BIRTHDAY GREETINGS !

Veteran scorekeeper celebrating a birthday in December: Leigh Jerstad — December 14th.

November 18

Y2K BATTING STATS !

Regular Season Batting Stats since 2000 season.  Minimum requirement — 50 games played. 2000 to 2006 PLAYER GP AB R H 1B 2B 3B HR RBI EBH BA W L T Doug McDonald 74 179 94 124 56 43 16 9 99 68 .693 36 35 3 Al Jackson 71 177 83 121 84 27 7 3 66 37 .684 38 31 2 Jim Senay 74 187 80 125 85 30 7 3 87 40 .668 33 37 4 Ryan Taylor 61 149 56 99 58 27 9 5 72 41 .664 32 27 2 Darcy Grendus 86 231 106 152 74 51 11 16 140 78 .658 39 43 4 Ed Falys 78 225 97 148 101 43 3 1 93 47 .658 38 36 4 Len Fong 53 117 68 75 36 26 7 6 51 39 .641 26 24 3 Paul Wuttunee 51 143 64 90 55 21 3 11 71 35 .629 22 26 3 Bob Ostafiew 53 132 51 76 56 14 6 0 46 20 .576 30 21 2 Dan Gray 56 145 47 78 57 16 4 1 48 21 .538 21 33 2 Nancy McCabe 75 215 50 109 106 3 0 0 45 3 .507 37 34 4 Tammy Daly 76 221 40 76 73 3 0 0 19 3 .344 33 40 3 Sharleen Jackson 58 165 30 54 51 3 0 0 30 3 .327 28 29 1 Honorable Mention Doug Walls 48 92 20 56 49 7 0 0 31 7 .609 26 20 2

Club Leader

November 15

CONCERNING NANCY McCABE !

Some distressing news concerning our Nancy McCabe. The Veterans were recently advised that Nancy has been admitted to hospital for breast cancer surgery. Sharleen Jackson has advised the prognosis is positive and Nancy is in great spirits. This is definitely shocking news and our best wishes go out to Nancy, her husband Sean, and family. Nancy will be in Langley Memorial Hospital - Room 230 (Section 2 North) until Sunday. Sharleen will be visiting Nancy to deliver a 'Get Well' flower arrangement from the Veterans Softball Club. Here is Nancy's contact info.  Pass along your best wishes.  I'm sure she would appreciate it! 20376 40A Avenue,   Langley, BC   V3A 2Y8 604-533-7606   Home Phone 604-616-1110   Cell Phone Unfortunately, in life, bad things happen to good people.  We are sure she will defeat this adversity.

October 30

BIRTHDAY GREETINGS !

Veteran players celebrating birthdays in November: Michelle Connell — November 3rd,  Paul Wuttunee — November 5th,  Tammy Daly — November 7th, Nancy McCabe — November 10th,  Jane Senay — November 27th.

October 23

CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY !

Better late than never.  It's been 2½ months since the Vets won the VRSL MatBall-Rec Championship. Third-Baseman Ed Falys received the Championship Trophy from the league office yesterday. In addition to the award all Veterans players will receive league caps as 2006 champs. Please join the Veterans at the next Extra Innings Club meeting to have your photo taken with the trophy and pick up your cap — Monday, November 27 at Penny Lane Pub (41st Ave & Main St) Note change of venue:   Extra Innings Club (Eldorado Lounge) is closed on Mondays.  Ed Falys displays VRSL MatBall-Rec Championship Trophy & cap

October 23

1984 DUNCAN TOURNAMENT VIDEO ADDED

Here are a few highlight videos from Elco Softball Club tourney in Duncan, B.C. — way back in 1984. Line-Up   Elco Tournament line-Up in Duncan.  Some forgotten faces from yesteryear. Doug Walls   Watch the Iron Man crush a homer. And receive very little praise from team-mates. Randy Morawski   See Randy get beaned in the head. Watch it again & again. Great stuff!

October 15

VETERANS FALL SCHEDULE !

The off-season will see the Veterans hosting several team get-togethers at the Extra Inning Club. Monday, Oct 16th — 5:30 pm.  Mets vs Cardinals (Game 5 - NLCS) plus the Canucks vs Oilers. Monday, Nov 27th — 5:30 pm.  Seattle Seahawks vs Green Bay Packers. Hope to you can find time to attend.

