UOVMFL Showcase article
Ottawa Valley men's league coming back in Micksburg on Sunday
Posted By PETER LAPINSKIE MANAGING EDITOR
Pembroke Daily Observer
The sport of fastball has been dying a slow death in the Ottawa Valley over the past decade, as less competitive sports such as slowpitch open participation up to greater numbers of athletes.
Nevertheless, there are still a number of ball players who relish the challenge of catching up with a hard fastball thrown from 45 feet, or tracking down a line drive in the gap when one run can mean the difference in the game.
For years, the Valley was a hub of fastball and this area has produced top calibre talent including Don Lauzon, who went on to play senior men's fastball in western Canada and Corey Costello, who pitches in a number of senior leagues and is one of the country's premier fastballers today.
The venue that has showcased the best of the best for years was the Upper Ottawa Valley Men's Fastball League, but it has struggled to survive the past few years as players moved on to other sports, retired or graduated to even more competitive leagues.
Tomorrow, the remaining dedicated fastball enthusiasts in the area will gather their forces at the Micksburg ball diamond to play two exhibition games in the hope of keeping men's fastball alive for at least one more summer.
Ron Laronde, a stalwart in the league for three decades, has organized the games to determine if there is the player interest and fan interest to keep the league going.
"It was only a couple of years ago Micksburg had teams competing in provincial championships, so the calibre of player is still around to make this work," Mr. Laronde said.
Sunday's doubleheader will see a team from Douglas take to the field against a Shawville club at 3 p. m., while at 5:30 p. m. the Micksburg Juniors and the Micksburg Twins - featuring the aforementioned Costello - will square off.
There has always been something special about enjoying a fastball game in small communities where surviving the mosquito onslaught was as much of a challenge as finding a level patch of ground to settle your lawn chair on to watch the action.
Tomorrow the four teams taking part hope the magic that made so many memories over the decades can be reignited so that fastball may live to see another day.
Posted By PETER LAPINSKIE MANAGING EDITOR
Pembroke Daily Observer
The sport of fastball has been dying a slow death in the Ottawa Valley over the past decade, as less competitive sports such as slowpitch open participation up to greater numbers of athletes.
Nevertheless, there are still a number of ball players who relish the challenge of catching up with a hard fastball thrown from 45 feet, or tracking down a line drive in the gap when one run can mean the difference in the game.
For years, the Valley was a hub of fastball and this area has produced top calibre talent including Don Lauzon, who went on to play senior men's fastball in western Canada and Corey Costello, who pitches in a number of senior leagues and is one of the country's premier fastballers today.
The venue that has showcased the best of the best for years was the Upper Ottawa Valley Men's Fastball League, but it has struggled to survive the past few years as players moved on to other sports, retired or graduated to even more competitive leagues.
Tomorrow, the remaining dedicated fastball enthusiasts in the area will gather their forces at the Micksburg ball diamond to play two exhibition games in the hope of keeping men's fastball alive for at least one more summer.
Ron Laronde, a stalwart in the league for three decades, has organized the games to determine if there is the player interest and fan interest to keep the league going.
"It was only a couple of years ago Micksburg had teams competing in provincial championships, so the calibre of player is still around to make this work," Mr. Laronde said.
Sunday's doubleheader will see a team from Douglas take to the field against a Shawville club at 3 p. m., while at 5:30 p. m. the Micksburg Juniors and the Micksburg Twins - featuring the aforementioned Costello - will square off.
There has always been something special about enjoying a fastball game in small communities where surviving the mosquito onslaught was as much of a challenge as finding a level patch of ground to settle your lawn chair on to watch the action.
Tomorrow the four teams taking part hope the magic that made so many memories over the decades can be reignited so that fastball may live to see another day.
posted by fitzroyfastball | 5/25/2009 12:18:00 pm
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