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CZECH POINTS: Smith still a fan of SHBL

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These days, Todd Smith spends a lot of his time playing the game of political hardball at Queen's Park.

There was a time, however, when the burly Bay of Quinte MPP loved few things better than trying to belt one out of the park while playing in the South Hastings Baseball League.

"Oscar,” as Smith was often called back then when he lumbered along the basepaths and tried to terrorize opposition pitchers with his hefty swings in the SHBL, played almost 10 years in the local senior men's hardball loop — one of the oldest continually-operating diamond circuits in Canada.

The SHBL is celebrating its 85th anniversary this season and Smith recently took some time out to reflect on his time in the league.

"I love the SHBL,” said Smith. “I still try to get out to a couple of games per year to see the guys play.”

Smith played for the Latta Rivermen between 1995-2003. The club was run by player-coach Boyd Sullivan.

"We were originally sponsored by Maple Dale Cheese, then the short-lived Don Cherry's Sports Grill (formerly located at the Fairfield Inn) by the 401,” said Smith. “When Boyd called it quits, that was the end of the Latta team.”

Under Sullivan's directorship, the Rivermen were a formidable crew.

"We won three consecutive championships from 1998-2000,” said Smith. “The SHBL was a very competitive league and we were referred to as the 'Belleville Boys' by the longtime fans because many of us on the Rivermen had played for the Belleville Labatt Nationals during those years.”

Ah, yes. The Nats.

Smith spearheaded the formation of the city's entry in the EOBA Senior league that played for a few seasons out of Rotary Park. The team was named after the 1928 Belleville Grand Trunk Nationals, who captured an all-Ontario senior men's baseball crown in 1928.

Along with Smith, a lot of the Nats also played for the Rivermen in the SHBL.

"Paul Prokopczuk was our ace pitcher and we had some pretty good position players — like Jamie Murphy, Steve Tetlock, Dave Potts, Khoby Langdon and Paul Webber — who could hit too,” said Smith. “Boyd, our player-coach, would pitch and catch.”

Smith has fond memories of Sullivan — never at a loss for words — exchanging barbs with opposition fans in the time-honoured tradition of baseball banter.

"Anyone who knows Boyd as the wittiest auctioneer in the region can just imagine how willing he was to converse with some of the oldtimers in the stands who were heckling his boys on the field,” said Smith. “It was all great fun, but sometimes tempers flared as fans and family members of the teams from Marysville, Melrose or Shannonville would take exception to some of Sully's taunts.”

The Rivermen played home games in Thurlow.

"Behind the Gerry Masterson rec centre,” said Smith. “The other teams played at Melrose. For a few seasons too, Dave Bird ran the old Oak Lake Owls from a field he had built along with his father (the late Doug Bird) along the Frankford-Foxboro road. The field, complete with dugouts and an old-style left-field scoreboard, is connected to an old barn on the south side of the road.”

When he's not toiling at Queen's Park or watching his daughters play rugby for the Bayside She Devils, Smith relishes the opportunity to catch the occasional SHBL game at Melrose.

"Watching a game there is like stepping back in time when baseball was all about the game,” he said. “It's a beautiful, well-manicured little ballpark. One of the really cool additions to the Melrose park is the monument to past players. Whole generations of families have played in the SHBL over the last 85 years.

"The league has stood the test of time, thanks to the many families who've been involved in keeping the legacy alive.”

SHBL golf tournament

The SHBL's 85th anniversary golf tournament will tee off Saturday, June 23 at Briar Fox. For $75, participants get 18 holes of golf, cart and steak dinner. The event is a 1 p.m. shotgun start and spaces are still available.

To register, contact SHBL president John Masterson or visit the league website.

Around the SHBL

At midweek, the newest entry in the SHBL, the Bain Excavating Rockies, were in first place with an 8-1 record. Rounding out the standings were: Uens Pole Line Construction, 7-1; Maclan Designs, 5-3; Read Young Guns, 4-3-1; Shannonville Hawks, 3-3-2; Melrose Shamrocks, 3-4-1; Tal Trees, 3-7; Parkhurst Tripps Pirates, 1-6; Tyendinaga Mudhens, 0-4.

ON DECK: Tonight — Maclan Designs vs. Mudhens, 6:30 p.m.; Thursday — Parkhurst vs. Shannonville, 6:15 p.m.; Rockies vs. Read, 8:30 p.m.; Friday — Parkhurst vs. Melrose , 6:15 p.m. (Field 3); Uens vs. Rockies, 7 p.m.; Sunday — Shannonville vs. Maclan Designs, 1 p.m.; Parkhurst vs. Melrose, 3 p.m. (Field 3); Tal Trees vs. Read, 3:30 p.m.

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