During four decades from the 1940s to the 1970s, the Cote family of nine brothers were synonymous with baseball in Vasser, a small community in south eastern Manitoba and there was a period when they all played for Vasser at the same time.

Lucien, the oldest, possessed a ferocious passion for the game, pitched and played infield. James was an excellent right fielder with a strong arm and was a good hitter. He, along with Lucien, was often recruited by Minnesota teams for tournaments.

Alme played second or shortstop and provided inspiration with his constant chatter. Denis pitched left-handed and had very good arm control. Ovide, a left-handed hitting catcher, with a solid physique, had a strong arm. Robert, an outfielder had an excellent batting eye, which allowed him to draw many walks and had the skill and ability to steal bases.

Emilien, a switch-hitting, pitcher, was a gifted player and a powerful home run hitter. Emile, a speedy centre fielder, was small in stature, but had a great range and was a good base runner. Louise, the youngest, was a right-handed hitter and utility player, who along with Emilien, were the victims of a vehicle accident at the age of 22.

Al, Doug, and Ken, three brothers, were part of a well-known baseball family from the Elmwood/East Kildonan Area and were highly regarded players in Junior and Senior Leagues in the 1950’s and 1960’s.

Al Ingram

Al played junior baseball with the Morse Place Monarchs and senior baseball with Transcona, CUAC and the Elmwood Giants. He was a League All Star numerous times in his career. Al was also playing manager for the Giants in the late 1950’s, who were league finalist for three years.

Doug Ingram

Doug, a second baseman played junior baseball for Morse Place and the Selkirk Fisherman and senior baseball for the Elmwood Giants, St. Boniface, and the Carman Cubs. He played on seven consecutive Senior finalists teams from 1957-63, winning three championships. He was a great defensive player, who twice had six hits in one game.

Ken Ingram

Ken, a catcher, played junior baseball for the Giants at age 16. He was an All-Star catcher and led the Giants to three championships. Ken started his senior career with the St. Boniface Native Sons in 1962, who won the championship. He then joined the Transcona Atomics and was the starting catcher for four championships. He was a good hitter and an excellent defensive player and handler of pitchers.

The Elkhorn Blue Sox were formed in 1959 and played in the Pipestone League, which they won in 1962, 1963, and 1964. The league consisted of Reston, Grande-Clairiere, Sinclair, and Cromer. The Blue Sox had their best season in 1963, when they won nine consecutive tournaments with 27 straight wins. At the end of the season, their record was 39-1. Several players, including Doug Lund, Jack Day, and Bill Chapple, went on to play in the Manitoba Senior Baseball League.

The Fisher Branch Falcons were a very good small community team who excelled in tournaments. Their best season was in 1957, when they won $1600 in prize money by winning 13 of 14 tournaments, including at Lundar, Eriksdale, Arborg, Ashern, Teulon, Chatfield, Fisher Branch, Hodgson, Oak Point, Moosehorn, and Keewatin.

The St. Boniface Native Sons of this era accomplished what no other Manitoba senior team had done: they won the Redboine League championship and the Frank Richardson Trophy (emblematic of provincial supremacy) for five consecutive years. The Native Sons also captured a Western Canadian championship in 1993. They were an unbeatable force for many years, and they had great pitching, defense, and timely hitting. All players involved with the team over the 1989-1993 seasons played regularly and contributed to the success of the team.

The Neepawa Cubs of 1955-1960 were coached by Merv Buchanan and Doug Birch. They started out as juveniles in the early 1950s before winning the Neepawa and District League Championships in 1955, 1956, 1959, and 1960. The Cubs won six more crowns in the next decade, and were a dominate team in this golden era of Manitoba baseball. Their league consisted of Eden, Wellwood, Springhill, Plumas, and the Neepawa Farmers.

Morris Seafoot was born in Wawanesa, Manitoba on August 24, 1926. Seafoot was a third-baseman for the Riverside Canucks. The Canucks were a top tournament team during the 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s, and Seafoot was a large part of this success. He was a fierce competitor, though was always Mr. Congenial after the game. When Riverside joined the Manitoba Senior Baseball League (MSBL), Seafoot took on the role of coach, and he was at the helm of the team for several years. On top of this, he also performed diamond maintenance. When Seafoot retired, he took on the role of Riverside’s most active and loyal fan. He was given the distinction of being a Life Member of the Riverside Baseball Club.

Gus Pantel was born in Notre Dame, Manitoba on November 20, 1932. Pantel started playing senior baseball in 1946 with Notre Dame. Early in his career, however, Pantel also played in many tournaments throughout the surrounding area, including in Belmont, St. Jean, La Broquerie, and St. Pierre. While pitching with Notre Dame from 1947-49, Pantel and his team won the South Central League championship every year. He did this alongside fellow inductee Gerry Vigier. In 1950, Pantel signed with the Carman Cardinals of the Mandak League, where he played one year. During this year, he pitched a one-hit victory over Minot in a packed Osborne Stadium during semi-finals. In 1951 Pantel returned to Notre Dame, where his strong pitching performances helped them to be a dominate team in tournaments for 5-6 years. Pantel was one of the premier pitchers in central Manitoba during this era, and was known for his wide array of pitches, including a pretty awesome fastball.

Delbert Mealy was born in Fairfax, Manitoba on November 4, 1932. Mealy was an excellent all-round player who was a good pitcher, hitter competitor, and sportsman. He started playing senior baseball in 1948 with the Fairfax All-Stars, though he went on to play with a slew of teams, including Morden, Fisher Branch, Souris, Riverside, and Glenboro. Mealy was named utility all-star player with Riverside at the prestigious Indian Head, Saskatchewan tournament in 1955. Mealy later went on to win the South Central League title in 1972, ’73, and ’74 with Elgin.

Gordie Lyall was born in Hamiota, Manitoba on September 3, 1940. Lyall won the provincial championships with the Kenton bantam team in 1952, the midgets in 1953, and with Hamiota-Kenton in 1957 and ’58. Lyall played senior league tournaments with Hamiota, Kenton, Oak Lake, and Virden from 1957-64. He was appointed the Souris Sports director in 1962, and won the South Central League title in 1963 as playing coach of the Souris Cardinals. Lyall went on to play for the Hamiota Red Sox in the Manitoba Senior Baseball League (MSBL) from 1964-72, and won the league batting crown once with a .449 average. He was named to the second all-star team in 1964 and 1966, and then to the first all-star team in 1967. He led the league in singles and hits for that year. Lyall was the Hamiota Red Sox’s MVP in 1968, and has an MSBL career batting average of .301. He coached the Souris Bantam BB’s in 1962, the Hamiota juvenile team in 1972, and the Hamiota Bisons in 1974 to a provincial championships. Lyall also coached the juvenile Team Manitoba in 1988, and umpired from 1973-85, including in three western Canadian championships, and one Canadian senior championship.