Story by Bob Otto/OttoinFocus

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(On the eve of the “California Classic” California Classic Schedule we’re paying tribute to two of the Oceanside / San Diego area’s greatest fastpitch legends. Brian McNaughton and Ronnie Ortega are no longer with us, but they forever remain in our hearts and memories. And if they were still alive, they’d certainly be taking in the action at the Classic.)

The late, great Ron Ortega

By BOB Otto
Originally written, Nov. 12, 1995

OCEANSIDE, CA – Former Baltimore Oriole, Cal Ripken, accomplished an amazing feat on Sept. 6, 1995 when he played in his 2,131st consecutive major league game to pass Lou Gehrig and become baseball’s new “Iron Man.”

But as remarkable as Ripken’s record is, it doesn’t come close to the exploits of two the San Diego area’s finest fastpitch softball pitchers.

Meet Brian McNaughton and Ronnie Ortega. What these two have done on the ball diamond is astounding.

Brian McNaughton, a true fastpitch warrior and great supporter of the sport.

McNaughton, born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, started hurling a softball as a 10-year-old. Back then the hourly wage was 90 cents. A newspaper cost 3 cents, and his father was off to fight in World War II.

As for Ortega, when he got his hands on a softball, FDR was president. It was the early 1940s. Cal Ripkin wasn’t even a gleam yet. You get the idea. These two pitchers have been around for awhile.

McNaughton and Ortega have pieced together some amazing statistics since their WW II era beginnings. For starters, they’ve pitched a combined 104 years, spanning (seven) decades. With McNaughton firing his first pitch in 1942, and the then nine-year-old Ortega whipping his inaugural pitch across the plate in 1945.

Since then, Ortega figures he’s won about 1,200 games, pitched 150 no-hitters, and 80 perfect games.

“I used to pitch about 130 games a year,” Ortega said.

And McNaughton calculates that he’s tossed over 2,800 games.

“I don’t know my pitching record over the years,” he said. “In Canada, I averaged 35 to 40 games a year. Since I moved to California in 1969, I pitched more like 70 games a year.”

Orgega has pitched in the ASA Nationals, the Mexican National Tournament five times (reaching the championship in 1970), and in the Native American National Tournament in 1970. Ortega also played in the Western Softball Congress and pitched against some of the sport’s all-time greatest teams and pitchers.

“It was always a thrill to pitch against the Long Beach Nitehawks and the great pitchers like Richie Stevens,” Ortega said. “He’s the best I’ve ever seen, or pitched against.”

In 1951, at the age of 19, McNaughton was named “Rookie of The Year” in the Quebec Province. And the next year, as a member of the Canadian National team, he received honorable mention for pitching the team to second place in the World Tournament – losing to the Clearwater Bombers in the finals, he said.

“The shortstop on our team was Ricky Tomlinson,” McNaughton said. “He was picked up by Clearwater and played about 10 years for them and was elected into the (ASA) Hall of Fame. Ricky was the best player I’ve ever played with.”

Having been around for a while, they’ve seen some changes in the games from the 1940s into the ‘90s.

“The big thing that has changed is that pitchers are allowed to do so much more,” Ortega said, “like crow hopping and stepping back off the rubber. And the umpires no longer know what a strike is. The attitude of the younger players isn’t the same. If there is something else going on, you won’t see them for a game or two.”

As for McNaughton, he’s seen some changes too. Some he likes. Others he doesn’t.

“Back in Canada the pitching rubber was 38 feet and you couldn’t raise your pitching arm over your head,” he said. “We used what we called the ‘figure eight’. Once the distance went to 40 feet, the pitching style changed to what was called the ‘wing ding’, or the windmill of today.”

He added that the player attitude and love of the game isn’t what it once was.

“The men want to play (slowpitch) with the women for the macho reason,” he said.

Regardless of the changes in the game, when spring arrives and their old bones warm up they’re ready to play ball. Ortega says he’s retired, except when an emergency arises and his team needs a pitcher.

But McNaughton has no plans to slowdown. And to ward off the aging process he lifts weights and sticks to a rigid diet – no meat, no processed sugar, no alcohol, and no caffeine.

“I still love to pitch and I’m not ready to quit,” McNaughton said.

Words that would make Cal Ripkin proud.

(Ronnie died from cancer on May 14, 2000. And cancer also claimed Brian, 73, on April 13, 2006. Both men, along with Ronnie’s wife, Gwen, played big roles in raising money for the American Cancer Society.

After Ronnie passed away, Brian was instrumental in starting the “Ron Ortega Memorial Tournament.” And in four years, the tourney raised over $4,000 for the ACS.

And if they were still alive, no doubt they would have front row seats at the California Classic telling their innumerable fastpitch war stories, and joke after joke. Ronnie and Brian were two of the finest people I’ve ever known.)

Author, Bob Otto

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