Local Sports

Keep on, keeping on.
Heading into his fourth season with the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League, Blake Gal plans to keep that nose-to-the-grindstone philosophy.
That’s probably the best mindset for the six-foot-one, 200 pound forward to take.
“It’s going pretty well,” said Gal, following the Chiefs 1-0 loss to the Lethbridge Hurricanes Sunday evening at the Enmax Centre. “I’m kind of struggling a bit here and there, but I think if I keep going and working hard things will come together.”
In 22 games with Spokane this season, Gal has four goals and 14 points to go along with a plus-one rating.
“It was just a little frustrating, not scoring here and there. But I think if I just keep working at it, it’ll come together.”
Sunday’s loss aside, the Chiefs are off to a 13-9-2-2 start to the season, good for third place in the U.S. Division.
“Overall, it’s been pretty good with the team,” said Gal. “We’ve been struggling on the road and got our first win on this road swing. So I hope that’s a confidence builder for us. At home we’re pretty good, so hopefully we can keep that up, too.”
Gal was a travelling companion as a 15-year-old  to the Spokane team which won the Memorial Cup in 2008. He comes from a hockey family, as dad Rick was a member of the Lethbridge Broncos. His older brother, Taylor, is a sophomore forward with the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns and his younger sister Mackenzie plays AAA midget female hockey in Vauxhall.

Lukas Sutter put up his dukes last summer.
Now, that time spent in the ring and in the gym has translated nicely onto the ice as the product of Lethbridge skates into his third season with the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League.
“I did a lot more training with (local boxer) Rick Duff. I did a lot with him, just trying to get my legs quicker and faster,” said Sutter.
And while Sutter and his Blades teammates didn’t get the result they were looking for in a 6-3 loss to the Lethbridge Hurricanes Saturday night at the Enmax Centre, the six-foot-one, 201 pound forward has posted some solid numbers.
“It’s been good so far, I’m just trying to go day-to-day right now and (Saturday) wasn’t good enough,” said Sutter, who has eight goals and 24 points in 30 games, going plus-five with a team-leading 70 penalty minutes. “We have to be better (Sunday) in Edmonton,” said Sutter.
Those numbers have helped the Blades to a 19-10-0-1 record, good for a tie for first place in the East Division with the Moose Jaw Warriors.
“The season has had its ups and downs,” said Sutter, who isn’t the only Lethbridge product on the Blades with defenceman Connor Cox patrolling the blueline. “We have to be better every night. Tonight wasn’t good enough.”
The roller-coaster season and Saturday’s loss aside, Sutter said it’s always good to come back to southern Alberta.
“It’s nice to come home and play in front of friends and family,” said Sutter. “Obviously it’s not the outcome we want, but it’s good to be back home.”
With the Blades road trip scheduled to head north to Edmonton to face the Oil Kings Sunday, the homecoming was brief.
“We have a really good team, a good young team,” said Sutter. “Obviously we’re building toward next year, but we have to keep our eyes on this year. We have a good team and have to push for this year.”

During the second intermission of the Lethbridge Hurricanes game against the Spokane Chiefs Sunday night at the Enmax Centre, a variety of local mascots hit the ice for a friendly game of shinny.
In the Hurricanes goal, Liam Liston put in a performance worthy of a cape and a superhero, stopping all 38 shots he faced — including two penalty shots — as the Hurricanes notched a 1-0 win in a game that featured three penalty shots during Western Hockey League action.
The win — which improves the Hurricanes to 10-20-1-1 and ups the team’s win streak to four games — comes 24 hours after Damien Ketlo put in a similar performance, making 52 saves in a 6-3 win over the Saskatoon Blades Saturday at the Enmax Centre.
“I think it’s a big weekend for both of us,” said Liston. “It gives us a lot of confidence heading into the break. I know we’ve got five games left, but as long as we keep the ball rolling I think that sets us up pretty well for the second half. I’ve been part of this before where everybody counts you out and it’s a lot of fun to win games like this and it’s a lot of fun to surprise people. We’re having a bunch of fun in that dressing room right now and we’re just looking to keep it rolling.”