September 10

TOURNAMENT VIDEO NOW AVAILABLE !

Thanks to Geoff Richardson for making his tournament video files available on this site. Click on links below to view the videos. Tournament Highlights  31.1mb Line-Up  7.66mb Game 1  32.2mb Game 2  31.8mb Game 3  20.3mb Game 4  26.8mb

September 1

BIRTHDAY GREETINGS !

Veteran players celebrating birthdays in September: Doug McDonald — September 15th,  Shelley Richardson — September 24th.

August 30

YEAR-END BAR-BE-QUE — A SUCCESS !

The Veterans season officially came to a close last Saturday with the team's Year-End BBQ. The final gathering was hosted, once again, by Nancy & Sean McCabe.   Many thanks! Highlight of the bar-be-que was the screening of Geoff Richardson's tournament video. Bravo Geoff! Contact Geoff to get your copy — while supplies last. Superb ending to a great season. Congratulations one and all! Have a wonderful off-season! In attendance were: Ed Falys, Dan & Leslie Gray, Darcy Grendus, Al & Sharleen Jackson, Nancy & Sean McCabe, Doug McDonald, Shelley Richardson, Tanis Sawtell, Jim and Jane Senay, Ryan Taylor, Doug 'Ironman' Walls, Paul Wuttunee and Trish Masonville. Junior 'Vets' attending were — Matt Jackson, Jennifer and Shane McCabe, Sam Senay, Katie & Mitchell Wuttunee.  Photos from the Vets Bar-be-que 2006 Champions hanging out. Rookie Shelley Richardson with Coach Al Jackson. Doug McDonald with Ex-Vet Sean McCabe. Dan Gray, Al Jackson & Nancy McCabe waiting to eat. Jim Senay & Sean McCabe reliving past glories in the Softball News. "Ironman" Doug Walls, with rookies Tanis Sawtell & Shelley Richardson. Shelley Richardson — just call me Shania Twain.  Yee Hah !! Doug Walls re-telling stories of past triumphs with Dan Gray and Sean McCabe.

August 21

JOY IN VETVILLE !

Oh! somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright; The band is playing somewhere and somewhere hearts are light, And somewhere men are laughing and somewhere children shout; Ah yes! there's joy in Vetville — the mighty Veterans have won out. It had been 15 long years since the Veterans Softball Club last won a championship. But the Vets finally ended that drought by winning their 2nd League title, and their first in the Vancouver Recreational Softball League. The Blue Shirts won all three round-robin games to advance to the Championship Final. ROUND-ROBIN RESULTS Swingers — 13 - 6;      Lucky Strikes — 23 - 3;      MadBatters — 7 - 5. The Vets easily won the first two games of the competition, outscoring their opponents 36-9. The MadBatters posed more of a challenge. Scoring 5 first-inning runs helped the Veterans establish a lead they wouldn't relinquish.  Fortunately, time ran out on the MadBatters and the Vets were assured of their 1st Championship Final since their near-perfect 2000 season. The final didn't start well for our heroes. The Emily Carr's All Sorts put seven runners across the plate in the first 2 innings to take a solid 7 - 3 lead. The Vets narrowed the gap — scoring three in the bottom of the third inning. There was no more scoring until the All Sorts pushed through another run in the top half of the sixth. The bottom of the inning saw the Vets even the match — scoring 2 runs on a Paul Wuttunee single. With the game knotted at 8 runs apiece, both teams entered the final inning looking for a break to clinch the championship. Emily Carr struck first scoring two runs to take a 10 - 8 lead. It didn't look good for our side. Geoff Richardson led off the inning — flying out to centre field. Not the start the Vets were looking for. It was up to Tanis Sawtell to kick-start the Vets offense. Tanis singled, followed by a hit from ageless wonder, Doug Walls. Pinch-runner Geoff Richardson replaced Walls at first base. So, with runners at first and second, the Vets regular season RBI leader Shelley Richardson came to the plate. And she didn't disappoint. Shelley smacked a double to score Sawtell from second base. Now it was Coach Al Jackson's turn. Al hit a single to score Geoff with the tying run — Shelley Richardson moved to third base on the play. Nancy McCabe followed with an infield hit to load the bases. It was now up to the Vet's regular season batting champ — Fred Hawkshaw. Freddy drilled a line-drive which was mishandled by the All Sort's short-stop. The ensuing throw to the plate was wide of the mark, allowing Shelley to score the game-winning run. It was a exciting finish to a great tournament !   Well done Veterans ! Final score — Veterans - 11,   Emily Carr's All Sorts - 10. Note: The following 2006 Veterans played on the 1991 Elco Championship club. Al Jackson, Nancy McCabe, Ed Falys, Paul Wuttunee, and Doug Walls. Click on links below to view Matball-Rec and Matball-Open Championship game results. Matball-Rec          Matball-Open

