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/ . > y ç v \ t The Canadian Statesman, Bowmanvillc, Wednesday, July 27,1994 7 Pitcher's Career Enters Final Innings Gary Carroll Reaches 25th Year of Senior Baseball It's a typical Sunday morning at the ballpark as players go through their pre-game rituals in preparation for the first pitch. On the diamond, the home team (in this case the Kendal Eagles) is taking an infield practice under a bright sunny sky. The sound of the ball making contact with the aluminum aluminum bat rings each time throughout the park. Other players arc huddled together together around the dugoul, chatting it up about their exploits the night before. As is usually the case, some good- natured kidding keeps the mood light. Fans are slowly making their way into the park, setting up lawn chairs at their favourite vantage points. Off to the side, and seemingly oblivious to what is going on around him, Gary Carroll takes some warm up pitches after being selected as the starting pitcher for the game. The ritual is a typical one for him as well. One that he has done many times before during his illustrious career. is my little domain and I forget about everything else," he explained. explained. He patterns himself after his idol, Tom Seaver, who led the National League in strikeouts five times over his 20-year career. He also won back-to-back ERA titles in 1970,71, and finished his career with 311 wins. "He was a clean-cut athlete and always showed a lot of composure when he pitched," remembers Car- roll. As a tribute to the pitcher he patterned patterned himself after, Carroll adopted the number 41. He also inherited the same attitude that Seaver took to the mound with him each time the ball was put into his hands. It's what makes pitchers like Seaver and Carroll a cut above the rest. "He has always been a competitor, competitor, and he's the best clutch pitcher in a big game I ever saw. If there was ever a big game that needed to be won, he was the guy to put in," said Keith Powell in reference to Carroll, whom he has played with "He has always been a competitor, and he's the best clutch pitcher in a big game I ever saw. If there was ever a big game that needed to be won, he was the guy to put in.' ' . -Keith Powell Just how many times wouldn't be possible to calculate. This season marks the 25th year that the Courticc resident has played baseball at the senior level. I'm standing some 60 feet away from him on this particular day, on the receiving end of his warm-up pitches. The 45-year-old is going through his arsenal of pitches as the ball pounds into my glove with pinpoint accuracy each time. I can't help but marvel at what this man has accomplished accomplished during his career, and at the same time, I feel somewhat privileged privileged to help him prepare for the game. It might be one of the final starts of his career. This year, he says, is his last. Later in the day, he went on to pitch a complete-game victory, and though there isn't anything on the scorcsheet to substantiate my claim, I do feel that I had some small part in it. As his career closes out, the admiration admiration I have for him has grown over the last three years. As a teammate teammate over that time, I am in awe of both his longevity and his success. He brings a dimension to a baseball baseball team that is welcomed by coaches, and respected by players. His demeanor both on and off the field is one that all players should strive to attain. "When I get on the mound, that for 11 years in the senior league. "He has always thrown strikes and been a good control pitcher. He is a very smart pitcher, who at one time had the best curve ball in the league and that has been his key," Powell added. It wasn't always that way, though. Carroll remembers the days of playing minor baseball in his hometown hometown of Oshawa. At the time, the city was consumed with fastball, and little attention was given to baseball. When Carroll reached the junior level, the team was loaded with talent. talent. He was designated as a pitcher, and told to concentrate his efforts full-time on that position. With little instruction offered by coaches in minor baseball - "people didn't know a lot about baseball other than what they watched on television," he said - Carroll credits Ted Lutton with teaching him the finer points on how to pitch. "He taught me more in junior than I had learned in all my years of minor baseball," added Carroll. Lutton's teaching laid the foundation foundation for a career that has spanned three decades. There have been a number of highlights over Carroll's career, including including the Ontario championships that he was a part of while playing for the Oshawa Legionaires senior ball club. But one of the biggest setbacks also came with the same club. Ironically, Ironically, it didn't happen on the field. After playing in Oshawa for 19 years, a new coach decided that Carroll's Carroll's best days had passed, and that it would be best if he moved on. The news came over the telephone, telephone, which was an insult to a man who coveted playing in Oshawa. "He said it would be best if I went somewhere else because I wouldn't get a lot of pitching," said Carroll. The end was a bitter one for Car- roll, who had been looking forward to celebrating his 20th year with the team. His original intention was to go and play in Whitby, but when Kendal Kendal called, he accepted their offer. In his first game against his old team, he picked up the win in a lopsided lopsided 9-1 game. So characteristic of Carroll, was the fact that he didn't gloat or show any animosity after the game. Looking back on the events that transpired since that lime, things haven't worked out too badly. "Maybe tire best thing that could have happened was leaving Oshawa because after that year, they didn't have a team," he said. It's ironic that in 1969, Tom Seaver of the New York Mets compiled compiled a 25-7 record on the year, and led his club to a World Series championship championship after, beating Baltimore. Seaver, the Cy Young award winner in the National League that year, was the catalyst in the comeback comeback New York slaged during the regular season to win their division. People still speak fondly of "Those amazing Mets of'69." That same year, another young pitcher, Gary Carroll, was a rookie with the Oshawa senior baseball team. At 21 years of age, he was one of the youngest players on the team. Fresh out of junior, he learned in