The teams skated through the first period scoreless, but the Chiefs took the lead on the shot clock with 17 fired Liston’s way. Lethbridge had five.
“I’m sure once we go back and look at the tape, there were 17 shots, but I’m not sure how dangerous they were,” said Liston.
“There was a lot of stuff from the outside, a lot of floater stuff to the net. Which is good, it keeps you in the game, but it doesn’t test you too much.
“As a team we knew as long we played well-structured in the defensive zone we were going to get our chances.”
Late in the second period came the first penalty shot, to Hurricanes forward Jamal Watson, which Chiefs goaltender Mac Engel turned away.
The Chiefs cranked up the pressure late in late in that period but were unable to score the game’s first goal.
Shortly afterward, Spokane’s Dominik Uher had a chance with Liston sprawled out in front of the Lethbridge net, but Tyler Kizuik blocked the shot and the game stayed scoreless heading into the second intermission.
After dodging a bullet on Watson’s penalty shot, the Chiefs found themselves awarded one with a little over five minutes into the third when Mike Aviani was cut down on a breakaway. But on the ensuing attempt, the forward missed on the backhand.
Then, with time winding down a puck finally found the back of the net. 
Cam Braes staked out some real estate in front of the Chiefs net and redirected a Nick Buonassisi pass past Engel for a 1-0 lead midway through the third.
“(Landon) Oslanski made a great play holding the line,” said Braes.
“I think he knocked it out of the air and Macoy (Erkamps) put it to (Nick) Buonassisi. I just went to the net and found it there, was strong on my stick and put it past the goalie.”
The Chiefs kept coming as Mitch Holmberg broke in alone on Liston, but the Hurricanes netminder came up with the save to keep it 1-0.
Then, with 55.8 seconds to go, the third penalty shot was awarded after the ’Canes covered the puck in the crease after a mad scramble as Holmberg earned another shot at Liston.
For the second time in the game, Liston delivered with the key stop
“That’s not too often you see one (penalty shot) called in a game, let alone three,” said Liston. “I work on it a lot because those can be game changers. Mitch Holmberg is a really good friend of mine. You against the shooter and everybody watching. It’s pressure, but it’s good pressure.”
Asked if he’s played in a game that featured three penalty shots drew a chuckle from Braes.
“Wow, I don’t know. I’ve never seen that,” said Braes with a chuckle. “I thought it was a shootout today or something like that. (What a) fantastic save on the last one. It looked like Holmberg has Liston beat, but it was a desperation save. That was a huge save and a big one for our team.”
A veteran in the game of hockey, Sunday’s bizarre twist from a first even for head coach Rich Preston.
“Three penalty shots in one game, that’s a first,” he said. “They were all stopped. That third period was huge. You look at the shot clock, they had a lot of shots, but I think our defence did a great job. They didn’t have many scoring chances. But that’s their M.O. if look at the last two years. They outshoot teams (with) 40 or 50 shots. . . . The goalies have won us the past two games. Ketlo won (Friday) and (Liston) was big here. When you win a 1-0 game your goalie has to be special. The goalies got us the wins.”
The Hurricanes now head west for a three-game road swing starting Wednesday in Kelowna against the Rockets.
NOTES — Lethbridge F Brody Sutter was injured after blocking a shot in the first period. he returned but was later taken to hospital. Preston said he would be evaluated later. . . . The Hurricanes were without D Daniel Johnston, F Phil Tot and F Max Moline due to injury while F Craig Leverton was scratched. Hood served the final game of his three-game suspension stemming from a hit last week against the Red Deer Rebels.

Don’t tell anyone, but the Lethbridge Val Matteotti Golden Hawks are on an 8-0-3 streak after beating the Weyburn Wings 1-0 Sunday to clinch the championship of the local bantam AAA side’s annual tournament.
The Golden Hawks went 3-0-1 on the weekend, as Robert Brewin shut out the Wings at Henderson Arena in Sunday’s final. Chase Bell scored the gamewinner late in the third period, avenging his team’s earlier 4-4 tie in the event.
