What happens when you bring together a group of old Centennials, Royals, Orioles, Rockets and more to a Reston golf course?
You have a lot of diamond memories, of course. This exact event happened on August 17 as former players from around the southwest region gathered for some best-ball golf, a steak supper and a lot of stories.
“It went really, really well,” said Clayton Jago, one of the organizers. “It was great to see some people who have not got together for years. I think everybody thoroughly enjoyed it.”
Jago said there were 48 golfers and ten more who joined for the supper.
The idea started with a couple of former players from Waskada. They wanted to see a reunion, but there was nowhere to hold it in their town. They called over to Reston and a few of the former players like Jago picked up the ball and ran with it. Jago said they put it together fairly quickly and tried to contact at least one person from each town, who could spread the word. They were able to host quite a fine event.
Jago said they played 18 holes of golf, but the main point was for players from different towns and teams to get together again, in a different circumstance from the old days.
“It was really about getting back in touch with people we competed against years ago. We didn’t necessarily see eye to eye on the field then. We were all competitive. Now we’re older, and we can come and laugh about it.”
He said some of the players brought pictures and there was a jersey or two. Players came from Boissevain, Deloraine, Lyleton, Waskada and Melita. Only Tilston and Souris were not represented in the area.
Jago said they concentrated on players from the late 1970’s and ‘80’s. Before that, he said, there was not a team in Reston for a while and if you go too far back, numbers start to thin. Even now, he said, there are players who have passed on.
Jago himself said he started as a 15 year old with the brand new Reston Rockets in the late 1970’s. The team, which is in the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame, played for a time in the Manitoba Senior Baseball League. He said he played well into his forties, and event played four innings in a match at the age of 53. Competition on the diamond is something, but for all players it goes a little deeper.
“We had people who played from all over the place,” he explained. “The thing about baseball is that it makes the world so small. There are lifelong friendships you make there on a team.”
Not only did they have a good reunion, they were able to raise a bit of money. Half of it went to refurbish the diamonds in town and the other to the golf club to help with an irrigation project.
There are hopes another reunion can be held in two or three years down the line. Jago said they would like to see another town pick it up, so the players can come over and help out that community. He added there was some talk of a couple of communities being interested, and if not, Reston might do it again.
“It would be nice to move it around.”
If another one is held, and there is more time to put it on, they might even be able to increase their numbers. At any rate, sharing stories, memories and laughs is important. As they were able to pull back a former Rocket who lives in Kelowna for the reunion, it obviously had a value to those participating.
“We met a lot of people along the way in baseball,” Jago stated. “It brings you back to what is really important about ball. It is not the trophies you win, it’s the people you meet and the friendships you make.”

by PAUL RAYNER, Recorder staff