EBBA Minor

Bob Humphries and Bob Stark have both been involved in the London Baseball scene for over 35 years. Bob Stark has been involved with the competitive t-ball and Rookieball programs with the Oakridge Optimists Baseball Association, while Bob Humphries' involvement began in the east end of London with the Eager Beaver Baseball Association and has evolved into several years as a member of the Baseball Ontario Board of Management.

Baseball Ontario has recently named championship trophies after both men. The Rookieball 'A' trophy will be known as the Bob Stark Trophy, while the Rookieball 'AAA' trophy will be named the Bob Humphries Trophy.

Stark's involvement started in 1972 when someone from the Oakrdige Optimists asked him if he would form a competitive t-ball team that his son would end up playing on. Bob didn't think that it would end up being a lifelong coaching career, but he talked about the relationships that evolved from staying at the same age group for the next 35-plus years, "I have great relationships in the community and you learn a ton about yourself when you coach young kids and deal with a new set of eager parents every year. I never got tired of this. Every season was a fresh challenge. After a while, it was just part of the spring routine. Maybe if I had moved up with the kids as they aged I would have deeper relationships with kids and parents, but I think it was a good trade-off."

Bob Stark coached a lot of the Oakridge kids in hockey as well as baseball. One of his players from Rookieball days who also played hockey is Brock Kjeldgaard who is currently playing in the Milwaukee Brewers minor league system and recently was named the Florida State League 'Player of the Week' for the third consecutive week. Brock has fond memories of his days playing for 'Mr. Stark' as most people still call Bob, "Mr. Stark was a very positive influence on me.  He instilled a sense of commitment, respect and love for the game at a very early age.  His dedication was evident and he really cared about each player and teaching them the importance of teamwork. He was well known for teaching the basics and he gave me a strong foundation for my baseball career."

Bob Humphries started out with EBBA and served in different capacities including President. He also served on the LDBA executive. He is currently in his 26th year as a member of the Baseball Ontario Board of Directors, 15 years as the LDBA representative and since 1995 he has been an elected member of the Basball Ontario board of management. Humphries has been the Rookiball series chairman for the past nine years and the chairman of the Baseball Ontario Risk Management Committee for the past 10 years.

Bob also spoke of the relationships that were developed through his years of being involved in baseball as a coach and administrator, "I am not much for personal awards, but like any volunteer, it's nice to be recognized once in a while and know that someone or some group, appreciates the work you do. I just want to thank 'Baseball' for everything it has done for me over the years. I've met a lot of great people, gained a wealth of knowledge and have had many rewarding experiences."

Neither of these men being honoured by having trophies named after them, would have imagined 35 years ago that they would have continued as long as they did, but there are a lot of young baseball players and parents who can be very grateful for all the time and energy that they have both contirbiuted to baseball in the London area and throughout Ontario.

THANK YOU BOB! TWICE!