But the streak? Well, it includes a vastly improved record in the league — the Golden Hawks are 6-8-3 after a Lethbridge Hurricane-like start to the season. And head coach Devin Windle doesn’t want to talk about the turnaround.
“I don’t want to jinx it,” he said. “We’re playing well right now, working hard. And that’s the key for us is to work hard, skate and keep playing smart. When we do that, we’re a pretty good team.”
Part of that has been the goaltending. Brewin earned his shutout against the offensive-minded Wings. A strong defence corps and the presence of forward Regan Nagy makes things difficult for Wings’ opponents, but Brewin stood tall and gave the Golden Hawks a second straight shutout.
“(Nagy’s) pretty good,” said Brewin. “He likes to get in a spot and put it up high. He’s got a good shot and if you’re not ready he’s going to score.”
But Brewin, like Arik Weersink in Lethbridge’s 2-0 win over Winnipeg Sharks the night before, didn’t allow a single goal and that’s always a positive.
“Our goaltending has been great through the whole weekend,” said Windle. “When we needed it, those guys did the job. They’ve been a big part of the team being better, just making saves when you need your goalies to make saves and not putting us in bad situations.”
Brewin said it isn’t complicated and, with a little help from the defencemen and forwards, making saves is his job.
“I just tried to see the puck and smother it as soon as I could so they didn’t get another shot,” he said. “They were blocking some shots and clearing rebounds, too, so that helps.”
And after facing quality competition this weekend and emerging unbeaten, Windle said he’s looking forward to the resumption of league games on Dec. 10 in Okotoks.
“We dug ourselves a hole with a bad start and we’ve got some work to do to get out of it but they’re pretty confident right now and that goes a long way,” he said.

There will be no four-peat for the Raymond Comets.
   Facing the Harry Ainlay Titans from Edmonton in the Alberta Schools Athletic Association Tier I provincial championship game on a blustery Saturday night at the University of Lethbridge Stadium, the Comets - seeking to become the first team in provincial high school football history to win four provincial titles in a row - forced overtime against their Edmonton opponents, but it was the Titans who hit pay dirt on their offensive chance in overtime to secure a 21-16 win and the 2011 provincial title.
Having been handed the first possession in the overtime session, quarterback Brad Baker punted the ball through the end zone for a 16-15 lead, but the defence couldn’t hold the top-ranked Titans as Harry Ainlay pounded the ball downfield before running back Aundrey Webster lunged into the end zone for the winning score as the celebration ensued.
Having beaten the LCI Rams earlier in the season by one on a ball kicked through the end zone by Baker, Comets head coach felt perhaps there was a bit of gridiron karma in overtime.
“Obviously this is the crappiest way to lose, maybe because we beat LCI by one,” he said. “But they’re a good team and have a good program with good athletes. We knew that coming in, but it’s frustrating, obviously.”
The end zone antics started early and it was the Titans that benefited on a fumbled punt in the Raymond zone that Harry Ainlay’s Tak Landry pounced on for a quick 7-0 lead with 6:14 to go in the first quarter.
The Comets pulled even near the end of the half as Baker called his own number on a third-and-two on the Titans 13-yard-line then handed off to Kwade Bruce on the next play to get the ball down to the third-yard line. Baker capped off the drive with a two-yard lunge with 2:29 left as the teams headed into halftime deadlocked at 7-7.
The Titans grabbed the lead back early in the third when Webster went for a lengthy romp that handed Harry Ainlay a 14-7 lead.
After sending a wind-assisted, 76-yard kick through the Titans end zone to cut the deficit to 15-8, Baker and the offence drove the ball back into the Harry Ainlay red zone with time winding down as Baker punched the ball in once again to tie things up at 15-15 with 3:58 left.
But after scoring the single on their first overtime possession, the Comets were unable to contain the Titans’ run as Harry Ainlay promptly marched right back and capped off the drive and provincial title with Webster’s major.
“We fought our guts out,” said Baker. “They’re a really good team and we’re a really good team and we battled it out. They went up a couple of times and we never gave up. They came out with the win.”
Comets veteran Kendall Schultz said all his team can do now is come back battling next year.