August 11

TOURNAMENT DRAW !

The VRSL has released the Matball-Rec Tourney schedule and the Vets couldn't be happier. The Veterans are the top seed in the 'B' Pool and will have home field advantage throughout the round-robin phase. The participating 'B' Pool teams are: Swingers — Angels Division  (3-12-0), Lucky Strikes — Rangers Division  (4-10-0), MadBatters — Royals Division  (7-7-1), Veterans — Royals Division  (7-8-0) Veterans round-robin game-times: (All games at Gordon Park SW) Game 1 — Swingers - 9:00 am Game 2 — Lucky Strikes - 12:00 pm Game 3 — MadBatters - 1:30 pm 'B' Pool Winner will play in the Championship Final against the 'A' Pool Winner at 5:30 pm. The 'A' Pool teams are: Club Chaos — Rangers Division  (7-6-1) Emily Carr A.S. — Angels Division  (5-9-1) Cambie Chaos — Royals Division  (1-14-0)

August 7

YEAR-END BAR-BE-QUE !

Veterans Year-End Bar-be-que is being held Saturday, August 26th — 2:30 pm. Hosts: Nancy & Sean McCabe — 20376 40A Ave, Langley (604-533-7606) DON'T FORGET!! Bring a lawn chair, your favourite beverage and a creation from your kitchen. Hope to see everyone there.

July 29

WALK THE WALK & TALK THE TALK !

Has Doug Walls waited too long to make his move to win the Batting Title? During the past 5 games (June 28 to July 26) the Iron Man has hit safely 8 times in 9 AB. His average, for this period, is an amazing .889 ! The next best average belongs to Outfielder Fred Hawkshaw. Fred hit for a measly .833 during the last five games. Hawkshaw still leads the Vets with an overall batting average of .828. With only two games remaining, Fred is en route to become only the fourth 'Triple Crown Winner' in team history. He currently leads the club in Batting Average, Home Runs, and Runs Batted In. (RBI lead currently shared with Shelley Richardson) Should make for an interesting finish!

July 28

BIRTHDAY GREETINGS !

Veteran players celebrating birthdays in August: Randy Morawski — August 17th.

July 10

BIRTHDAY GREETINGS !

Veteran players celebrating birthdays in July: Geoff Richardson — July 8th,  Ed Falys — July 10th,  Doug Walls — July 18th.

June 18

YEAR-END TOURNAMENT !

The VRSL Matball-Rec Tournament is being held on Sunday, August 13th at Gordon Park in Vancouver.  Click on link below for a map to Gordon Park. Gordon Park

June 16

GIRLS!  GIRLS!  GIRLS!

The Veterans set an un-official club record during our 8 — 7 victory against the MadBatters. The game saw, for the first time, eight chick players in the line-up. THANKS TO: Sharleen Jackson, Nancy McCabe, Jane Senay, Tammy Daly, Michelle Connell, Tanis Sawtell, Carolyn Mount, and Shelley Richardson.

May 29

BIRTHDAY GREETINGS !

Veteran players celebrating birthdays in June: Fred Hawkshaw — June 28th,  Darcy Grendus — June 30th.

May 28

WELCOME CARTER !

Fred and Christina are pleased to introduce their new son, Carter Frederick Hawkshaw. Born on Wednesday, May 17th at 7:20 am, weighing 7 pounds, 6 ounces.  Congratulations! Now we know why Fred missed the game. And he did hit a HR for Carter the following week.

May 19

ROOKIE VETS !

