by Barry Stagg
September 1999
The Newfoundland Amateur Baseball Association has some serious catching up to do as far as its hall of fame process. The NABA began inducting players and builders in 1984. Lately it has gone online with an interesting website as part of Baseball Atlantic's Internet project. Online or on the field, more has to be done to recognize players and organizers who, perhaps, worked a little too far away from Empire Avenue and St Pat's Field.
The latest inductees listed on the web site are the 1998 recipients: Ray Colbourne and Joe Mullins of Corner Brook. Hopefully the NABA has time to fatten up its 1999 honour role with some of my personal recommendations for players out of Port au Port. This little town on St George's Bay has produced an incredible number of provincial stars,,not a few of whom went on to considerable acclaim elsewhere in the province. Pitching aces Phonse Jesso (1987) and Mike O'Neil (1989) are two who already grace the precincts of the baseball shrine. There are several others who should join them.
Perhaps the focal point of these referrals to the NABA selection committee should be the famous 1964 playoff between the mighty St.John's Capitals and the Port au Port Vikings, held at Port au Port. This was a best-of- five playoff that went four games with the powerful Caps prevailing. It was then that Newfoundland baseball fans got a look at pitchers Jesso and O'Neil who came close to mastering the St.John's squad that might have been the most powerful ever assembled in the province. Sporting legends Ian Campbell, John Winter and Tols Chapman led this fine baseball team from the capital city. I was one of the lucky fans to see Jesso baffle the Caps 3-1 to tie the series on an August Saturday evening. O'Neil was the hard luck loser 4-3 on Sunday afternoon.
The other players on that Port au Port team deserve strong consideration for the Hall of Fame. The first player who should be selected is centrefielder Jerome House, Mr. Baseball to ball fans and players alike in Port au Port. House was a five star player for more than decade with the Vikings. He could, in the classic baseball definition of stardom, run, throw, field, hit and hit for power. In addition, he kept the sport alive as an administrator in the late sixties, as economic devastation threatened to kill the sport in the Bay St. George area. House should be the first to be inducted but others should follow.
Catcher Pat Snow, his brother, Max Snow, a hard hitting right fielder and my brother Fred Stagg, a power hitter at third base were all on that 1964 Vikings team and all deserve nomination to the provincial honour roll. Their references can come, more appropriately, from those already inducted, such as their contemporaries from Corner Brook, the four Colbourne brothers, all deservedly in the Hall and all of whom played against these Port au Port stars from junior days on up.
Some others should form part of the western contingent: Phonse Jesso's catcher Ned O' Gorman, the pride of Lourdes had a long and powerful career and was both a defensive and offensive star in three decades beginning in 1964. Builder Stan Lafitte, the administrator of baseball in Port au Port during those glorious sixties is immensely worthy of entry and would join his Corner Brook counterpart, Alex Powell as a fine and dedicated baseball leader and organizer.
From the ranks of the players and executives of the seventies, I would propose that Paul Abbott be elevated to the Hall. Abbott was a power-hitting, slick-fielding first baseman who did all that while running Baseball Port au Port in the seasons immediately after the House-Lafitte era ended. Pitcher Eddy Hynes was a fireballer of the sixties and seventies who had a Nolan Ryan- like reputation among his opponents from Corner Brook and St John's. He was the Port au Port successor to O'Neil and Jesso when those two moved on to careers in Corner Brook.
There you have it- my nominees for the Newfoundland Baseball Hall of Fame. Like too much of the history of Newfoundland baseball, the recommendations come from memory alone. The online presence of the NABA is one way in which record-keeping and statistics can replace the vagaries of mortal memories. But, in any event, you now have mine.
Until next month: Be proud, be prosperous.