“We tried our hardest, we battled as much as we could,” said Schultz. “It’s not the outcome we wanted, obviously. But it’s the outcome we were given. We have to fight through it and hopefully our team can come back next year. It’s a tough loss, for sure. “Our team has always had a lot of heart. We take pride in having Comet pride and having lots of heart. It’s one of our biggest attributes.”
After starting the season at 0-3, Salmon credited his team for battling their way back to the provincial final.
“I think everybody thought we were down and out this year and we played well. When you play football for the Raymond Comets you expect to win everything. So do we take this home and are we happy about it? No, we’re ready for our next championship that we want to play for. But that’s what makes our program so special.”
Still, the Comets coach said there’s nothing he can say that will sooth the sting of the loss.
“I’ve been through it when I played university football, there’s nothing you can really say,” said Salmon. “There’s a pit in your stomach and you’ll always think back to this game about what you could have done differently or what could have happened. Sometimes, a hug is the best words that can be said.”
The championship game wraps up Bakers days of calling the snaps for the Comets.
“It’s a privilege to wear this,” said Baker. “Any Raymond Comet you ask, it’s a privilege. There’s a history and a lot of heart that goes into wearing this jersey and I’ll always remember it.”

For 40 minutes, the Lethbridge Hurricanes ran with a Western Hockey League big dog.
But a zero on the shot clock in the final period allowed the Tri-City Americans — featuring Lethbridge product Patrick Holland and former Hurricane Derek Ryckman — to pull away with a trio of goals to post a 7-3 win during Western Hockey League action Saturday night at the Enmax Centre.
“That’s the best team in the West and I thought we played two really good periods,” said Hurricanes head coach Rich Preston. “We had to kill seven penalties in the first two periods and I thought we were really good. But you have to play three periods. We weren’t good in the third. We didn’t even get a shot.”
The Americans were first on the scoresheet 3:41 in when Zachary Yuen scored from the top of the circle.
The Hurricanes almost tied it a little over three minutes later when Juraj Bezuch hit Jamal Watson right in front of the Tri-City net, but rookie netminder Eric Comrie slid across to make the save.
The Hurricanes were handed back-to-back penalties as Sam McKechnie was called for slashing before Nick Buonassisi was whistled down for roughing, a call Hurricanes Preston clearly wasn‘t impressed with.
While the ’Canes were able to kill off the first penalty the Americans struck on the second infraction as Justin Feser sniped his eighth of the season at the 11:19 mark for a 2-0 lead.
The Hurricanes halved the Americans’ lead with 4:29 left in the first Jay Merkley took a feed from Juraj Bezuch and got a shot past Comrie to make it 2-1 as a pumped up Hurricanes buzzed the Americans in the last stages of the period.
The Hurricanes kept coming in the second and tied it 2:21 in when Brody Sutter capitalized on a gift of a giveaway from Feser behind the Americans net, backhanding a shot past Comrie to tie it up at 2-2.
The Americans went ahead 3-2 6:23 into the second when Jordan Messier converted on a wraparound after a shot from Brian Williams banked off the glass behind the net that Lethbridge goalie Damien Ketlo wasn’t able to locate.
The Hurricanes found themselves down a man midway through the second when Jamal Watson showed some great foot speed, moving past Yuen and racing for a loose puck with Comrie, bumping the goaltender and getting called for goaltender interference.
It only took seven seconds for the Americans to double their lead on the ensuing power play as Yuen hammered home a feed from Adam Hughesman for a 4-2 lead at the 10:47 mark.
The Hurricanes had a chance to close within one when Buonassisi was hauled down on a breakaway and was awarded a penalty shot. The forward made no mistake, going backhand and high on Comrie to cut Tri-City’s lead to 4-3 with 7:12 left in the second.
“There were a couple of lucky goals,” said Preston. “They were up by two goals, but one goal went in off somebody’s behind and that second period (goal) off the glass and Damien couldn’t find it. They’re a good team, but you can’t have no shots in the third period.”
While the ’Canes were held shotless in the final period, the Americans sent 18 towards Ketlo in the final period as Mitch Topping upped the Americans’ lead to 5-3 4:29 into the third, sending a blast through traffic and past Ketlo.
