There were laughs, a few tears and plenty of fond memories on the baseball diamond as players from Stoney Creek’s 1965 little league team gathered to mark their upcoming induction into the Hamilton Sports Hall of Fame.
Roughly half of the 1965 Canadian Championship team gathered at Stoney Creek Optimist Little League Park Aug. 30 to shoot footage for a video to be screened at the Oct. 10 induction ceremony at Michelangelo Events and Conference Centre.
Stoney Creek’s 1965 team is still the only Canadian squad to ever advance to a Little League World Series final. Riding a 13-game winning streak, the ’65 little leaguers won the Canadian title beating Valleyfield, Que. and East Trail, B.C. At the Little League World Series, Stoney Creek beat Spain 6-0 in the quarter-finals before edging Jeffersonville, Ind. 1-0 in the semis. That was also the first time a Canadian team had ever beaten an American opponent at the Little League World Series.
Stoney Creek lost the world championship 3-1 to Windsor Locks, Conn.
For team member Jimmy Vlajkov, the accomplishment is a testament to the coaching of the late Bert Carrigan and George Bender.
“Two people, Mr. Carrigan and Mr. Bender, what they did for 14 young boys and what they instilled in their lives is truly remarkable. They should be in the hall of fame,” said Vlajkov. “We were taught well and we came from a generation that every child wished they could live what we went through. What we did will never be done again. It’s a hell of a record.”
Vlajkov, who threw out the first pitch at a Little League World Series game a few years ago, is also launching an appeal to have the 1965 team inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.
“When you look back, we never lost,” said Vlajkov. “We just ran out of time.”
For player Brad Ackles, the summer of ’65 means as much today as it did back then.
“We’re not sure how many more times we’re going to get together as a group. So it makes this kind of thing even more special because you just don’t know how many more of these you’re going to have,” he said. “At the induction ceremony, we’re basically going to take over the room. We’re going to have so many people there. I think that’s just a testimony to how much it meant to the town. Not only then, but still (today).”
As Gary Bartkiewicz and other team members noted, the induction is somewhat bittersweet. Two players, third baseman Karl Betz, and catcher Doug Smees, have passed away in recent years.
“They left us way too young,” said Bartkiewicz.
For Bartkiewicz, who now lives in Binbrook, it’s always special when he and his teammates get together.
“There’s memories and the town was really supportive,” said Bartkiewicz. “It was a pleasure to play with guys who took it so seriously and I had a lot of fun with them. I wish they could all be here.”
Bartkiewicz was Stoney Creek’s starting pitcher for the shock 1-0 semifinal victory over Jeffersonville.
Also on hand for the Aug. 30 film shoot, Darrell Ostrosser is looking forward to the hall of fame induction.
“It’s a big deal,” said Ostrosser. “This was more than 14 guys and two coaches. It was a whole community thing that really rallied around what was going on. For me, that’s really why it continues to be so special.”
Players Rick Ferroni and Bill Lockhart were on hand for the film shoot as well.
The playing roster for the 1965 team also included Len Bromley, Geoff Dalton, Ron Kenny, Doug McKay, Joe Palango and David Sutin.
Other inductees to the Hamilton Sports Hall of Fame this year include football player Peter Dalla Riva, hockey player Murray Oliver, M.M. Robinson (in the builder category), and former Hamilton Tiger-Cats player and coach Don Sutherin.
See hamiltonsportshalloffame.com for complete details.
There were laughs, a few tears and plenty of fond memories on the baseball diamond as players from Stoney Creek’s 1965 little league team gathered to mark their upcoming induction into the Hamilton Sports Hall of Fame.
Roughly half of the 1965 Canadian Championship team gathered at Stoney Creek Optimist Little League Park Aug. 30 to shoot footage for a video to be screened at the Oct. 10 induction ceremony at Michelangelo Events and Conference Centre.
Stoney Creek’s 1965 team is still the only Canadian squad to ever advance to a Little League World Series final. Riding a 13-game winning streak, the ’65 little leaguers won the Canadian title beating Valleyfield, Que. and East Trail, B.C. At the Little League World Series, Stoney Creek beat Spain 6-0 in the quarter-finals before edging Jeffersonville, Ind. 1-0 in the semis. That was also the first time a Canadian team had ever beaten an American opponent at the Little League World Series.
Stoney Creek lost the world championship 3-1 to Windsor Locks, Conn.
For team member Jimmy Vlajkov, the accomplishment is a testament to the coaching of the late Bert Carrigan and George Bender.
“Two people, Mr. Carrigan and Mr. Bender, what they did for 14 young boys and what they instilled in their lives is truly remarkable. They should be in the hall of fame,” said Vlajkov. “We were taught well and we came from a generation that every child wished they could live what we went through. What we did will never be done again. It’s a hell of a record.”
Vlajkov, who threw out the first pitch at a Little League World Series game a few years ago, is also launching an appeal to have the 1965 team inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.
“When you look back, we never lost,” said Vlajkov. “We just ran out of time.”
For player Brad Ackles, the summer of ’65 means as much today as it did back then.
