Two Virden products will be in the midst of things when the Neepawa Farmers are inducted into the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame.
Danny Senff and Vince Eastman both played for the perennially strong Farmers in the Manitoba Senior Baseball League after the Virden Oilers left the loop in 1994. The 1993-1997 Farmers are being inducted into the Morden-based Hall of Fame on June 3. On June 4, the professional Winnipeg Goldeyes will wear Farmers jerseys in their annual Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame Game.
Eastman, who is also being inducted as an individual, and Senff helped the Farmers win the 1997 MSBL title as well as a provincial championship. Eastman, a pitcher, had returned to the squad after a stint with the pro Brandon Grey Owls. He was named the MSBL playoff MVP and Senior AAA Player of the Year.
“Winning the title with the Farmers was very gratifying,” Eastman wrote in an email interview. “After playing with the Grey Owls and then being released, it was a pretty good feeling to win it all with some personal hardware! As you know the Farmers are also going to the Hall, and every one of the guys deserve to be there.”
From 1993 to 1997, the Farmers went to the league finals every year and won in 1993 and 1997. What made the Farmers successful?
“No. 1, we all got along well,” said Senff, who is a sales representative at E.H. Price in Winnipeg. “There was a nice mix of some veteran guys … and we had some good young guys.”
He noted that the team was very close knit. They travelled together on a team bus to away games and gathered after home games. Younger players often worked in the summer for businesses owned by veteran Farmers.
The team was also most definitely talented. Four members of the squad have already been inducted into the Hall of Fame with Eastman and fellow pitcher Don Schmall being honoured this June.
“The pitching was always strong. … One through nine, we had a pretty strong (batting) lineup,” Senff said.
In 1997, after falling in the finals the last three seasons, the Farmers prevailed with a championship sweep of Brandon Ora Dental Marlins. Senff recalls in the first inning of the first game of the finals the bases were loaded for Eastman and he was able to work his way out of the jam. He said that was an important turning point of the series.
“He was very dominant,” Senff said of Eastman. “We felt if we put a few runs on the board, we can win this game.”
Senff played a key role for the Farmers as a speedy outfielder who impacted the game defensively and on the basepaths.
“Having one of the fastest guys in Manitoba on your team sure helped,” wrote Eastman, who is the Maintenance Supervisor for DOTC Housing in Brandon and a construction contractor.“He looked after the outfield and could steal bases at will.
Hamiota Connections
Oak River’s Gord Paddock and Manitou’s Lane Curry are being inducted this June as individuals. Both spent time with the Hamiota Red Sox. Paddock is being inducted as a player/builder. He spent more than 30 years playing and coaching in senior leagues. He led the Oak River Dodger to the final MSBL title in 2015. Curry won championships as a player with St. Boniface (1988), Hamiota (1990), and the Riverside Canucks (1992), but also received recognition for his efforts coaching and promoting baseball in the province.
Other inductees include former Border Baseball League executive Charlie Argue of Mather, ex-Riverside/Baldur/Wawanesa star Shaun Corey of Wawanesa, player/coach David Nychyk, player/umpire/promoter Orville Renwick of Melita, pitcher Peter Thomson of Winnipeg, umpire Bob Boyce, Eastern Manitoba All-Stars (1978), and Gilbert Plains Legion Bantams (1965-1968).
