Picture of the Day 6/9/09 and Blog- Banner

[MikeF9]

Picture of the Day June 9, 2009

Go Softball Team!!

BANNER
The banner you see hanging on Doug and Peg Stewart's fence is an old one. It first made it's appearence in 1978 when we were completing the undefeated season. The banner has been on display at some recent playoff games. It hung on the wall at Barre Auditorium when the boys basketball team was playing in the finals.
The Stewarts have a history with state titles. Doug's brother, Richard, played first base for the baseball team that won the championship in 1958. Doug and Peg's son Craig threw a no-hitter in the championship game in '78. Daughters Marlene and Carolyn were on the '80 team that won the softball title. Carolyn was on the team that repeated in '81.
Marlene's daughter, Stephanie, is on this year's softball team. Steph's dad, Quentin Karr, played first base on that '78 team.

[MikeF9]

A little bit of a backstory.
Monday night I was typing up the blog and got to babbling about the '78 team. I was previewing it, did SOMETHING and it was gone. I wanted to cry.
Started over, did a quick blurb, then posted and went to bed.
So here now are some of the memories I was having.

I was manager for that '78 team. I did everything. Equipment manager, bat boy, shagged foul balls in the parking lot, called the newspapers and gave them the scores, figured up batting averages and other stats...............
Leonard Parent was working at the St. Albans Messenger that year and I called him to give him the schedule.
"We'll see you when you play Mississquoi," Lenny said.
"Um..............we don't play MVU this year."
"Okay, we'll see you sometime."
Lenny came to cover us when we beat Richford and went 7-0, I think. From them on, either Lenny or Wayne Tarr was at just about every game following us. After the season, we all signed a card and sent it to Lenny to thank him for covering our games.
Geoff Forsey piched a one-hitter against Enosburg HERE. I joked that if Randy Ferguson was pitching, he'd have gotten a no-hitter. We went to Enosburg, Randy pitched, and got a no-hitter.
Craig Stewart was having a no-hitter at Sacred Heart up in Newport. He twisted his knee sliding into second base. Quentin Karr came on in relief, walked the first batter, then finished the no-hitter.
State title game. 2B Loren Ward was out after being hit by a pitch. Dennis Corse replaced him. West Rutland had a runner on second, one out. Runner with a big lead, then a line drive hit to Dennis, who caught the ball, then flipped it to SS Rob Bordeau covering second before the runner got back, double play. We mobbed Dennis as they were coming off the field.
We were the only team to beat Proctor that year. They beat us in the soccer semi-finals, then again in the basketball quarterfinals at Barre. We went to Proctor to start the season, and won in 8 innings. Bernie Keefe wore #8 and made a diving catch in left field that Yaz would have been proud of.
Ronnie Hanson made a diving catch to win the semi-final game here. I spent most of the game in the ditch behind center field looking for balls that bounced in for a ground rule double.
Mark Keefe sneaking in from centerfield pick a runner off second base. I think it was the Enosburg game here.
Ground ball in the grass away from first base. 1B Quentin Karr comes in to field the ball. Ball bounces off his glove right to 2B Loren ward covering from behind, and "Porky" runs to first for the out. This play happened TWICE that year.
The guys celebrated our first win of the year by throwing our scorekeeper, Kate Cleary, into the shower with her clothes on. The boys lockeroom shower. John Gillis, the coach wasn't real happy, and then as Kate is walking out of the lockeroom, Principal Dick Brown walks in. Gillis went white. Dick looks at Kate.
"I didn't know the lockerooms were co-ed."
Kate's reply-"They're not." and walked out.
Great team. Magical season. 19 wins. 0 losses.
BFA 6 West Rutland 0. June 10, 1978.