Baseball season is here

For anyone who has followed local baseball over the years, the name Glenn Matheson will certainly be familiar.
The son of former senior star Carl Matheson and part of an outstanding local baseball brother-act, shortstop Glenn Matheson enjoyed quite an extensive career as a player. Highlights would include playing for Nova Scotia in the 1969 Canada Summer Games and in 1973 he did it all as his
bat, his fielding and his arm
led the Truro Bearcats to a Nova Scotia Senior Baseball League championship.
Later as a coach in 1998, he guided the Mr. Kool Radiator Juniors to Nova Scotia and Atlantic championships. It was 2002 that he coached Truro Bearcats to the NSSBL title. Last season, after a couple of years away from the senior ranks, the highly knowledgeable veteran returned to coach Truro.
Asking Matheson earlier
this week about his 2009 club, he commented.
"With some of the good young ball players who are coming along it is exciting! Jason Smith and Brandon Malally are both big kids with tremendous potential. They both throw hard. With these young guys' talent and others like Tyler Delaney, who played college ball in Maine, Johnny Smith and Guy Pellerine, the future speaks well. These young kids are our future, they're raw but want to develop and become senior baseball players."
(Due to inclement weather forecasted for the weekend,
the Bearcats inter-league games were cancelled.)
Matheson went on to compliment his two catchers, veteran Jason Hoyt and young Matt Davis. After talking about his pitching staff and crediting several veteran players including Craig Higgins, J.P. Wood, Billy MacKenzie, Joe MacPherson, Kelly Spencer and Matt Black, the coach added.
"Jeff Chisholm is another player who has been around awhile and he is one terrific outfielder. He makes so many phenomenal catches. Wednesday night in Kentville, one of their players hit a low rocket to centerfield. Jeff made an outstanding catch down below his knees. With the runner tagging from third he kept his balance and threw a strike to home plate. This is just an example of the kind of baseball he plays game after game."
Chisholm, who also contributed a double in Wednesday night's 4-2 loss in Kentville, is a New Brunswick native who moved to Nova Scotia at a young age.
After playing with the Truro midget Bearcats and a season in junior baseball with the Sackville Chiefs, he joined the Nova Scotia Senior Baseball League Bearcats.
"Off and on I've played with Truro most of 10 years," Chisholm shared.
"In some ways we have a rather new look to our 2009 lineup. I think it will be interesting when we really come together as a team. We have to set our sights on one common goal, a championship. We have to play for each other and stick together. I like the younger guys we have coming along and I feel that they are really complimenting our veterans.
"Brandon Malally has contributed strong pitching, Matt Davis has had some good games and Jason Smith came in against Halifax in relief and really closed the door. Jason was throwing a hammer of a curve ball, it was falling just as if you rolled a ball off the end of a table. We have what I'd describe as a strong youth movement and this is a real bright spot."
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Seventeen-year-old pitcher Daniel Bates turned a few heads Tuesday at the TAAC Grounds.
The Truro native was on the mound for a couple of innings for the Truro Bearcats when they played a 6-6 tie with the Nova Scotia Canada Games Junior team. Striking out the side in one inning, the strong right-hander called up from the Pictou MacGregor's AAA midgets, owns one lively fastball.
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On Feb. 23, 2001, the Nova Scotia baseball community suffered a tragic loss with the passing of Craig Clark at the age of 25 due to a car accident.
The Truro Bearcats organization dedicated the 2001 season to the memory of their fallen friend and teammate.
Taking place this weekend at the Stadium Field, this is the eighth year for the Craig Clark Memorial Bantam AA Baseball Tournament. While the opening games were scheduled for last night, play continues between the four participating teams today and Sunday. The late Craig Clark was a popular and spirited team leader and had the unique distinction of playing all nine positions for the senior Bearcats. The team retired his #5 uniform.
We wish tournament organizers David, Cynthia and Carrie Clark, Bruce Peers and Alan Sutherland every success with tournament play this weekend.

Lyle Carter is a Brookfield resident and former NHL hockey player