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Darryl Leir doesn't need
the video-tape version. he can vividly recall John Olerud's monster home run in the 1988
Kamloops International Baseball Tournament.
"We lost 7-3 to Olerud and the Washington State Cougars in the final, but we lost to them 21-2 before the final," said Leir, a longtime ace pitcher with the Enderby Legionnaires. "John Olerud hit one off Russ Elsom about 6,000 feet. It's still going around."
The Legionnaires won $4,000 as runners-up that year, just one of countless memorable tournaments the Enderby club has entered.
Leier and another former Legionnaire veteran--Wayne Aalto--are spearheading a Legion reunion slowpitch game barbecue weekend July 4, 1997, at Riverside Park. "We sent out between 50 and 60 invitations," said Aalto. "Kevin Reimer's going to play and we invite all Legionnaire fans to show up and watch a fun game. We're going to have lots of guys so everybody will play an inning or two."
Senior men's baseball was established in the 1950s by the Enderby Oil Kings, who became the Legionnaires in 1976 when the Local Legion bought the club new uniforms. Smokey Parr, now living in Abbotsford, is one of the early Oil King and is believed to be the most senior gentleman invited to the reunion.
Leier pitched for Enderby from 1976-1994, while Aalto, who played for Yakima junior College, was a first baseman/pitcher from 1976-1988.
The Legionnaires won provincial championships in 1976, 1979, 1981, and 1984. They took Western Canadian titles in 1981 and 1984 (in Enderby). The team prided itself on showing class wherever they played ball.
"We're the only baseball team that would go to Quesnel and could get a hotel room," said Leier, a father of two. "We had fun, but we played baseball first and celebrated after. We always had a good mix of youth and age which perpetuated the team. Part of the reason for the reunion is to keep the team going."
Leier figures a thrilling 2-1 Labor Day Tournament loss to Puccinis of Vancouver in 1976 (catcher Eddie Johnstone hit the first Puccini pitch over the fence) started the Enderby fans' love affair with the Legionnaires.
Aalto, who also has two children, remembers some long balls hit by Reimer, who went on to smack homers in the Major Leagues.
Kevin was a bat boy when he was 14 and our starting left fielder at 15," said Aalto. "He crushed a lot of balls."
For Reimer, playing at an advanced level at a tender age prepared him for college and pro ball.
"It was a fun time," said Reimer. "We took a lot of pride in the game and we worked really hard as a team. You didn't just show up for games; everybody came to practice. For a young player, you're playing with adults and older players and competing against grown men and you had to show that you were mature enough to play at that level. You couldn't just go out and fool around. You had to bear down."
Reimer, who also has two kids, played four years for the Legionnaires before heading to Orange Coast College in California. He says the Legionnaires were a close-knit group.
"There was a family atmosphere with the Legionnaires. There would be barbecues after the games and players stuck around rather than just playing the game and heading home. You had a group of guys who stayed together for a long time."
Kevin and his dad Gerry, who played and coached for the Legion, join Geoff and Tyler Collins as father-son combinations who represented Enderby. Leo and Larry Gauthier (their father Albert umpired games) are a legendary Legionnaire brother act.
Darin Chamberlain, a former Enderby pitcher now scouting for the Seattle Mariners, has been invited to the reunion.
Kevin Mitchell
Morning Star, 1997