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By Scott Radley METROLAND MEDIA GROUP When the greatest pitcher of his genera- tion finally agreed to throw a few innings in a local oldtimers baseball game and started warming up, every one of the guys in the other dugout stopped what they were doing and stared. Then started complaining, guffawing, and taunting him intensely enough that the usu- ally unflappable pitcher was ready to fire a high hard one at the dugout. They were so vicious with their remarks, he laughs. Stuff like, Go back and play with the girls, and Go put your skirt on. The reason for the reaction? This was baseball hardball. Yet, Dick Hames was delivering underhand. Windmill style. For those of a certain vintage, the name will ring some bells. Once upon a time, mens fastball was huge around here. In that world, few were bigger than Hames. Hed starred in the Big Four, beaten the legendary Eddie Feigner and his Court, got major leaguers out, and is still considered one of the best fastball hurlers ever. Thing is, most of the guys on the diamond that day were considerably younger than him and hadnt had much exposure to the game. So when he stepped onto the mound to throw a baseball from underneath, they were stunned. Most of them hadnt seen it before, he says. That was nearly 20 years ago. Today, hes still going. At 75 though he looks 15 years younger than that hes likely the oldest competitive baseball player in the area. Hes had a hip replaced and should have at least one of his knees done soon. Yet, he keeps at it. And keeps getting people out. Last weekend, Hames pitched for the Oakville Golden As in the National 50-plus Oldtimers Championship in Burlington. More than half a century after playing his first game. As a young man growing up in Windsor, Hames actually got his start in baseball. He was an OK pitcher, but most of his friends were drifting into softball so he joined them. When he did, he discovered he had a natural talent. I had a God-given ability to throw, he says. I could pick up a stone and hit a tele- phone pole. Soon he was a gun-for-hire, going from team to team across southern Ontario and in the States pitching for top teams competing for major titles. Hed play as many as 110 games a year, pitch- ing in almost all of them. Sometimes that meant seven games a day. But after winning Canadas first world championship in Manila in 1972 with a 1-0 win over the United States -- he pitched and drove in the only run -- he came home with a virus that knocked him out of the game for a few years. When he returned he wasnt the same. So, after a few more seasons, he quit. He planned to stay retired. But after mov- ing to Burlington a few years later, some of the old-timers folks who knew of his background came after him. They kept pestering me to come out and play, he says. I said, Im a fastball pitch- er. But they persisted. So he finally came out. And not long after he did, they pushed even further and asked him to throw. I said again, Im a softball pitcher. He went home and tried it though. The ball was so much smaller and at first, everything went high. In time he figured it out but he still had no intention of doing it in a game. Besides, he wasnt sure the rules allowed it. Until one day, another pitcher threw a modi- fied underhand style at his team. Hames decided if that guy could do it, hed give it a shot too. He hasnt stopped since. Even if he admits hes not quite the dominating force he once was. Obviously Im pitching slower, Week Nine Photo Contest Winner: Photographer: Jeff Shikaze OAKVILLE SOCCER CLUB Sponsored by: The Oakville Beaver A Proud Sponsor of Oakville Soccer Club Best Buy CORRECTION NOTICE NEWSPAPER RETRACTION FOR THE BEST BUY JULY 29 CORPORATE FLYER Please note that the Samsung E2020X 20 Monitor (Web Code: 10173660) advertised on page 10 of the July 29 flyer has an LCD screen, NOT an LED screen, as previously advertised. We apologize for any inconvenience we may have caused our valued customers. w w w .in si d eH A LT O N .c o m O A K V IL LE B E A V E R W ed n es d ay , A u g u st 3 , 2 01 1 2 8 An under-handed approach Dick Hames still getting hitters out with his unique style They were so vicious with their remarks. Stuff like 'Go back and play with the girls,' and 'Go put your skirt on.' Dick Hames, recalling a game 20 years ago WINDMILL STILL WINDING: Dick Hames shows off his pitching style that has baffled opposing hitters for half a century. The 75-year-old pitched underhand for the Oakville Golden A's in last weekend's national oldtimers 50-plus baseball championships in Burlington, more than 50 years after playing in his first game of fastpitch. ERIC RIEHL / OAKVILLE BEAVER See Hames, page 29 Oakville Adult Recreational Hockey 905-849-9712 or: www.hmhl.bizland.com Information and/or Registration by Phone: Intermediate (18+) Oldtimers Divisions (30+, 40, 47+) Womens Rec/Comp (18+) Register now for our fall season. Prime time games, no late nights!