he was getting really upset with this bs,so he went and discussed this with them ,shut the cakehole or we would call the game off!!!They agreed and soon it was time to playball!the first batter stepped in and started talking to me ,washed up ole farmer,what year did you win and so on,normally,I dont pay attention to this kind of riff raft,but these young bucks from California urked me the wrong,big time!He said he;d pound me out of the park and so on,first pitch ,high drop ,he missed,lucky you fat B====D,then I went after him and dusted him into the ground twice,he kept yippin and yappin so I let him have it ,I told him,this ones at your noggin ,get ready,oh,Im ready,dont you worry ,well I allowed about a foot aimed reared back and smoked him on the head!He was badly hurt and para medics were on hand and rushed him to Hospital,the others came after me with bats and the fight was on,Smokin Joe ,the boxer came and 1-2-3,the boys were out cold ,what a sight ,the fans didnt even want a refund ,they all cheered and said the cocky little boys deserved all of it and more,as ball players we all felt kinda bad,at this turn of ugliness,but ,we made sure the hurt fella would be ok and let it go ,as ,oh well!!
We also had some very good moments with barnstorming teams,like the California Cuties,Donkey Fastball and Jack and the Jesters,all were good entertainment and fond memories!Does time heal wounds,you bet it does,a footnote to 4s Enough,when we had the early 80s Tour to Edwards Air-Force base,California,in the stands were the 2 brothers who made up half of 4s Enough,one was the man I injured,----they both offered their services to us and joined the tour,just amazing!!! We then flew into LA Brian Pallistar,now MP in the Harper cabinet,fastball is a true people sport,thats all I have to say,and hope it recycles itself back to the good ole days!!!
Red Basics: What affects pitching?Weather,spin or rotation ,speed,momentum,inertia,all play a role in the Art of Windmill Deliverance!I will go into detail about each,please remember ,I was self taught and found these out by being obsessed to learn and improve. When I was very young ,a well respected sportsman ,told me ,not to try and pitch,I had too short fingers ,naturally,so I would find it tough going. He recommended infield ,so ,I started playing second base,however,I always practiced pitching,now I was driven and challenged, I will come back as to how the short fingers really helped me!
WEATHER: One of the most and severe effects on pitching is the conditions naturally,wind,rain,humidity. All of these affect the rotation and allowances have to be allowed. The higher the humidity the heavier the ball is ,all stuff put on the ball ,is dramatized to a certain degree. the dryer conditions produce a lighter ball and a catcher can tell you .
- Umpires: one of the most important aspects of pitching----know your umps,their habits ,their strengths,their demeanor and their weakness;.I stole many a pitch by understanding the umpire,for example,one ump is weak on low balls ,then I would throw drops and low risers,some gave you high inside strikes, so,you use them ,and I mean ,use them a lot!!
- Rotation::The way the ball spins has the desired affect on the pitch,a drop ball comes from the ball rotating,top to bottom,cutting its own path in the air tunnel as it gathers speed! A rise ball would rotate bottom to top ,cutting the path to rise as it gathers momentum!Curve balls are the same ,spinning right to left results in an out curve ,spinning left to right is an in to batter curve,all these are related to me being a right hander! The other rotation is the---hip,yes the trunk and hip play a big part in creating your desired pitch. From a stand still position it all take place in a second and timing is as important as release time. The shoulder and arm play the sling whip part of the delivery,follow through and the bigger the forward step the better,also ,planting your forward foot hard has good results on the desired pitch.
- The change up pitch is a self inflicted slow down pitch,but,maintaining your same delivery as a fastball!! I found two changes,a knuckle ball,and a far out of reach out curve.,away from the batter. Also I learned ,when in doubt,throw low and out,taking away the power of the hitter
- Short Fingers:: I would use them to throw hard and fast drop ball,all four fingers would be on the seam,thumb in cocked marble flip position,then I would pull my arm up and flip the thumb ,giving the ball the absolute most down spin possible and I would have a sharp drop,often ,pitching it shoulder height and drop in for a strike,I enjoyed watching that take place myself.
- Practice::: always practice your best pitch,at least twice as much as the others,that is your go to pitch in trouble and that gives you the confidence to use it anytime!
- The difficult part of this game,is,understanding,the simplicity of it CJF©
The first is goals,we set our wants and needs
The second is fear,self fear of not attaining our goals
Third is Pride to succeed
Fourth,goals are set in smaller steps,one step at a time
Surround yourself with goal driven people
Be willing to change methods of reaching your goals
Think of achieving the goal
Do all you can to reach the goal
As humans,greed will play a part as well,learn to control this one~
Keep your own honest dairy,are we happy with the plan?
* Drive on,Drive on! Š
* There may be certain material things you would like,perhaps a Roll Royce,if so you must be able to make Rolls Royce money,or settle for a Pontiac Sunfire. To make RR money you need Education,risk and planning.
* You must set the goals so that they are within reach,realisckly,or else, its way to unbearable,small steps ahead ,and stick with the plan.Always seek to better yourself!
* If you suffer a setback ,remember,What should have been,isn't,what is, is,and thats the Truth
* Think of your profession as a Service,to help people,the rewards will follow,always think of helping people.
* Be thankfull for the everyday roses,stop to Smell them.
* Also be thankful for the Thistle,they make the Rose even better.
* Priority factors: God,Family,People,Profession
* Listen to all,edit,and remember the good.
* Time Management