The Americans added two more as Malte Stromwell handed Tri-City a 6-3 lead before Holland scored shorthanded to up the lead to 7-3 and round out the scoring.
“It’s the end of a road trip,” said Holland. “We played two really good teams at the start. Lethbridge doesn’t have the best record, but they are a good team. They work hard. We needed to come out with a good road win and you don’t always get the bounces or have the best game on the road, especially at the end of a road trip. We had a good third period and it all worked out in the end. So we’ll take the two points.”
Merkley took stock of the first two periods.
“We stuck with the top team in the West and that’s a really good feeling. But that third period was just unacceptable, no shots. That’s never a good sign.”
Preston noted the efforts of Merkley, Bezuch and Watson.
“Our young guys were good. They’re skill players and they can skate. Even Jamal, he could have scored in the first period.”
The Hurricanes are back in action tonight when they head to Calgary to face the Hitmen.

Now, that was a simply offensive performance.
   But following the Raymond Comets 44-25 win over the Jasper Place Rebels from Edmonton during Football Alberta Tier I quarter-final action Saturday afternoon in Raymond, Comets head coach Darryl Salmon welcomed such behaviour from his charges.
“I’m happy with our offence,” said Salmon. “I think that was the most points we’ve scored this year. We’re just slowly starting to come along and do those types of things. So I’m happy with our offence.”
Raymond heads to Calgary next weekend to take on the Bishop O’Byrne Bobcats, who upset the Notre Dame Pride 28-8. The provincial final goes Nov. 26 at the University of Lethbridge Stadium.
It didn’t take the Comets long to hit the scoresheet with the hosts scoring on their first possession.
Comets quarterback Brad Baker hit Truman Long for a lengthy gain into into Edmonton territory before Justin Maynes punched in the ball for a 7-0 Raymond lead 5:49 into the game.
Jasper Place responded with a drive of their own into Comets territory, but a botched snap on a field goal attempt snuffed out the Rebels drive to keep the score 7-0.
But Edmonton didn’t miss on their next chance as Troy Hansen broke loose for a lengthy touchdown run to tie things up at 7-7 with 9:36 to go in the first half.
The Comets responded with back-to-back first down runs from Maynes that drove the ball to the Jasper Place 23-yard line. Baker capped off the drive with a lunge into the end zone that handed Raymond a 14-7 lead with 4:47 left in the half.
The Comets moved ahead 21-7 thanks to some strong play from their defence, which stuffed two Rebels third-down gambles before Long broke for another lengthy romp for a major.
“Huge,” said Salmon of the two stops that led to the touchdown. “When he rips off that long run, that’s music to my eyes and I’m happy for that. I was a little worried there. They (Rebels) brought some pound and smash mouth football, but I think our defence adjusted well to it.”
But the Rebels cut the gap before the half as Hansen broke three tackles and hit paydirt to pulled Edmonton to 21-13.
The Comets were the beneficiary of two Edmonton turnovers in the third quarter and turned that into a pair of touchdowns.
Tyler Jarvis pounced on a fumble that Raymond promptly marched back downfield and capped off with a rushing touchdown from Kwade Bruce.
Another turnover — this time an interception by Kash Ellington — set the table for a 35-yard pass from Baker to Devon Anderson for a 35-13 lead. Raymond hit for one more major as Anderson hit paydirt for the second time in the game before the Rebels added a pair of TDs in the fourth to round out the scoring.
“We did well. We came together as a team and put some points on the board. They were tough. Big, strong kids,” said Mayne. “We just had to bear down and get it done.”
Anderson was pleased with the big numbers his team put up in Saturday’s game.
“It was good,” he said. “We all worked as a team, got our blocks in and put points on the board.”
“These are the most fun games, do or die,” added Anderson. “If we can keep winning and keep going we can bring home our fourth straight.”
In the Tier IV quarter-final, the Claresholm Willow Creek Cobras lost 38-20 to the Drumheller Titans. In Tier III in Cochrane, the Winston Churchill Bulldogs lost 27-17 to Cochrane.
