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J i Mamregion. typepad.com Baseball just won't be the same Troy May's influence stretched far It's hard to imagine a baseball landscape landscape in Oshawa without Troy May being an integral part of it. Fortunately, he has had such a positive positive .and far-reaching influence over the past few decades, thére seem to be plenty of people willing to step to the plate and carry on his legacy. That much, at least, is a positive ray shining through an otherwise dark period in Durham sports. The love and respect May commanded commanded has been obvious since his sudden passing last Wednesday, not only at his funeral in Oshawa on Monday, but also at ball parks throughout the region.- ; 1 That lattér bit, no doubt, would please May a great deal. Although the Oshawa Dodgers understandably chose to reschedule their game in Toronto on the day of his death, many minor teams battled their emotions and carried on, pausing at the beginning" lbf-a moment of reflection. reflection. Playing the games is exactly what May would have wanted, insists Jerry Siebarth, who served as vice president president under May's presidency on the Oshawa Legion Minor Baseball Association Association executive and also coached alongside him. As for the Dodgers, they saved their tribute for Saturday, when every play- cr'on the team wore May's name and No. 20 on their backs while defeating the Kitchener Panthers at a packed Kinsmen Stadium. May, after all, was the Dodgers. He founded the team in 2002, served as owner and president for the duration and was also the field manager until this season, when he handed the reins to Mike Prosper but stayed on as third base coach. May's family, also injured in the car crash that ultimately claimed him, quite obviously supported him with the Intercounty baseball endeavour. Wife Lori serves as secretary and treasurer treasurer while sons Jamie and Connor are bat boys. While the average person would have his plate full playing such a prominent role with the Dodgers, May somehow also managed to preside over both Oshawa minor ball and the Eastern Ontario Baseball Association, help out with his sons' baseball, hockey and lacrosse teams, manage a sports wholesale store and remain a loving and devoted family man. And, presumably, find time to sleep occasionally. Not surprisingly, the Oshawa Funeral Funeral Chapel overflowed on Monday, as friends from all walks of life came from far and wide to pay their respects. Members of the Oshawa Dodgers and minor ball teams wore their jerseys and three Dodgers gave touching tributes tributes to their 39-ycar-old mentor. Siebarth, one of those in attendance, was happy to speak, of the man he came to rely on for just about anything. anything. "He was such a wonderful person and lie touched so many hearts," says Siebarth. "He taught me more about baseball in the past three years than everyone else did in the 40 years previously. previously. "We have a lot of good people who will carry on his legacy," Siebarth continues. "He taught us all these things and his teachings will always be there," May, it would seem, truly did touch" them all. BY BRIAN MCNAIR Staff Editor OSHAWA - The Oshawa Dodgers wore their feelings for Troy May on their sleeves Saturday. And, literally, on their backs. Playing their first game since the sudden sudden death of the team's founder and owner, the Dodgers all wore May's name and No. 20 on their jerseys for an Intercounty Baseball League game against the Kitchener Panthers at Kinsmen Kinsmen Stadium. Rest assured, May would have loved the result. Ken Calway slugged a two-run homer in the first inning and the Dodgers led for the duration, posting a 7-4 win in a game that drew a large crowd and also raised funds for the May family. May's wife, Lori, and two young boys, Jamie and Connor, were also injured in a car accident that ultimately claimed his life. Calway, who has been on a tear "of late, had three other hits in the game, including a single in the sixth inning that delivered the winning run. Ryan Crotin and Nick DeSanctis added three hits each and Brett Prosper had another pair for the Dodgers. Matt Tosoni, Greg Byron and Aaron Gordon each pitched three innings, with Byron improving to 4-1 and Gordon getting the save. The Dodgers continued to play inspired ball the next day, taking an 11 -7 win out of Hamilton over the Thunderbirds. Neil McBride doubled and scored two runs, while Chris Sereda had two hits and an RBI. Crotin also had two hits and Calway swatted a double. Colin Buckborough (1-1) allowed only three hits through four innings, but gave up six walks and six runs. Brian Sewell, Ian Okorofsky and Ben Chisholm all pitched in relief to preserve the win. The Dodgers improved to 14-21 and are now tied in seventh place with the Guelph Royals. They close out the regular season Thursday in Toronto with a makeup game against the Maple Leafs. Jerry Siebarth, one of Troy May's many good friends, says the best way to pay tribute to the May family would be to support the Dodgers in the playoffs. "If there's anybody who wants to do - T 1 ».» r» j , . -, Photo by Jennifer Roberts The Oshawa Dodgers celebrate scoring a run m Saturday's 7-4 win over the Kitchener Panthers at Kinsmen Stadium. Paying tribute to team founder Troy May, who passed away last week, every member of the team wore his name and number on their jerseys. anything for the May family, it would be to support the team, to fill the stadium," he says. NOTES: Several scenarios remain possible in the standings, so the Dodgers Dodgers won't know their playoff opponent until Thursday at the earliest. They will start the playoffs on the road, likely on Friday or Saturday... Jamie and Connor Connor May are now together at the Hospital Hospital for Sick Children and reportedly recovering from serious injuries... The Eastern Ontario Baseball Association is taking donations on behalf of the May family. For those interested, please make donations payable to the EOBA and forward them to and in care of: Treasurer Carol Steele, 1042 Hudson Dr., Kingston, Ont., K7M 5K8. Carol can be reached at 613-389-6484 or by e-mail at carols@eoba.net. Become a film star at Total Hockey Submit your memories and memorabilia BY BRAD KELLY Sports Editor .