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This past weekend was another opportunity to celebrate some great people from the game of baseball as the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame welcomed in some new inductees and Dan Giesbrecht, Chair Manitoba Baseball Hall, couldn't be prouder.
"It's an organization that was founded in 1997," explains Giesbrecht. "The goal was to celebrate the outstanding contributions to the culture and the history of baseball in Manitoba."
Saturday marked the 27th annual Hall of Fame induction ceremony, a milestone that Giesbrecht cherishes for a multitude of reasons. "It means that first of all, there's lots of people that contributed to the historical events within our province. It also means that there was a lot of talent and volunteer work that went into promoting baseball throughout the province. Thirdly, it means to me that over the years, our board has done an outstanding job in developing the Hall of Fame into new heights each year and the fact that it keeps growing, it will contribute to the energy and vision of the Baseball Hall of Fame."
Taking a night to celebrate people who gave so much to the game in many different ways is something Giesbrecht believes in whole-heartedly. "I think that when you look at overall lifestyle of a society, it's important to celebrate the accomplishments of the past to inspire the future."
Looking over the induction class for 2025, Giesbrecht is blown away by the individuals level of passion and dedication to the game. "Like a lot of other years, our group is very talented. There's been a lot of accomplishments over the years, whether it's through the Manitoba Games participation, local league participation, lots of hours of organization in terms of officiating. Overall, the contribution by these people is quite outstanding. It's typical of a lot of the years, but every year is special. There's been a lot of good years since 1997 and looking into the future, there will be a lot of good years to come, filled with strong inductions."
For Giesbrecht who's been a part of many celebrations over the years, he details what his favourite part is. "Just seeing the recipients getting the awards that they are so deserving of. Many will say it's a surprise. Something you'll recognize is that nobody plays for an award. They'll say it was a great lifestyle, they made so many friends, they travelled a lot, may family enjoyed meeting people throughout the province or the world. When you see and hear those things, it shows this organization is quite special. This is one of three baseball Hall of Fame's in Canada and people say this is certainly the most outstanding, and we're very proud of that."
Baseball continues to grow across Manitoba and many communities have a rich history and Giesbrecht says the community of baseball is as close as ever. "You'll hear a lot of friendships renewed through the game of baseball and here with the people tonight. There will be a lot of stories told and some of them might even be true," he jokes. "People go back a long ways. There's evidence of baseball being played in Manitoba in the 1860's, we have baseballs and bats that go back that far, it has a long history over the years. It was a common thing, especially in the early years as part of the local, rural community fibre. Every town had a baseball team. If you had nine women or men, they played ball. It was a cheap sport compared to other sports. From that, it grew into what we have today and it's a vibrant game. Young kids to seniors, it's great to see. I know people I coached 40 years ago still playing the game. It's a good game, it's a good game to play but it's also a wonderful game to watch and build memories through."
For those inducted over the weekend, it will be a memory that lasts a lifetime.