Kalya wins national bronze
KAMLOOPS
Lethbridge College’s Peter Kalya took home bronze medal at the 2011 Canadian Colleges Athletic Association Cross-Country National Championships in Kamloops Saturday with a personal best time of 25:52. He also got a bronze as a member of the Alberta team. The Kodiak men came up two points short from a team bronze. Gladys Kochei finished ninth in the women’s race with a 19:16 time.

The University of Lethbridge Pronghorns and Thompson Rivers Wolfpack stayed close for more than three quarters, with Lethbridge leading by two or three points most of the way. But with TRU starting to outplay Lethbridge, visions of a late collapse in Winnipeg last weekend danced through the head of Lethbridge coach Dave  Adams.
The coach called timeout with just under seven left in the game, and Adams said he told his team another collapse could not happen. The Pronghorns broke the 79-79 deadlock and eventually emerged with a 106-93 victory to give them a 3-1 record early in the Canada West university men’s basketball season.
Lethbridge fumbled away a seven-point lead late in a loss to the Winnipeg Wesmen last weekend in Winnipeg, and the coach did not want that feeling again.
“Those who do not study history, are doomed to repeat it,” said Adams. “I called a timeout (late in the game) and just told them we would not let this happen again, we’re too good for that.
“We learn from our mistakes, see?”
The Pronghorns American contingent certainly did, as California guards Alex Fletcher — with his family in attendance — and Daryl Cooper each scored 25 points. Cooper missed his first two free throws but hit the next 11, and Fletcher shot 5-for-11 from beyond the arc and 10-for-17 total. They outpaced Washington native Chas Kok of TRU, who scored 45 to lead everyone.
“We knew he was a heck of a player,” said Adams, who added that the plan was to let Kok get his points and limit the rest of the roster. “He wore a Pronghorn defender all night and kept hitting big shot after big shot after big shot.”
Morgan Duce heated up late in the game, scoring 11 points, while Derek Waldner added 14 points and eight rebounds, five on the offensive end. Dom Coward scored nine points, had nine rebounds and led the Pronghorns with six assists.
“We got a great team effort tonight,” said Adams. “Everybody stepped up and played a good, solid basketball game.”
The result flies in the face of Adams’ assertion after a Friday night win over the UBC-Okanagan Heat that he needed to keep Thompson Rivers from scoring in the 90s. But the loquacious coach had an answer for that.
“Hey, with the NBA lockout, we had to give fans something to watch.”
In other local U of L action, the women’s hockey team lost 3-1 to the Manitoba Bisons to fall to 7-3.

You wouldn’t know it if they passed you on the golf course, but Roy Sassa and Shig Nakagawa are an indelible piece of southern Alberta history.
The two friends stopped by the Galt Museum and Archives Monday, to offer the museum Roy’s old baseball jersey and a couple of old photos of the team he used to play for.
The Raymond Bussei played in the Southern Alberta Sugar Beet Baseball League in the 1950s, and Roy Sassa was their youngest player. Roy’s wife, Pat, thought the Sugar Beet League’s history deserved a better place than in the fading memory of a generation, so she had the jersey cleaned and called Kevin MacLean of the Galt. Maclean, a Picture Butte boy through and through, agreed to see if the Galt’s board would accept the donation offer. While eating an omelette at the Round Street Cafe, I heard about Roy’s story and knew it was great one. The omelette was pretty good, too.
Roy’s Bussei team jersey looks like new, except that it’s wool.
“Heavy, sweaty, and smelly,” is how Roy described it. Shig said his jersey always looked like new, too, because he didn’t work hard enough to get it dirty. But that’s not true, since Shig played a lot of years in the Sugar Beet League, and you only did that if you were good.
 The jersey is in Raymond’s familiar red and white. And while Roy played, the Bussei team won a handful of championships, also a Raymond staple. A cursive “Bussei” runs across the front and Roy’s number, 11, graces the back. Roy finds it funny that he had to look at the back to remember his number.
The number didn’t matter, the baseball did.