“We’re not sure how many more times we’re going to get together as a group. So it makes this kind of thing even more special because you just don’t know how many more of these you’re going to have,” he said. “At the induction ceremony, we’re basically going to take over the room. We’re going to have so many people there. I think that’s just a testimony to how much it meant to the town. Not only then, but still (today).”
As Gary Bartkiewicz and other team members noted, the induction is somewhat bittersweet. Two players, third baseman Karl Betz, and catcher Doug Smees, have passed away in recent years.
“They left us way too young,” said Bartkiewicz.
For Bartkiewicz, who now lives in Binbrook, it’s always special when he and his teammates get together.
“There’s memories and the town was really supportive,” said Bartkiewicz. “It was a pleasure to play with guys who took it so seriously and I had a lot of fun with them. I wish they could all be here.”
Bartkiewicz was Stoney Creek’s starting pitcher for the shock 1-0 semifinal victory over Jeffersonville.
Also on hand for the Aug. 30 film shoot, Darrell Ostrosser is looking forward to the hall of fame induction.
“It’s a big deal,” said Ostrosser. “This was more than 14 guys and two coaches. It was a whole community thing that really rallied around what was going on. For me, that’s really why it continues to be so special.”
Players Rick Ferroni and Bill Lockhart were on hand for the film shoot as well.
The playing roster for the 1965 team also included Len Bromley, Geoff Dalton, Ron Kenny, Doug McKay, Joe Palango and David Sutin.
Other inductees to the Hamilton Sports Hall of Fame this year include football player Peter Dalla Riva, hockey player Murray Oliver, M.M. Robinson (in the builder category), and former Hamilton Tiger-Cats player and coach Don Sutherin.
See hamiltonsportshalloffame.com for complete details.
There were laughs, a few tears and plenty of fond memories on the baseball diamond as players from Stoney Creek’s 1965 little league team gathered to mark their upcoming induction into the Hamilton Sports Hall of Fame.
Roughly half of the 1965 Canadian Championship team gathered at Stoney Creek Optimist Little League Park Aug. 30 to shoot footage for a video to be screened at the Oct. 10 induction ceremony at Michelangelo Events and Conference Centre.
Stoney Creek’s 1965 team is still the only Canadian squad to ever advance to a Little League World Series final. Riding a 13-game winning streak, the ’65 little leaguers won the Canadian title beating Valleyfield, Que. and East Trail, B.C. At the Little League World Series, Stoney Creek beat Spain 6-0 in the quarter-finals before edging Jeffersonville, Ind. 1-0 in the semis. That was also the first time a Canadian team had ever beaten an American opponent at the Little League World Series.
Stoney Creek lost the world championship 3-1 to Windsor Locks, Conn.
For team member Jimmy Vlajkov, the accomplishment is a testament to the coaching of the late Bert Carrigan and George Bender.
“Two people, Mr. Carrigan and Mr. Bender, what they did for 14 young boys and what they instilled in their lives is truly remarkable. They should be in the hall of fame,” said Vlajkov. “We were taught well and we came from a generation that every child wished they could live what we went through. What we did will never be done again. It’s a hell of a record.”
Vlajkov, who threw out the first pitch at a Little League World Series game a few years ago, is also launching an appeal to have the 1965 team inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.
“When you look back, we never lost,” said Vlajkov. “We just ran out of time.”
For player Brad Ackles, the summer of ’65 means as much today as it did back then.
“We’re not sure how many more times we’re going to get together as a group. So it makes this kind of thing even more special because you just don’t know how many more of these you’re going to have,” he said. “At the induction ceremony, we’re basically going to take over the room. We’re going to have so many people there. I think that’s just a testimony to how much it meant to the town. Not only then, but still (today).”
As Gary Bartkiewicz and other team members noted, the induction is somewhat bittersweet. Two players, third baseman Karl Betz, and catcher Doug Smees, have passed away in recent years.
“They left us way too young,” said Bartkiewicz.
For Bartkiewicz, who now lives in Binbrook, it’s always special when he and his teammates get together.
“There’s memories and the town was really supportive,” said Bartkiewicz. “It was a pleasure to play with guys who took it so seriously and I had a lot of fun with them. I wish they could all be here.”
Bartkiewicz was Stoney Creek’s starting pitcher for the shock 1-0 semifinal victory over Jeffersonville.
Also on hand for the Aug. 30 film shoot, Darrell Ostrosser is looking forward to the hall of fame induction.
“It’s a big deal,” said Ostrosser. “This was more than 14 guys and two coaches. It was a whole community thing that really rallied around what was going on. For me, that’s really why it continues to be so special.”
Players Rick Ferroni and Bill Lockhart were on hand for the film shoot as well.
The playing roster for the 1965 team also included Len Bromley, Geoff Dalton, Ron Kenny, Doug McKay, Joe Palango and David Sutin.
Other inductees to the Hamilton Sports Hall of Fame this year include football player Peter Dalla Riva, hockey player Murray Oliver, M.M. Robinson (in the builder category), and former Hamilton Tiger-Cats player and coach Don Sutherin.
See hamiltonsportshalloffame.com for complete details.