SportsLife issue 6 2016 | Page 31

Vince Eastman ( 1967- ) Virden MB Vince Eastman was one of the very elite Senior AAA pitchers in Manitoba during the 1990 ’ s . A real workhorse with a rubber arm and great control Vince had a lengthy career that also included success pitching for US College , professional Prairie League , and Senior AA teams . Vince was a regular all-star in the MSBL with five second team and three first all star selections . He led the Neepawa Farmers to their only provincial title in 1997 by posting a league best 8-1 regular season record and a 5-0 playoff MVP performance . That year Vince was also named the Senior AAA Player of the Year by Baseball Manitoba . He was named the top pitcher at the Western Canadians with the title winning MSBL all-stars in 2000 . Vince was always heavily recruited throughout his career by Manitoba teams at all levels of competition from Bison to Senior AAA to pitch at Provincial , Western , and Canadian championships . This was not only because of his obvious talent but also his durability , competitiveness , and sportsmanship .
Small Community Team : Ebb & Flow Lakers ( 1990- 1996 ) The Ebb and Flow Lakers
David Nychyk ( 1968- ) Winnipeg MB David Nychyk has over 35 years of being involved with baseball in Manitoba as a player and a coach . He has played on six provincial champion teams from Midget to Senior AAA and is a two time Western Canadian Senior champion with the 1990 Teulon Cardinals and 2002 Elmwood Giants . Dave was also an all-star wherever he played highlighted by being named tournament MVP at both the 1985 Midget Provincial championships and the Senior AAA 1990 Westerns . From 1989-95 David had an outstanding career playing for and coaching US college teams . He was a member of the 1995 Manitoba all-star team that defeated the Canadian National Team . In 1992 Dave founded the Legion 141 Senior Baseball Club and served as vice president of the North Winnipeg Baseball Association for eight years . David was the recipient of the annual Manitoba Junior Baseball League ’ s Brain Domes Award in 1995 for dedication to baseball in Manitoba . In 2013 he was named Baseball Manitoba ’ s High Performance Coach of the Year . He now coaches the Winnipeg Junior Goldeyes Baseball Academy , supported by Home Run Sports .
Gord Paddock ( 1964- ) Oak River MB Gord Paddock has worked very hard for many years to promote baseball in the Oak River area as a player , coach , team manager , tournament organizer , and facility manager . Like most great players he started as a teenager in Senior AAA ball performing for the Hamiota Red Sox in 1982 . He then spent over 30 years playing or coaching competitively with his hometown Dodgers and other local Senior teams . In 1992 Gord was named the Senior AA Player of the Year in leading the Dodgers to the Manitoba Senior AA championship . He has coached minor and high school ball in the Oak River area for many years . Gord was the coach of the Senior AAA Oak River Dodgers in the MSBL from 2011-2015 . In the MSBL ’ s last year of operation , the Dodgers captured the 2015 League title which allowed them to represent Manitoba at the 2016 Nationals held in New Brunswick .
representing the Ebb and Flow First Nation in central Manitoba were a very successful tournament team during the early 90 ’ s not only in the province but also in Saskatchewan , Alberta , and Minnesota . Although no statistical records were kept , the team had an estimated . 900 winning percentage against several levels of competition including such top teams as the Elmwood Giants , Teulon Cardinals , Reston Rockets . Competing one year in the provincial intermediate playoffs they were runner-ups to the Waskada Orioles . Their successes culminated in 1995 at Blaine , Minnesota , when they won the North American Indigenous Games final by a score of 4-1 . Archie McIvor pitched a three hitter to beat the state-selected team representing Minnesota .
Orville Renwick ( 1945- ) Melita MB Orville Renwick has been an outstanding baseball promoter in South West Manitoba for many years . Orville started out as a player with the Coulter Red Sox , an Intermediate team that lost the provincial finals in 1968 to the Thompson Reds . Orville then coached the Red Sox for a few years before putting his talents to work for the betterment of all the South West baseball region . He started umpiring for minor and Intermediate ball in 1978 and didn ’ t retire until 2010 . Not content to merely contribute on the field Orville also served as the South West League President from 1980-97 . He also served as an area director for the Manitoba Baseball Association for six years and was made a member of the Manitoba Baseball Honour Society .
Special Category : Bob Boyce-Umpire Bob Boyce ( 1950-2013 ) umpired Junior and Senior baseball for over 30 years in the Winnipeg area . He travelled to and from most of his games by city transit which was viewed as a tremendous sign of dedication . He also mentored and evaluated many young umpires who developed into top level umpires . For many years Bob assigned the umpires to Junior and Senior games , often on short notice , making sure the games had competent umps . He refused however to provide replacement umpires when Northern League umps went on strike in 1995 . Bob was highly respected among other prominent Manitoba umpires and the Winnipeg baseball community in general for his competency and long-time dedication and service to the game .
sportslife / 31