"We can play this game in Canada."
So says Jim Baba, director general of Baseball Canada who was the guest speaker at Saturday's Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum 2013 induction ceremonies.
The Moose Jaw native was inducted into the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame in 2009 as a player and builder and was also the guest speaker at that event.
"I mustn't have done a very good job because [Jane Shury] made me come back and do it again," said Baba, who is also chair of the International Baseball Federation Tournaments Commission, a group in charge of the rules and designs of the IBAF championships.
Referring to achievements in the world of baseball since his last visit in 2009, Baba said, since then, Saskatchewan has won a silver medal at the Canada Cup, the all star event for Baseball Canada with competition amongst all the provinces.
"On the national team front," he said, "we now have a national women's team."
They won medals four of the five years they competed at the world championships, taking bronze in Edmonton this past year.
In 18 and under baseball, where Baba is involved, he said at that moment there was a group of young lads in Australia on their way to a tournament in Taiwan, where he was to meet them. Last year, the 18 youth team won silver in Korea.
"Our program is on the rise," he said.
Baba also said, in the '80s and '90s, there were 75 to 100 Canadian kids playing college baseball in the United States and Canada. Now there are more than 750.
"Outstanding!" he said.
There are also now more than 100 affiliated-to-Canada players in minor league baseball, he said. And in the major league, Canadians peaked a couple of years ago at 23.
He also referred to North Battleford's latest baseball phenom.
"We have a guy named Andrew Albers from Saskatchewan playing in the big leagues I'm very, very proud, and so are all of you."
Baba described baseball as being like everyday life.
"It's part of growing up and has many qualities that branch right into every day life," he said. "Two of the greatest attributes about the game are the ability to preserver and the ability to use what you have in this game to have some success.
The inductees being honoured that night have those qualities, he said, and so does Albers.
He called Albers a "prime example" of those attributes. Albers persevered, having been drafted into pro baseball, he got released, had surgery, played independent, started with the national team and became a gold-medal-winning pitcher and that evening was on the mound for the Minnesota Twins.
Baba said he has an extra feeling for kids from Saskatchewan coming up through the program because he was involved in Saskatchewan baseball for so long.
"I think back to a young Andrew in the Sky Dome, a 15-16-year-old when we brought him there to participate in the Mizuno camp with Baseball Canada," he said. "He had that wide-eyed look and 'what an honour to be in the Sky Dome' [demeanor]."
He had his camera, said Baba, and was going to preserve that memory.
"I have a great memory myself," he said, "seeing that huge smile on his face after he pitched that complete game, that shut-out, the other day in Cleveland. Andrew, you persevered. You did well."
In baseball, you use what you have to get the job done, which also applies to Albers, Baba added.
"Andrew doesn't have the 95 mile an hour radar gun fastball. He doesn't have that," said Baba. "All he does is throw good, quality, consistent strikes and tries not to walk people and gets people to make outs and he has success with that.
Baba himself was introduced to the sport at the little league level.
Baba began playing ball in 1963 in Moose Jaw as the oldest of four siblings. In 1971, Baba was on the silver medal winning team at nationals.
The next season, he played with the Moose Jaw Devons of the South Saskatchewan Baseball League where he stayed for eight seasons.
In his second season in the league, Baba won the batting title for the SSMBL with a .374 average.
Baba also travelled south to play ball as he laced up the cleats at Yakima Valley College. In 1974, Baba won the State Championship, won the team's batting title and was selected to the all-star team.
While returning to Moose Jaw during the summers, Baba took over the reigns as the player coach with the Devons, who won league championships from 1972-74.
Baba said North Battleford called him up to play with them in the national championships in 1974.
"I got to play with Brian [Lampitt], a heck of a pitcher."
Lampitt was one of Saturday's hall of fame inductees.
"He had a storied career up here in North Battleford," said Baba. "I'm glad to have met him and it's good to see him after all these years.
Baba moved to the Saskatchewan Major Baseball League with the Kindersley Royals in 1980-85 as a player/coach. The Royals won two league titles with Baba in control.
For 10 years, starting in 1975, Baba was picked up nine times to play with Saskatchewan at the national senior championships. He won two silvers and a bronze at that level.
Baba retired as a player after the 1985 season. The next year, he coached the Kindersley bantam team to a silver medal at provincials.
In 1987 he returned to the Kindersley Royals as coach.
Baba's coaching career was just getting started, as he became Sask. Baseball's first coach at the Jeux Canada Games in Saskatoon. That year he won silver as the team's head coach.
Baba headed west the next summer, as he was a guest coach at the National Baseball Institute in British Columbia.
In 1991 Baba coached at the Pan American Games in Cuba.
That year also started a run of five seasons with Canadian National Senior Team. He returned to coach once more in 1998 with the national team.
During time with the national team, Baba won bronze at the World University Games and America's qualifier for the Olympics and qualified for the world championship.
Baba was employed by the Sask. Baseball Association for 10 years, starting in 1989. He worked as a Sask. First coach, technical director and executive director. During his decade of work with Sask. Baseball, the province was named the National Province of the Year four times.
Baba was a driving force behind the Saskatchewan Baseball Coaches' Association and had a big role in organizing the yearly conferences.
From 1987 to 1991 Baba served as the secretary/treasurer of the Western Canadian Baseball Association.
As someone who grew up around a ball diamond, Baba found a new calling in 1991. For eight years he worked as a scout for the Major League Baseball Scouting Bureau and was instrumental in Canadian players earning scholarship to the NCAA.
He was introduced at Saturday's banquet by Greg Brons, high performance director with Sask. Baseball, who attributed much of his own success in baseball to being mentored by Baba.
Baba now lives in Ottawa, Ont.
