Received: 6/18/07 5:17:55 PM From: William Gladding <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
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 Al's Fastball News *Email: fastball(at)pmihrm.com [EMAIL PROTECTED] NEWS-1: http://www.AlsFastball.com/ NEWS-2: http://fastpitchwest.com/alsfastball VIA http://www.webbox.com
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