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a a aa 53 AAR ak nL wi in 5 En ---- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesdav. June 23, 1987 -- 5 Viewpoint by John B. McClelland BORIS IN YANKEE STADIUM! It won't happen next year, or the year after. It pro- bably won't happen within the next decade. But some time in the not too distant future, likely by the end of this century, American baseball may get the jolt of their , lives. As everyone knows, baseball is THE quintessential sport in the United States. It is as much a part of the American tradition, history and way of life as the Declaration of Independence or a Norman Rockwell painting. Just as Canada has cultivated the mythology of every young boy learning hockey on the frozen ponds in the dead of winter with visions of NHL stardom dan- cing in his imagination, likewise boys south of the border play baseball on the windswept sandlots of Oklahoma and Kansas and their dream is to someday wear Dodger Blue or Yankee pin-stripes. . To be sure, there are some mighty fine baseball players from Latin America (George Bell and Tony Fer- nandez, to name two) and across the Pacific in Japan, there is a highly competitive professional league, but the image of baseball is one of small-town America, hot dogs in the bleachers, the Word Series, the memory of Babe Ruth. But something is happening that sooner or later will put a big puncture in the American r.otion that baseball is their sport and their's alone. EN The Russians have suddenly become very in- terested in the game which has been the exclusive do- main of the dreaded capitalists. The catalyst which stir- rea this interest was a decision by the International Olympic Committee to declare baseball an Olympic sport. The Russians treat the Olympics as the altar upon which all sport is to be displayed and worshipped. There are of course heavy-duty political overtones to the way the Russians approach the Olympics. They measure success in sport as the yardstick for the success of their entire system. In their minds, if a country can produce the best athletes in the world, it follows naturally that the social-economic and political fabric ts the best in the world. oo The Russians are looking down the road a few years to the day when they send their best nine to the field and win the Olympic gold against the best nine from the United States. When that happens, their propagandists will have a field day. h Baseball in the Soviet Union is non-existent these days. There are just a handful of teams. They have no uniforms and their equipment is of the shoddiest quality. But quietly, the state run Sports machine in the Soviet Union is sending people to Latin America to observe the game. Cuban baseball coaches and managers are arriving in Moscow to lecture on theory and strategy. And you can just bet it won't be too long before they are out scouring the vast tracts east of the Urals in seach of youngsters who can run, catch, throw and hit a baseball. As they do in all sports, the Russians will take the best at a tender age, bring them to Moscow and gear their lives around one thing: baseball. They are pro- bably aiming for the 1996 Olympics, which might be played in Toronto. That's less than a decade away and it's not likely that a Soviet baseball program will develop to the point where the Russians can seriously challenge the Americans, Cubans or Japanese for a gold medal, but vou can be sure they are getting ready for a run at it. One need look no further than what the Russians did with the sport of hockey in a couple of decades after World War II. They first observed, then they took a few highly-skilled sport tehnocrats who studied the game in microscopic detail. They hunted high and low in every corner of that huge land for youngsters who could skate and they made them into hockey players. The rest is history as we in Canada discovered back in '72 when they challenged our best professionals and darn near beat them. It was a rude lesson for Canadians who simply took it for granted that the frozen ponds of Saskatchewan and the chilly arenas of northern Ontario were the only breeding grounds for the best hockey players in the world. Granted, the Russian climate may be better suited for developing hockey players than it is for playing baseball. But keep in mind, there are vast areas of southern Russia where the weather is similar to the American mid-west. And in the long run, climate will have nothing to do with the success of baseball in the Soviet Union. If history runs true to form, the Russians will approach the development of baseball exactly as they did with (Turn to page 7) Yesterday's. Memories 70 YEARS AGO Wednesday, June 20,.1917 Letters Can be blind in many ways! After an absence of 30 years, MF. Wm. Asling arrived in Port Perry from Butte, Montana. @ On the sixth concession of Reach, Mr. George Midgley raised a barn on the farm of Mr. Albert Williams, just west of town. All neighbours turned out to help. : : It is said that there are some 50 automobiles now in Port Perry. . 