When most people think of Chatham baseball, they think of Fergie Jenkins, and rightfully so but there’s a lot more to the story.
So much more that when long time Chatham Minor Baseball Association (CMBA) member Fred Osmon sat down to write a history of the organization, even he was surprised.
“When (current CMBA president) Jason Chickowski asked me to write a history, we were thinking along the lines of a pamphlet,” Osmon said. “What I ended up with two years later is a 158-page book.”
Osmon has been a volunteer with the CMBA since 1967.
“I’ve held pretty well every job but president,” he said. Nevertheless, he was amazed at how much he didn’t know.
“When I started counting the provincial titles, the number just kept going. We have had 62 provincial championships,” he said.
Chatham’s first four provincial titles pre-dated formation of minor baseball with the very first being the Chatham Coloured All Stars who won the intermediate B title in 1934.
The CMBA was formed in 1946 by the trio of Doug Allin, Ross Day and Joe Zimmer. The first sponsor was the Chatham Kinsmen Club and its president Gordon Shackelton was the first president of the fledgling CMBA.
Allin, Day and Zimmer have all been inducted into the Chatham Sport Hall of Fame, as have six teams – the aforementioned Coloured All Stars, the 1953 and 1956 Branch 431 Legion champions, the 1973 Chatham Pee Wee Canadian title winners, the 1979 Erie and Huron Beverages Midgets, the 1985 juveniles and the 1997 Sun Out Diamonds, Ontario champs and Canadian silver medalists.
Osmon, who coached the 1985 and 1986 Juvenile title winners, said the community has always had very strong teams.
“It takes three things to win championships,” he said. “First you need talented ballplayers but you also need dedicated coaches, a strong organization and sponsorship, something that is often overlooked. We’ve been blessed with all three.”
Osmon said current president Jason Chickowski is an example of the dedication within the system. “Jason was an outstanding player who earned a scholarship, played at a high level in the United States, came home and continues to volunteer.”
In addition to Jenkins, Chatham also boasts Bill Atkinson, an outstanding relief pitcher, and Doug Melvin, currently the general manager of the Milwaukee Brewers as major league exports.
“If the players we’ve had through the earlier years had the opportunities for scholarships and the benefits of expansion, we would have had even more major leaguers,” Osmon said.
He pointed to players such as Dennis Roebuck who once threw a no-hitter in the opening game of a double-header and came back to throw a one-hitter in the nightcap as just one example of talent which is often forgotten.
The book is being printed by Express Copies and Printing and is being bound by Wallaceburg Bookbinding.
“We wanted to use local people, wherever possible,” Osmon said.
The book will be available for sale at the end of November at a cost of $40. All proceeds will go to minor baseball in Chatham.
“Lynn Clark put together an index for us and it has more than 1,200 names,” he said. “So many people have been part of the program over the years.”
The book may be purchased and picked up at the CMBA office on Tweedsmuir Nov. 30 from 9 a.m. to noon and Dec. 1 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
To reserve a copy, call Osmon at 519-436-9873 or e-mail him at osmonre@ciaccess.com.
