Good old days in the Arnprior league
Getting ready now to go the wedding of a former teammate, Ken "The K-Dog" Grenier. Kenny organized the team I used to play on in the now defunct Arnprior Men's Fastball League.
The first year we played as the Arnprior Arrows in 1990 (sponsored by the local funeral home) and we were just out of high school and looking to play some men's ball. There were lots of good players in the league including local pitching legend Artie Cameron.
A 2-22 inaugral season didn't discourage us, and by 1993 and 1994, now under the sponsporship of the local Prior Sports Bar, we managed to win the league championship. If you're ever in the 'Prior, check out their wall of fame and a long-haired Fitzroy Fastball in the championship photos.
Kenny was - and is - a character. I'll never forget the time he quit the team in a rage, handing the reins over to yours truly, only to show up to our next league game on rollerblades and telling us he'd quit fastball to take up that trendy-at-the-time activity. The K-dog organized a few tournaments in Arnprior as well. The old Alfred team from east of Ottawa won that a couple of years - I can remember hearing French ball chatter for the first time. Current NHLer Benoit Pouliot's father, the late Sylvain Pouliot, threw for Alfred.
I think the most interesting claim to fame for the old Prior Sports Bar team was the fact that we had a 28-fingered outfield. Now I had all my digits in left field, but centre fielder "Nine-fingered" Wes Desarmia had previously blown off a finger in a duck hunting accident, and the right fielder, taxi driver Dean Wright, had done battle with a waterski rope that twisted off the end of one of his thumbs.
Kenny was the guy that got me into playing men's fastball and for that I'm thankful to him....even if he did retire to take up roller blading.
The first year we played as the Arnprior Arrows in 1990 (sponsored by the local funeral home) and we were just out of high school and looking to play some men's ball. There were lots of good players in the league including local pitching legend Artie Cameron.
A 2-22 inaugral season didn't discourage us, and by 1993 and 1994, now under the sponsporship of the local Prior Sports Bar, we managed to win the league championship. If you're ever in the 'Prior, check out their wall of fame and a long-haired Fitzroy Fastball in the championship photos.
Kenny was - and is - a character. I'll never forget the time he quit the team in a rage, handing the reins over to yours truly, only to show up to our next league game on rollerblades and telling us he'd quit fastball to take up that trendy-at-the-time activity. The K-dog organized a few tournaments in Arnprior as well. The old Alfred team from east of Ottawa won that a couple of years - I can remember hearing French ball chatter for the first time. Current NHLer Benoit Pouliot's father, the late Sylvain Pouliot, threw for Alfred.
I think the most interesting claim to fame for the old Prior Sports Bar team was the fact that we had a 28-fingered outfield. Now I had all my digits in left field, but centre fielder "Nine-fingered" Wes Desarmia had previously blown off a finger in a duck hunting accident, and the right fielder, taxi driver Dean Wright, had done battle with a waterski rope that twisted off the end of one of his thumbs.
Kenny was the guy that got me into playing men's fastball and for that I'm thankful to him....even if he did retire to take up roller blading.
Labels: history, Other leagues
posted by fitzroyfastball | 5/14/2011 07:19:00 pm
3 Comments:
10 fingers....but let me guess .... you still you still type with only the two pointers!
Whatever works to get all the fastball news that's fit to print online!
I have just read your blog today,imagine. I`m only 10 years late.lol!I was part of the old Alfred team like your said and I said to myself,what?Old?lol!I guess you`re right,cause I`m turning 50 this year and I was the youngest of the team,barely 25 years old at the time.Every weekend,we were playing in a tournament either in Ontario or the Québec region and one day,I bought the Ottawa Sun or Ottawa Citizen...,anyway,I saw your add for a tournament in Arnprior.The rest is history!Good teams were part of your tournaments like Renfrew with Mark Wright(good breaking ball)Shawn Costello,Ron Dewar(lefty),Randy Blondin,etc...Yes sadly,we lost Sylvain Pouliot to a terrible disease and we still played a few more years after his passing,but he was never replaced.He was the heart and soul.I`m glad I found your blog and I`m looking forward to read more.P.S.:I tried to send you a team photo of the Old Alfred team from 1995,but I wasn`t able to tag it.Thanks for the memories!
Post a Comment
<< Home