PASADENA - On the second day of August last summer, Scott Goosney spent a long day at the ball park.
His Pasadena Pirates had defeated the Corner Brook Barons and were facing the eight-time champions of provincial senior baseball. No one was even calculating odds at that point, and it was Goosney who got tapped to start.
He could have buckled under the pressure - after all, he once quit pitching because it was "too stressful." Instead he dug his cleats into his hometown field and introduced himself and his Pirates to the provincial baseball community. The occasion was the opening match of the Senior A provincials with the dynastic St. John's Capitals and Goosney stood toe-to-toe with best hitters in the province for 10 long and scoreless innings.
The Pasadena native made an impression that day which endured and just recently he was awarded the Molson Senior/Junior Division Player of the Year at the recent annual general meeting of the Newfoundland and Labrador Amateur Baseball Association.
Goosney didn't know much about the award and had no idea he was going to win anything until he got a call from Pasadena baseball supporter Paul Whelan.
"I was kind of surprised," he said. "I thought it was a joke at first. I didn't know there was an award. I had some strong games. In the junior tournament I pitched in four out of five of the games."
Now the award didn't go to the man they call "The Goose" because of one lost ball game, however dramatic and important it might have been.
Goosney has a reputation for going the distance. This was seen during a 13-inning loss at the junior national championship with the Corner Brook Junior Barons. Goosney doesn't just survive the later innings, he seems to thrive on them. He said he has pitched about 20 games over the summer and lost four. He played with the Shamrocks in the St. John's junior and senior leagues and with the Pirates in the Corner Brook league and in the junior and senior provincials. The latter included winning the Senior B championship and the Senior A semifinal.
It was after the game against the Capitals that Goosney got his shot with the senior Shamrocks in St. John's.
"It was then they realized I could pitch I guess," said Goosney, who went on to deal the powerful Gonzaga squad one of its three losses this year.
Goosney passes his days thanking his parents for helping him with all the travel costs from one end of the province to the other to play ball and, of course, the little matter of his university education - an education which will keep him in St. John's until the end of next summer. He will play with the senior Shamrocks and the likes of hurler Matthew Bannister and Mario Tee, before returning west to wear the pin stripes again in the second quest to take the provincial crown.
The secret to longevity for Goosney is to throw to his strengths. He doesn't have the speed to overpower many batters so he tries to pitch smart.
"I try to focus on the defence and let them take care of the plays," he said.
"I pretty much average one walk and one strikeout per game. I have to rely on my defence and they played well for me regardless of where I was this year."
Personal success or accolades pale in comparison to what his team - the Pirates - accomplished this year.
"That is what I am most excited about," he said. "We have a lot to look forward to next year."
Meanwhile, the Corner Brook Baseball Association won the Gordon Williams Memorial Award for member association of the Year.
Stephen Brien of Mount Pearl won the Pepsi Minor Division Male Player of the Year award, while the Pepsi Minor Division Female Player of the Year was split between Corlena Simms of Spaniard's Bay and Tiffany Janes of Upper Island Cove.
The Molson Senior/Junior Division Coach of the Year award went to Mark Healy of St. John's, while Joe Boland of St. John's won the Pepsi Minor Division Coach of the Year Award. Brent Power of St. John's won the Molson Senior/Junior Division Umpire of the Year, while David Lahey of St. John's Pepsi Minor Division Umpire of the Year.
The Les Noseworthy Memorial Award for outstanding contribution to the growth and development of baseball in the province went to Scott Adams of Upper Island Cove.