a hurry that stepping up to the senior level was a big change. "In junior, I threw everything hard," he recalled. "In senior I had to learn to think more. Guys were smarter and laid off pitches they didn't have to hit." num bat," said Carroll of the one piece of equipment that has been a nightmare for pitchers. "There were hardly ever any home runs hit, but with aluminum bats, it's routine to hit one out." As for lob ball, the increasing numbers that the game has drawn detracts from baseball. "A good hardball player will be an exceptional lob ball player, so they like to get a bit of the glory and go play lob ball. We've lost a lot of players to that. "It used to. be a sin to go and play lob ball instead of hardball, but guys do it more and more all the time." pitching for Oshawa, the town in which he was bom and raised, seemed bleak. Rumors circulated each year that a team may once again surface in Oshawa, but such a team has never materialized. There has always been interest on the part of players, but nobody wanted to step forward and be the driving force behind getting a team started. Now, with 25 years of service under his belt, Carroll has stepped forward as that person. He vows that senior baseball will return to Oshawa in time for next year. "It's something that never by Brad Kelly Mamey, and daughter Lori, a 17- year-old high school student at East- dale, with supporting him through the years. "I have been fortunate that I have a wife who likes going to ball parks. If it hadn't been for that, I wouldn't have been able to keep playing for as long as I have." Next year will pose another chal The Oshawa Legionaires won the All-Ontario senior 'B' championship in 1984 at the tournament held in Sarnia. That's Gary Carroll in the back row, second from right. With some of the better players leaving to play lob ball, it has caused the calibre of play at the senior senior level to decline. "It definitely hasn't gotten any better," Carroll feels. "There's not the commitment there once was. Now, players get to junior and don't want to play anymore anymore and they quit coming out. "Lob ball is the biggest downfall around here. Guys can go out and "It's like the guy from Field of Dreams. I just love baseball so much that I can't get it out of my system." -Gary Carroll The league had fewer teams in 1969 than the 11 that arc active this year, but the competition was at a very high level. Oshawa's biggest rivalry in those days was against Peterborough Peterborough and Port Hope. "Everybody was after Oshawa because when we first came into the league, we had a real good ball club." As the years passed, changes too numerous to even mention have taken taken place. The teammates, the opposing opposing players, and even the teams have shifted over time. Two of the biggest changes within within the game have been the transition from using wooden bats to aluminum, aluminum, and die popularity of lob ball. "The ball jumps off an alumi- play a game in one hour and then leave." Since being released from Oshawa six years ago, there has always always been a part of him that wanted to return to Kinsmen Stadium. He yearns for one more chance to stride from the dugout, and take up residence residence on the mound. "I walk into the park and look at the mound and picture different people people that I used to play with," he began. began. "It's an emotional thing for me. "It's like the guy from Field of Dreams. I just love baseball so much that I can't get it out of my system." When the team folded after the 1989 season, the chances of ever should have happened. Oshawa shouldn't be without a senior ball team," he claimed. In the opinion of Keith Powell, who patrolled the outfield in Oshawa at one time, the right man has taken on the responsibility. "Gary's good with young pitchers, pitchers, and he's always been a good cheerleader on a team. He's always been able to pick the guys up." As his 25th year in the league begins begins to wind down, and the thought of retiring from the game in which he has given so much of his time draws nearer, there is a little sadness. sadness. Countless weekends in the summer summer have been lost. Family life, vacations, vacations, and work schedules are sometimes juggled so as not to interfere interfere with playing baseball. It takes a great deal of a time commitment from not only a player, but the wives and children as well. Carroll is quick to credit his wife, lenge for Carroll, but one that he is looking forward to. He will rebuild the senior program program in Oshawa with the same enthusiasm enthusiasm that he has taken to the mound for each game over his 25- year career. And who knows? Some of that enthusiasm may put him back on the mound at Kinsmen Stadium next year, affording him the opportunity to pitch for Oshawa just one more time. "When I get on the mound, that is my little little domain and I forget forget about everything else." -Gary Carroll This photo, taken (luring the mid-1980's, shows Gary Carroll in an Oshawa uniform. Born and raised in Oshawa, lie played 19 seasons lor his hometown, Next year, he is hoping to bring senior baseball back to Oshawa after a six-year absence. by Ted Denny Cowan Pontiac-Buick If You're Stuck: In Sand, Mud, Ice or Snow. What you don't want to clo when your vehicle is stuck is to spin your wheels. The method known as "rocking" can help you get out when you're stuck, but you must use caution. To rock your vehicle, first turn your steering wheel from left to right. That will clear the area around your front wheels. Then shift back and forth between "R" and a forward gear, spinning the wheels as little as possible. Release the accelerator pedal while you shift, and press lightly on the accelerator pedal y üfaTÉawâiri tà 7 àimfM-A when the transmission is in gear. If that doesn't get you out after a few tries, you may need to be towed out, Be aware that spinning your wheels can destroy parts of your vehicle as well as the tires, if you should allow them to spin at a high speed they could explode and perhaps cause an injury. Never spin the wheels above 35 miles (55 km/h) on the speedometer. For more information I can be reached at Cowan Pontiac-Buick 905-623- 3396. © * This season marks the 25th anniversary of baseball at the senior level for Gary Carroll. The 45-ycar-old Courticc resident has spent the past six of those years pitching for the Kendal Eagles, In his last start on Sunday, he pitched a complete-game 5-4 victory for Kendal over Whitby.