Often when I sit down to write my editorial, I write about various events I had the pleasure of covering, and this weekend was no exception.
This weekend featured an important part of local history, in particular for the community of Marysburg.
The community of Marysburg celebrated a historic milestone, one the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame says is unrivaled anywhere else in the province, when they celebrated the centennial anniversary of the Marysburg Royals.
If you stop to think about what that means, it is pretty impressive.
One hundred years of consecutive baseball in a community as small as Marysburg is incredible, especially when you consider it is senior baseball, and they have no minor league system to develop the next wave of Royals players.
One hundred years is a long time, and for me it was hard to fathom without putting that into perspective.
When we think about what has happened over the last 100 years we realize the Royals began baseball a few months prior to the end of the First World War.
The club has played through the Korean War, Vietnamese War, World War II, Cold War, and pretty much any major war.
Wrigley Field, one of baseball’s most iconic stadiums has been open just four years longer than the Royals have officially been a team.
The Toronto Blue Jays, currently Canada’s only Major League Baseball team got started in 1977, that same season the Royals were turning 59.
Major League Baseball, as a league got its start in 1903, yet only 16 teams have been around prior to 1918, and only nine of those 16 teams have remained in the same city the whole time.
You look at some of baseball’s iconic franchises; the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, and San Francisco Giants, all have had to move at least once, and in the Braves’ case twice since their inception.
It is all so impressive.
And being in Marysburg made it even more incredible.
You could see the history through the many trophies, uniforms and photos on hand, but also through the people.
Arnold Strueby threw out the first pitch for the Royals.
The 91-year-old is currently the oldest surviving member of the club, and played in three different decades with the club beginning in the 1940s and ending in the 1960s.
Hockey hall of famer Glenn Hall played with the Royals during Strueby’s era.
Success has also followed the Royals over their hundred years, winning more than 30 regular season and league titles in the now defunct North Central Baseball League, winning countless tournaments, collecting provincial titles, as well as league and regular season titles in the Saskatoon Senior Baseball League.
It is incredible to me, that a small community team has been so competitive on the provincial level.
And that success has led to the Royals seeing many of their players, families and team inducted into the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame.
The club currently boasts six former players who have been inducted into the player category, the whole team inducted in the team category, the Strueby family inducted into the family category and the trio of Ron Bauml, Murray Bauml, and Jamie Haeusler inducted as part of the 1996 national championship winning Weyburn Beavers.
Of course, family has played a big role in the continued success of the Royals, and no family is bigger than the Strueby family.
Over the course of the 100 year history of the club, more than 20 members of the Strueby family have hit the field, stretching four generations.
The Strueby’s have also had at least one member of their family on every one of the 100 editions of the Royals.
The Strueby’s have not been the only constants on the club, as the Bauml and Puetz families are also seeing fourth generation members of the club hitting the field.
Not only are those three families coming to the field, but the club has many second and third generation players as well.
I think when I look back at the history, it’s the family aspect that is most impressive.
People move and families split apart, but seeing the families of the Marysburg Royals consistently come together year over year is amazing.
Seeing the history of the club was incredible.
It is not too often any team can reach 100 years.
But seeing a team like the Royals do it, it just so impressive.
It really was a cool weekend.