*■■■. BOWMANVILLE -- When the new Total Hockey building chronicling the history of Canada's national winter sport opens its doors to the public this fall, some local residents well versed in the game may become movie stars as a result. A Montreal firm that the municipality has been working with for the past two years is tapping into the local market to get residents to share their memories and help "tell the story of hockey" says Skip Crosby, Recreation Coordinator for the Municipality of Clarington. There will be two segments to the filming filming that will cover a time period from the NHL's Original Six era, right up to today's great players. Passion of the Fan will be a short documentary documentary about hockey played during the Original Six period between 1940 and 1960. The video will feature Clarington residents discussing their memories of that golden era that could include such things as listening to games huddled around the radio, watching on television, a first visit to Maple Leaf Gardens, collecting collecting cards, or a little closer to home, playing and watching games in the local rinks. The second video is entitled Contemporary Contemporary Hockey's Greatest Moments, and will deal with the more modern era. Among the topics to be included will be local hockey of the past 30 years including including stories about local rinks, teams and leagues, NHL and WHA stories, sharing who you feel are the best players, and international memories that can include a wide range of topics from the 1972 Summit Series to the Olympic Games. • Any memorabilia such as old.photos, cards, posters, programs, jerseys or videos videos from either of the two eras is also of interest to the filmmakers. "It's going to be quite an interesting project," promises Crosby. Anyone interested in sharing their memories is asked to forward a brief outline to Brooks Robinson "at brobinson@clarington.net no later than - Aug. 9. Successful candidates will be invited to a casting call on Aug. 15, where they will meet former Hockey Hockey Night in Canada broadcaster Brian McFarlane and discuss their submission . or present any memorabilia that may be of interest. "We're just trying to find what is pertinent pertinent to the story we are trying to tell," says Crosby of the screening process. Filming for the two segments will take place on Aug. 16 and 17 at the Recreation Recreation Complex. The documentaries will be on permanent display beginning Oct. 29, the scheduled "date of opening for Total Hockey. Reinforcements return as playoffs begin Fresh off a World Field Lacrosse championship, five Redmen hope the winning continues BY SHAWN CAYLEY Staff Writer Brian McNair's column appears every third Wednesday. E-mail bmciiair@durhamrefiion.com. BROOKLIN - Shawn Williams is hoping to bring that winning feeling back to box lacrosse as the Brooklin Redmen embark on the beginning of their playoff journey tonight. Williams, and five other Redmen - Steve Toll, Stephen Hoar, A.J. Shannon, Jeff Zywicki and Gavin Front - celebrated celebrated on Saturday as Canada upset the United States in the World Field Lacrosse Championship final, 15-10, handing the red, white and blue their first championship loss since 1978, when Canada also won on home soil. "What an unbelievable feeling it was," said Williams on Monday, after having having a couple of days to let the feat set in. "Everyone was totally elated, we're all on cloud nine, that's for sure." Perhaps the one who is on the largest cloud is Zywicki, who led the offensive charge for Team Canada, not only in the final, but throughout the entire event. "He knows how to get it done, that's for sure," said Williams, Williams, of his Canadian and Redmen teammate who scored 28 goals at the tournament, "It may have been a surprise surprise to some, but with Jr. (John Grant Jr.) and (Gary) Gait out there with him, it opened up a lot, lie took advantage Shawn Williams and the guys on our side weren't surprised." surprised." • - Williams is confident he and the rest of the Canadian champions returning to the Redmen (Front will miss the first two playoff games with a previous commitment commitment in Colorado) will provide just the boost the club needs in the playoffs. "They didn't do too bad while we were gone, they managed to scratch a couple wins out," he said, praising the efforts of those who held the fort and allowed the Redmen to maintain home-floor advantage advantage in the first round. "Hopefully we can just come back and add to that, keep things going and help gel over the hump. 1 think we can." As for their opponent tonight, the St. Regis Indians, Williams says although they didn't have a great record (7-10-1), they remain just as dangerous as any team that made the post-season. "You've always got to be worried against them, especially with (John) Tavares out there," explains Williams, who finished the year with 77 points in only 12 games. "He is always dangerous and lie definitely has a lot of lacrosse left in him." Another player they'll need to keep an eye on is Kevin Dostie, who was third in the league with 35 goals this season. NOTES: John Fusco made another appearance for the Redmen on Saturday. The lacrosse legend suited up in Saturday's Saturday's game because of a lack of bodies present, but he didn't fare out as well as he did in his first game this season. Fusco tailed to record a point and was cut above the eye in a first-period fight with Barrie's Brian Buchanan... Bill Greer (hand) is still two weeks away from returning to the Redmen lineup... A.J. Shannon, who was originally chosen chosen to play for Canada af the world championships, is gone for the season with a knee injury... Game 2 of the series goes Friday night at St. Regis, while Game 3 is slated for Sunday at Iroquois Fork, tentatively scheduled for 8 p.m. Dodgers win one for May Brian McNair Pay tribute to team founder with victory over Kitchener