45 YEARS AGO Thursday, June 18, 1942 Owing to transportation, sugar rations have béen cut from three- quarters of a pound per person to one-half pound each week'~ Mr. Roy Cornish was elected President of the Port Perry-Lions Club. N : Friends and neighbours of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Millman, Epsom gathered at their home to honour Mr. and Mrs. John Millman, recent- ly married. : 35 YEARS AGO : Thursday, June 19, 1952 : Mr. Bill Brock has successfully completed his second year in the Commerce and Finance Course of the University of Toronto. Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Snelgrove, Prince Albert, attended the graduation of Miss Lois Jeffrey at Oshawa General Hospital. The Port Perry Junior Institute girl's baseball team will repre- sent Junior Farmers on Field Day at Guelph. 30 YEARS AGO Thursday, June 20, 1957 Miss Barbara Diamond and Miss Elaine Yoe graduated from Oshawa General Hospital. Mrs. Sandy Williams won $62.02 in the Appreciation Day Draw. Miss Dolly Roberts, Manchester, is in New York attending the Billy Graham Crusade. Prompt action of the Fire Department saved the house of Mr. and Mrs. Phil Saunders, Bigelow Street, Port Perry. 20 YEARS AGO Thursday, June 22, 1967 Miss Debbie Griffen, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ted Griffen was crowned Queen at the dance held by 'r Place in the Arena on Friday Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Hunningsen, Seagrave, who celebrated their 62nd Wedding Anniversary on Thursday, June 13, 1967. : Flamingo Pastries, Port Perry, celebrated its Ist anniversary last Saturday at the Legion Hall. In one year production 53 persons have joined the staff, working in three shifts, to make the famous buttertarts. 10 YEARS AGO Wednesday, June 22, 1977 Almost a week after Scugog Township Council issued a 48-hour ultimatum, two trailers parked illegally at Goreski"s marina were moved June 19 to another location. The Borelians Society was awarded a $700 grant for the purpose of hiring resource persons to conduct a series of workshops during the 1977-78 season. oo The Port Perry and district Minor Softball Association held their parade and booster night on Saturday. To The Editor: : off, I turned to the Bible and read How many ways can one be blind- ed? Let me count the ways: blind- ed by rage -- blinded by ignorance -- blinded by fear - blinded by indif- ference -- and lastly, physical blindness. to After reading your letter to the Editor last week I was blinded by rage at the accusation that, the assumed 'intelligent blind person had not been helped by his church. My first reaction was to tongue lash this person for which I was sorry afterwards. Taking my 'blindfold' Rezoning review | needed Ta The Editor: Forty non-profit apartments pro- posed by Immaculate Conception Church have been turned down by our Township Council. The result is that 40 of more senior citizens, out of a total of ap- proximately 200 applicants, of whom 168 are living below the. - poverty level, have been denied de- cent, affordable housing. This despite the fact that both Federal and Provincial governments are ad- vocating and subsidizing similar projects. _ The reasons for this turn down - as reported in the Port Perry Star (June 16th) - appear to be contradic- tory when compared to congestion, eic., created by other projects in progress locally. "Certainly a review of the pro- ponents application for re-zoning is indicated. Yours truly, J.F. O'Reilly, Port Perry. several passages -- one of which was on brotherly correction: - 'If your brother does something wrong, reprove him, and, if he is sorry, forgive him. And if he wrongs. - you even times a day and seven 'times comes back to you and says, "I am sorry,"' you must forgive him. , (Luke: 27:4) All that I ask for is a public retrac- tion on the accusation made that "His own church refused to help Him." I am even willing to accept that this might have been an 'under' sight on Jackie Hodgins' part. She might have been blinded by compas- sion for this person. We have an ex- pression in French, "Les paroles s'envolent, les ecrits resfent.'" (Therefore, one should always think twice before making written accusation!) Please take the time to check out your stated accusation. Were you a y witness to the church's refusal of help"? I have proof that our church has many times helped out tran- .sients and families in need regardless of race, colour or'creed. Therefore, why? would the church not come to the help of one's own? When you attack a church, you not only attack its representative, but the entire congregation. Together we pray and together we stand! I hope that your sense of sight will recover, thus, enabling yoy to make aretraction. In closing let me quote Jesus' last words: ; 'Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing!' (Luke: 23:34) This, Jackie Hodgins, gives you the answer to your question on "*Who is blind?" Yours truly, Martha Franssen, Port Perry. | Port Perry STAR (ecnna Phone 985-7383 P.O Box 90 J. PETER HVIDSTEN Publisher Advertising Manager JB. McCLELLAND Editor CATHY OLLJFFE News & Features «18 an COMuy oS » 235 QUEEN STREET - PORT PERRY, ONTARIO Canadian Community Newspaper Association and Ontaria Community Newspaper Association Port Perry Star Co Ltd Port Perry. Ontario Authorized as second class mail by the Pos} Otthice Department. 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