The Sugar Beet league is an oral legend in these parts. You’ll only hear about it from a father or grandfather or if you sit in the press box at American Legion Baseball games and ask former players like Tricky Oikawa about it. Roy and Shig know Tricky and they were hoping to bring another vet, Spud Kitagawa in with them, but he couldn’t make it.
There were other sugar beet leagues, built by migrant workers in Colorado and Wyoming, but this one was southern Alberta’s own.
The league had teams in each of the local towns with heavy Japanese populations. Picture Butte, Raymond, Coaldale, Magrath, Taber-Barnwell and Lethbridge fielded rosters and packed the stands. The Japanese players consisted of evacuees — Shig started his career with the Magrath Evacs — and “old-timers.”
Shig’s an “old-timer,” a Japanese family which had settled here of their own volition, not some edict of the government. Roy remembers his dad loving baseball, playing catch with him while he was a toddler in Port Mann. When the Sassa family moved east to Raymond, they took a love of the game with them.
Once there, it joined up with guys like Shig and an entire league was formed.
Their memories are sketchy. It was, after all, 60 years ago. But Roy remembers the important stuff.
“I was the youngest guy on the team,” he told Kevin Maclean of the Galt Museum. “We’d play a game and the older guys would always want to stop for Chinese food in Lethbridge. But I didn’t have a dime to my name and every time, they’d send me in and buy me supper.
“I remember that, I never had to pay. they always bought me supper.”
Brothers, Roy called them. He said they were mentors, family and more. One of those older guys was Shig. The 82-year-old third baseman doesn’t miss a beat — or a joke.
Despite Shig being eight years older, he’s got to give Roy strokes out on the golf course. Roy gets a stroke for his recent spinal fusion surgery and another for his arthritis. Shig’s hoping to get a stroke back for being older, but it doesn’t sound like Roy’s going to budge.
Shig also talks about a waitress who worked at the Chinese food place. Her name was Jesse. Things haven’t changed much, he laughed, since the ballplayers are still looking for the restaurant with the pretty waitress. Joe Sawada used to chase them out of his pool hall, so they’d be ready to play the next day.
And that’s how it is for these olds friends. You can see them sitting in the dugout, trading barbs and laughs. You can see them doing the same on the golf course, with Roy taking his strokes. And I got to see them do it at Tim Hortons, after the Galt interview. The camaraderie hasn’t changed a bit. They’ve known each other for 60 years, brought together and kept together by sugar beets heritage and baseball.
The good old days, said Shig, sipping his tea and smiling. The best days of his life. Back then, he said, you worked hard and then you worked hard some more.
And then you played baseball.
He’s got no complaints now, and he didn’t back then when he’d work six days in the sugar beet fields, waiting for Sunday when the heavy wool of his uniform and the love of the game would make it all worthwhile.
“You had to love it,” said Shig. “Because you busted your ass six days just to play. You had to work back then, but it made it better because you really appreciated it.”
The two old ballplayers are also well aware of the legacy the Sugar Beet Baseball League left in southern Alberta. They know this area is the only one in the province  which still boasts high school ball. They know that some of those names are still involved. They know a group of kids — some from Raymond, some from Magrath — played in the Big League World Series this summer in South Carolina.
They also know that George Yoshinaka’s got a field named after him, and his daughter only recently stepped down from the American Legion board. Tricky Oikawa can still be found running the Henderson Stadium scoreboard, and his son, Scott, still coaches the Elks.
It’s changed. There’s no more all-Japanese baseball league and kids now have no idea what it was like to pick beets all day, go to practice and love every minute of it. Then they’d hit the field on Sunday in a heavy, smelly, woolen uniform.
There was a time when Japanese old-timers and evacuees made up an entire league of senior men’s baseball and people of all stripes came out to watch them play in places like Barnwell, Coaldale, and Picture Butte. Before Little League came to town, before PBA, American Legion and AABC, there was the Sugar Beet League.
And you wouldn’t know it as they sit in the corner at the Tim Hortons on Scenic Drive, but that there is an indelible piece of southern Alberta. Me, sitting there with Roy and Shig, talking about golf, baseball, arthritis, life, and sugar beets.