Welcome the newest Veterans. Photo from 2006 Spring Training — Renfrew Park. 2006 Rookies — Shelley & Geoff Richardson, Tanis Sawtell, and Carolyn Mount

April 30

BIRTHDAY GREETINGS !

Veteran players celebrating birthdays in May: Jim Senay — May 12th.

April 5

FREE AGENT ADDITIONS !

Manager Darcy Grendus certainly has been busy in the free agent market. The Veterans were able to snag another player. Our newest addition is Carolyn Mount. Listed below is some information provided by our newest teammates: Carolyn Mount — "Everything sounds great, and I think we will be a good fit. The Veterans sound very similar in history, style and philosophy to the team I played with in Victoria for four years, and it was a wonderful experience. I'm not the best female player, but I do love to have fun and am a great team player. I have normally played catcher or right field, just so you have an idea of what I am most comfortable with (though I am always open to growing and trying new things!). I won't be able to make the practice this Sunday, but I will put the 23rd on my calendar. I look forward to meeting everyone then." Shelley & Geoff Richardson — "A bit about us: Geoff prefers to play outfield but I'll play wherever you want me. We're looking for a fun team that is more about being social in an active environment then winning. This league sounds awesome and a perfect place for both of us to feel comfortable with the skill level. We're excited to join the team. We'll both be at practice on the 9th but I may be out of town on the 23rd. I'll know more by the 9th and can let you know then. I checked out the team website - WOW! Very detailed and very organized - I like it! We look forward to meeting you and the team on the 9th. See you then." Tanis Sawtell — "My "philosophy" of playing softball is to participate, have fun, and do my best. I am not into playing for a team that gets upset at individuals who make mistakes or benches players when they are not batting well. On the same token I want to play with individuals who know the game and aren't picking up a ball for the first time. Good sportsmanship is important. The social aspect of playing ball is important to me. Matball will be a little new to me as most recently I have been playing 4-pitch, but I should be able to pick it up fairly quickly. I look forward to meeting your team."

April 1

COMINGS & GOINGS !

Latest update regarding the upcoming 2006 season. SAY 'GOOD-BYE' TO: Bob Ostafiew — After 17 seasons Bob Ostafiew has decided to call it quits. Bob has been a fixture with the Vets since 1989. He will always be remembered for his perfect 13 — 0 regular season pitching record in 2000. Who can forget dodging Bob's dead-pull line drives while coaching third base? Sorry to see you go, Bobby! Reagan Peachman — Recent update from Reagan: "I am sorry that I have to tell you this last minute ….. I won’t be able to play this season. My work is changing some hours ….. meaning no leaving early to attend ball games. So I won’t be able to make it to Vancouver on time for the games. I am slightly bummed as I had a great time playing with you all last season. I hope this does not cause too much problems!" Jenn Eadie — A month ago Jenn advised us that she was 98% certain she would be returning to Vancouver and rejoin the Vets. Latest news has Jenn getting married and moving to the U.K. Go figure! SAY 'HELLO' TO: Shelley & Geoff Richardson — The newest additions to the Veterans. Shelley & Geoff are the latest free agent signings by the Vets. Welcome to the team! That brings the total of 3 new players joining the Vets for the 2006 season.

March 31

BIRTHDAY GREETINGS !

Veteran players celebrating birthdays in April: Ryan Taylor — April 4th,  Al Jackson — April 9th.

March 19

SPRING TRAINING DATES & NEW FACES !

An update regarding the upcoming 2006 season. SPRING TRAINING The Veterans will be holding practises on Sunday, April 9th & Sunday, April 23rd. Time:  11:30 am Place:  Renfrew Park Note: Player jerseys will be distributed at practise. Please plan to attend. BOB OSTAFIEW We have had no response from Bob Ostafiew concerning his status for 2006. At this point, my guess, is that he will not be returning. NEW PLAYERS It is my pleasure to announce that the Vets may have two new faces on the 2006 roster. There is a very good chance that Jenn Eadie may be returning from her travels. Tammy Daly should be hearing more about Jenn's return in the next few weeks. It will be great to have Jenn back on the team! The Vets have been in discussion with Tanis Sawtell about joining the team. Tanis was looking for a team to play with and our communication has been positive. It appears that Tanis would be a good fit with the Veterans. Please give Tanis a warm welcome when you meet her in the coming weeks.

