To these eyes at least, it looked as though Morris White could still leg out a high chopper for an infield single.

That Steve Tripp could still wallop a ball out of sight and bring Whitey home.

And I would bet Rick Dance had just enough life in that whip attached to his right shoulder that he would have no trouble mowing down another town’s best three hitters in a row.

And yes, my old man could probably still pick it at third base although the toss across the diamond might have to be delivered via pony express.

And in the middle of it all, bench boss Earl Foster could still push all the right buttons and manufacture a win.

When you’ve grown up around the stories of a Herculean softball squad that reigned supreme and brought glory to your home town – even if that was a few years before you came into this world – heroes seldom change in the eyes of young.

It’s been half a century since the Picton Proctor Lewyt (what Proctor Silex was labeled back in those days) Juveniles would capture the Ontario Amateur Softball Association title over Smithville in a Thanksgiving weekend classic where upwards of a 1,000 people eschewed their turkey supper and jammed the stands at the Picton softball diamond.

The starry squad that also won the Picton and District Men’s League earlier that summer blanked their opponents 3-0 in a deciding Game 3 to capture the 1973 Ontario Juvenile C championship. It was the first occasion a Picton-based softball team had the thrill of winning the All-Ontario championship on their home diamond.

The Picton Juvies were back together at the Picton Golf & Country Club and, for one warm summer evening, the lads who brought home an OASA title to the county recalled their season on the diamonds. Tales about honing their craft on week nights in the old County league and gearing up to go against Norwood, Delta, White Church and Smithville in the OASA play downs were traded.

It was against Delta where some home side hijinks took place. Down a game and Mr. Tripp unavailable to bat cleanup in Game 2, it seemed as though the Juvies might see their Cinderella season come to a close. But fate took a hand. Or an unknown hand created some fate.

“Earl, I got bad news,” Town of Picton facilities manager Walt Insley reported to Mr. Foster the morning of the game. “Some damn fool turned on the water tap at the diamond and it’s completely flooded. There’s no way we can get it ready for tonight’s game.”

With Trippy back in the heart of the Picton lineup, all was right with the world upon the resumption of the series. Picton outscored their opponents 17-2 at home and  an increasing number of softball fans kept turning up to home and road games. On Labour Day weekend, the team bus to Wingham where the locals would face White Church was filled to the brim with fans who paid $7.50 for a return trip.

Robbie Roblin’s second inning home run and Bob Cutler’s game saving catch in the outfield was enough to make Picton a 2-1 winner in the deciding semi final game. The win set off a wild celebration at the park’s water fountain that was cut short by the local constabulary who thought it wise to return to Don McGinnis’s bus and take the party on the road back to Picton. “99 Bottles of beer on the wall” was the victory anthem all the way home.

With the semi-finals victory, the town of Picton would get a chance to host its first ever OASA championship series. Because of the age of the players and post-secondary study commitments, the OASA decreed the Ontario Championship series would wait until the weekend prior to Thanksgiving when both squads would have the ability to field a full team. Smithville hosted Game 1 and won, setting the stage for a big Thanksgiving weekend comeback.

With over 750 in Picton Fairgrounds grandstands and hundreds looking on along the baselines, Picton won Game 2 5-0 on Saturday. Harold Foster cleared the bases in the late going with a drive to centre field to provide the dagger. A day later, two of the finest sportsmen of their era, Keith MacDonald and Keith Stacey, set the tone for the squad prior to Game 3, giving the Picton side the mother of all pep talks in the dressing room prior to the first pitch.

Mr. Dance was untouchable at home that Thanksgiving weekend half a century ago, pitching every inning that weekend never surrendering a run. Your humble scribe might never dine on a Thanksgiving meal at his father’s house again if he didn’t mention a late two-out run-scoring triple socked by the patriarch that salted the Game 3 victory away for Picton.

“My father told me ‘It’s later than you think.’ At the time, I didn’t know what he meant but I do now,” Mr. Foster told his players this summer. “I have great memories of what we accomplished in 1973. Some people dream of success, others achieve it. I hope you were able to walk away from that season with good things that will carry you on through the rest of your lives. I thank you all for the memories.”

Memories of 1973 and a summer of championship softball in Prince Edward County. And for those of us not lucky enough to have witnessed it, there’s still a few who lived it who can share their stories.