Brian Stere No. Retired by Twins

[Al's Fastball News]

Received: 6/18/07 5:17:55 PM 
From:  William Gladding <gladding-190 at rogers.com> 

 
Subject:  Brian Stere No. Retired by Twins  

  



Below is an advance copy of the story and photo we are running
this week in
our newspaper. You may post it on your news site if it is of
any interest.

__________________

BRIAN STERE LEAVES LEGACY WITH KITCHENER BALL TEAM
from the Tavistock Gazette, Wednesday, June 20, 2007

When legendary Canadian fastball pitcher Darren Zack was asked
who was
the toughest batter to face, he once replied, Brian Stere.
Brian, the 39-year-old Tavistock player who spent the entire
16 years of
his senior men¹s fastball career with the Kitchener Hallman Twins,
was
honoured on Tuesday night in Tavistock when the club retired
his #16
uniform. It is the first sweater retirement in the club¹s 41-year
history,
and a real tribute to a classic player.
³Brian¹s coach, Larry (Hawk) Lynch, who helped build the Kitchener
Hallman Twins making them Canada¹s longest continuously operated
senior
men¹s fastball team, made the presentation Tuesday evening.
Brian said he knew something was up when he was asked to attend
Tuesday¹s events, but ³I didn¹t know what to expect,² he said.
To honour
their fellow player, the Twins all wore #16 as their warm-up
shirts prior to
the game. ³That was a nice touch that Dave Bailey came up with,²
he said.
³I knew I¹d be nervous,² Brian added, ³but I got all choked up
when Larry
started talking.²
Larry gave Brian a chance to play back in 1990. Brian played
his minor
ball in Tavistock and because there was no midget team, he joined
the
Orioles after turning down junior teams from New Hamburg and
St. Marys.
³I liked playing (fastball) with my friends,² Brian recalls about
his
early days. Then, when Brad Dietrich pitched for the Orioles,
he asked Brian
to try out for the Twins with him the next season. Another Tavistock
player,
Danny Yantzi, was with the Twins at that time and both Brad and
Brian made
the team. 
Brian started out as a catcher and designated hitter. ³I always
knew I
could hit,² he said. But, he didn¹t have the experience of playing
junior,
so he sat on the bench for the first few seasons. ³All of a sudden
I started
getting better,² he recalls. Practicing in the local park with
a pitching
machine on cold February mornings seemed to be paying off, especially
with
the help of close friend and fellow player Dave Bailey.
As the club¹s designated hitter, Brian was teased as being the
youngest
designated player (DP) in the league. ³That was the meat of my
career
though,² he said.
Over the past sixteen years, the Hallman Twins have qualfied
15 times
(they didn¹t attempt it in 1991) for the International Softball
Congress
(ISC) World Championships played each year in Canada and the
U.S. and Brian
has been an integral part of their success. Even though Brian
felt he got
better as a player under the leadership of coach Lynch, ³we got
better as a
team as well,² he said.
The Hallman Twins have been two time Canadian champions and placed
third
at the Worlds.
³I¹d seen it all except that one special victory,² Brian said.
Their
team lost to Newfoundland last year in the final.
³Today, the game has definitely changed,² Brian admits. The teams
are
more centralized with players coming from the east and west coasts
and the
U.S. just to play on this elite club.
Last season, Brian gave up the game he loves ³to focus on family
and
work,² he said. He and his fiancée Danielle (McKay) and her son,
Carter,
live on the 13th Line of East Zorra-Tavistock and are expecting
their first
child at any time now.
Brian owns and operates his own business, Agcore Contracting,
specializing in concrete forming and flat work. He is the youngest
son of
Bob and Betty Stere of Tavistock.


Photo credit: Bill Gladding / Tavistock Gazette
___________

Kindest regards,
Bill Gladding, editor/publisher
Tavistock Gazette Ltd.
519-655-2341

 

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