March 12

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER !

Fred and Christina sent along this photo of their wedding from last August. Let's hope Christina fulfills her promise in allowing Fred to play this season.

March 2

JENN EADIE RETURNING ?

A message from our Jenn Eadie: "Just a quick email to let you know that I'm pretty sure I'm coming back to Vancouver, should be in April, and am wondering if the Veterans would be interested in having me back for the season? Have mentioned it to Tammy and she said it would be good but thought I would check with you since you are the boss! Would confirm with you for sure by the end of the month but am 98% sure I'm coming back. Hope all is well there. Take care." Jenn Great news for the Vets!

February 28

BIRTHDAY GREETINGS !

Veteran players celebrating birthdays in March: Dan Gray — March 30th.

February 5

2006 PLAYER ROSTER & PLAYER FEES !

Responses were received from all players..... with the exception of Bob Ostafiew. All 2005 players plan to return, except Barb Ross, who is retiring. Player Fee — $40.00   if received by March 9th. Player Fee — $50.00   if received after March 9th. You can mail your player fee to: Darcy Grendus 302-2260 West 2nd Avenue Vancouver, BC V6K 1H9 or pay your fee at the next Extra Innings Club gathering to be held on Thursday, March 9th. Some comments from your Veteran teammates. Dan - Take me off the D.L. and put me back on the active players list. I will be there. Paul - Count me in! Ryan - I am definitely planning to be back to the Veterans this season. Barb - Sorry, I can't commit to the team this year. Might be able to spare sometime if you are desperate. Thanks for the invite. Reagan - I will be coming back this year, for my SOPHMORE year. I have to get those stats up. Hope you had a great off season, and we’ll catch up soon. Jane - I hope to play but I have been injured since the fall. Its hard to call it this far in advance but I am working on recovering. Jim - I would definitely like to be part of the Veterans' 2006 season. I will also gladly take the equipment again. Michelle - Of course I'm playing, you had to ask? I look forward to seeing you guys Fred - I am Absolutely in for this year of ball! Randy - I'd like to play again this year, but during the summer months, I might only be able to make games when I am not scheduled on afternoon shift. Tammy - Further to our conversation, I am expecting to return this season. Look forward to hearing more details. Leigh - Don't know what is happening yet. Will have to wait and see what my future holds. Nancy - It looks like I will be back..... Doug W - Just a confirmation that I will be returning to second base (or shortstop) this year. Ed - Yes, I wanna play! Add my name to the wanna-be's!

February 2

RETURNING VETS !

Player contracts were emailed to all Veteran players on Jan 21st. The following 2006 player statuses are listed below: 2006 PLAYER STATUS  PLAYER  Reply Returning     PLAYER  Reply Returning  Michelle Connell  Jan 23 Yes     Doug McDonald  Jan 31 Yes  Tammy Daly  Jan 22 Yes     Randy Morawski  Jan 23 Yes  Ed Falys  Jan 21 Yes     Bob Ostafiew No response         Dan Gray  Feb 02 Yes     Reagan Peachman  Jan 29 Yes  Darcy Grendus  Jan 21 Yes     Barb Ross  Feb 01 No  Fred Hawkshaw  Jan 23 Yes     Jane Senay  Jan 26 Yes  Al Jackson  Jan 31 Yes     Jim Senay  Jan 25 Yes  Sharleen Jackson  Jan 31 Yes     Ryan Taylor  Feb 01 Yes  Leigh Jerstad  Jan 22 Uncertain     Doug Walls  Jan 21 Yes  Nancy McCabe  Jan 22 Yes     Paul Wuttunee  Feb 02 Yes

February 1

BIRTHDAY GREETINGS !

Veteran players celebrating birthdays in February: Reagan Peachman — February 6th,  Sharleen Jackson — February 20th.

January 21

BUN IN THE OVEN !

Women's coordinator - Tammy Daly has reported that Outfielder Fred (Hacksaw) Hawkshaw, and wife Christina are expecting their first child! Congratulations to the new prospective parents from your Veterans teammates.

January 20

WEDDING BELLS !

The Vets have just learned that Outfielder Paul Wuttunee is getting married. Not much else is known at this time.  Congratulations Paul & Trish — from your Veteran teammates!