Westville Sports /
The "Alpha" Baseball Club,
1876 / Burns Dunbar: A Great Left Fielder
/ The
Sporting Career of George Dawson /
Jimmy
Hawboldt - The Westville Runner /
Sports / The Westville
Windmill: Bobby Allen /
Babe Ruth at Westville
Ted MacPherson and
Dewy Marshall
Sports
The Westville Junior High School newspaper, “The Flame”, interviewed Roddie MacDonald, a former baseball player in the town. The interview was conducted in May 1968.
Mr. MacDonald has been a citizen of Westville for his entire life. During his younger years, he played baseball for the Westville Miners, holding the position of catcher. When the legendary Babe Ruth made an appearance in our home town, Roddie donned the catcher’s gear as Ruth attempted to become one of the few ever to hit a ball out of the old Victoria Park. Mr. MacDonald has also been an active curler, having the distinction of being a past-president of the Westville Curling Club. Currently, Roddie is a member of the Knights of Pythias Lodge.
For the majority of the citizens of Westville, Mr. MacDonald is remembered for his long service in the Westville Fire Department. For 12 years he held the position of fire chief.
Q: What was the name
of the Westville ball club when you played for
them?
A: The name was “W.A.A.”, which stands for
Westville Athletic Association.
Q: What other towns
were included in the league?
A: New Glasgow,
Stellarton, and, in later years, Truro joined the
league.
Q: What special
awards did your team win?
A: We won the Pictou
County Twilight League title several times and we
won the Nova Scotia Amateur Baseball title in
1931, which Westville has never won since.
Q: Name some of the
stronger teams the Westville team had to compete
against to win the Nova Scotia title?
A: The stronger teams
were from Springhill and Halifax. Halifax had two
teams: “The Saint Agnes” and the “Casinos”. We
beat the Halifax Casinos for the Nova Scotia
title.
Q: Who were some of
the players on the team that won the Nova Scotia
title and what positions did they play?
A: Billy Richardson,
pitcher; Alex Marshall, pitcher; Roy Maxwell,
pitcher; Sid Darroch, pitcher; “Doc” Carrigan, 3rd
base; “Ossie” Matheson, 2nd base;
Roddie MacDonald, catcher; Bobby Williams, center
field, pitcher; Charlie Lockhart, shortstop; Eddie
Cormier, 1st base; Burns Dunbar, left
field; and John Dunbar, right field, pitcher.
Q: Most baseball
critics say the catcher has the most difficult job
in baseball. As you were a catcher, did you find
this to be true?
A: A catcher’s job
may be considered a difficult one, but not nearly
as difficult as the pitcher’s. The pitcher is the
“sparkplug” of the team. He sees everything and
everyone on the field, and if he is not playing
well, the whole team does not play well.
Q: What was one of
your favorite moments in your baseball career?
A: My favorite moment
was in 1931 when we won the N.S. Amateur Baseball
title. I was a rookie, playing my first year in
senior baseball and had not played very much
during the season. When the playoffs came, I was
put in to catch. Although I played for nearly 20
years, that has to be the greatest thrill.
Q: Were you
disappointed when it was announced that Westville
would not have a baseball team again this year?
A: Yes, I was greatly disappointed that
Westville, that had once boasted one of the best
teams in Nova Scotia, would not have a baseball
team this year.
Q: What do you think
were some of the reasons for this?
A: I think that some
of the reasons were that too many players were
“imported” from other places and this caused
several disadvantages. When these players moved
or stopped playing we had no one to take their
place. A lack of interest for baseball has
developed in Westville. When they did have a
baseball team just two years ago, hardly anyone
attended it.
Q: Do you expect
Westville to have a baseball team in the near
future?
A: Yes. There are
several local boys who will make fine ball players
in a couple years and we have excellent facilities
for playing baseball.