Page 22 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 154

22 Issue #154 November 2025 www.sportsenergynews.com

the playoffs, and he played several
Continued from page 21
positions including pitcher, catcher,
the Dundas Fastball League and the first base, and outfield.
following year he played with Doug Jim also had experience playing
Casselman of the Williamsburg for professional teams, first playing
Pioneers in the same league.
six games for the Philadelphia
While playing in the Sportsman Hobos replacing injured players and
League, Jim won several batting then in 1979 joining the California
titles. In 1976, he captured the Cuties, a 4-man team that brought
batting titles for both the regular and a lot of comedy to the game. The
post seasons with a .415 average. In team included owner Trino Polacios,
1978, Jim had a .500 average, again as well as 3 other players dressed as
winning the batting titles and setting women. They played full fastball

a record for triples with eight of them. teams for charity fundraisers and
At the annual Lions Club traveled all over Canada and the
Sportman Dinner, Jim received the United States. During this time, Jim
Athlete of the Year Award for softball was offered an opportunity to play
and had the award presented to him for the New York Yankees’ farm team
by Conridge Holloway, quarterback in Waddington, NY, but he turned it
of the Ottawa Rough Riders. Eddie down to continue playing with the
Shack of the Toronto Maple Leafs Cuties.
was also there as a guest speaker.
Upon returning from California
Jim with Gord Flannery winning Gold Medal at NAFA Tournament in
In 1979, Jim had a .667 average in 1981, Jim started his own fastball Rockford Illinois, September 2025. Photo Submitted
and won both regular and post season team called Cornwall Cuties with Jerry Spinner, and spare, John prisons with Jim saying, “The prisons
batting titles. Jim had 3 home runs in players Doug Taillon, Kenny Payne,
Masson. The team was sponsored all had high security, but at Kingston
by Gerry Desgrosiers of Carling it was scary, the gates only swung
Okeefe Beer. This team played in one way. We changed in a gym and
the Cornwall and surrounding area the guards stayed with us the whole
to help minor sports raise funds. time. They took our equipment for
inspection, and I got escorted to the
In 1982, Jim started another
fastball touring team called The Warden’s office. We had a ball that
was loaded with mercury as part of
Prince and His Knights. They were
a 4-man team that also had a Yellow the show. It was a special DeBeers
Lab named Golden as their only softball that was made for Eddie
Feigner (King and His Court) and
outfielder. Team members over a
few years included Jimmy Ryan, me. When the ball was pitched, the
mercury would settle to the bottom;
Wayne Morris, Mike Ruggiero, Gord
Flannery, Terry Flannery, Bruce the ball would drop and the batter
Casselman, Randy Peck, Geoff would miss it by 2 feet. The guards
cut the ball open, did some tests,
Trasuk, Rob Shaw, and Jim Martell
of course. They were sponsored by identified it as mercury and thought
I was smuggling it in. They had
Molson Breweries. The Prince and
His Knights continued until 1985 also confiscated a butter knife and
and played charity games throughout a starter’s pistol. I told them that
if they took all our stuff, it would
the Maritimes, Quebec, and Ontario.
For 3 consecutive years, the team be a pretty boring game. We were
allowed to use the knife and pistol
played for the Jerry Lewis Telethon
in Hull, Quebec. One of the team’s but had to toss them over the fence to
great accomplishments was winning a guard as soon as we finished with
them.”
44 of 45 games during the summer of
1984 in the Maritimes. Jim also played many games over

The team played games in various Continued to page 28