The Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame has announced the late Stan Green of Kamsack will be inducted as a player Aug. 16
Born in Kamsack September 4, 1921 to parents Joe and Sarah, Green grew up in a large family of twelve children on a farm near Duck Mountain Provincial Park east of Kamsack. He was introduced to baseball at Prairie Queen School. Although he could play any position, right field was Green's choice. He was an accomplished batter and was a challenge for many frustrated pitchers.
The late 1940's and early 1950's were golden years for baseball in northeastern Saskatchewan and Kamsack in particular. Young men returning from the war, as well as others, were anxious to try out for the Kamsack Cyclones, a team named after a tornado that devastated the town August 9, 1944. Green did not have to labour very hard at the tryout. He was soon playing in the Cyclone outfield and was leaving the fans wide-eyed with his power hitting.
On May 31, 1951, The Kamsack Times reported, "Stan Green, the local slugger, lived up to his reputation when he smacked out a home run that left the fans breathless."
Another report read, "Stan Green is still in the outfield and is the big man at bat with the highest hitting average." At one point during the 1951 season, Green had an average of .424. Half the time his at-bats resulted in home runs.
The 1951 Man-Sask schedule included the Kamsack Cyclones who offered one of the most powerful organizations in that league. It was one of the strongest teams ever from Kamsack, with Stan Green slugging the leather off baseballs and scoring runs. He let his bat and his "rocket launcher" arm do the talking. (It would be the bottom of the ninth, Kamsack to bat, trailing by two, two men on base, two out, and Stan Green to bat! The fans, knowing his record, would sit on the edge of their chairs, daring to hope for something good to happen. Green rarely disappointed them, giving the ball a ride right out of the park! Fans went home very happy.)
Defensively, opposing players who attempted to steal a base tried it only once. Green would consistently have them tagged out with his perfect throw from right field.
The Cyclones played league, tournament and exhibition baseball. On July 3, 1952, in a close game with Florida Cubans, Green scored the winning run. He was selected as an All-star outfielder that year.
During the 1953 Man-Sask season, the Cyclones won the league championship, winning 35 out of 41 games played.
Stan's daughter, Gloria Strilchuk of Thunder Bay, Ont., says she looks back on her childhood and her father's years in baseball as a happy time for the family. She remembers a Sunday doubleheader at Madge Lake, a tournament at Stenen or Preeceville, 10,000 spectators at a sports day in Kamsack, a picnic lunch between games and pride in seeing their soft-spoken father play the game with such distinction. She sums that time up with a word of appreciation and notes that "It was a great time growing up!"
Stan died September 29, 1983.
