AMSTERDAM (Neth.) -
Exactly at four o'clock on Sunday-afternoon, September 29, an unique and very rare career ended.
With the final out of the game of his Amsterdam Pirates' cadets-youthteam, Loek Loevendie ended his active coaching career.
A career that spanned a period of 65 years!
At age 16, Loevendie started coaching youth players at Amsterdam-based soccer-club Rap.
With that club, in 1959, he was one of the founders of a baseball-section, a few years later joined by a softball-section.
Loevendie became one of the players in the baseball-team, while continuing coaching youth soccer-teams.
Later, Loevendie began with his famous weekly practice sessions for baseball-youth.
He placed advertisements in weekly newspapers and immediately got a lot of reactions.
With that, the youth section of Rap-baseball began.
And it was the start of a very successful youth section, which captured numerous Amsterdam-league titles, regional titles and national titles.
Loevendie changed from coaching soccer-youth to baseball-youth.
Through the years, he instructed more than hundred players, who went on to play in the Dutch big league and/or the Dutch National Baseball Team.
In the first youth-groups Loevendie instructed in the sixties and early seventies were players like Marcel Joost, Frank Koot, Haitze de Vries, Jan Hijzelendoorn, Ronald Stoovelaar and Peter van Erk, who all would reach the big league.
The first five also played for the Dutch National Team.
Also, amongst his pupils were players, who later played professionally, including Rikkert Faneyte, who played in the Major League for San Francisco Giants and Texas Rangers.
Also, players like pitcher Tonny Cohen and infielder Raymond Hofer also went on to play professionally in the USA.
For many of these players, as well as longtime club-members, Loevendie simply was and is known as 'Uncle Loek' ('Ome Loek').
Today, the 81-year old Loevendie ended his 65-year coaching career.
Before the start of the game of his cadets-team against Tex Town Tigers from Enschede, all players and coaches were first introduced.
After the playing of the national anthem, Loevendie was sung to by his players and was given a special jersey, which had 'Ome Loek - # 1 - Coach' on the back.
After Loevendie threw the ceremonial first pitch, it was time to start the game, which for today's occasion was played on the main field of the Sportpark Ookmeer complex.
Tex Town Tigers was stronger, as it had players in its team that were two years older than those of Pirates.
TTT won the game, 12-4.
Sam van der Ploeg led TTT with a double and two triples.
The short stop scored twice and collected six runs batted in.
Trailing 12-0, Pirates rallied for four runs in the fifth and final inning.
After lead-off hitter Matthijs Coorengel (who is the bat-boy of the L&D Amsterdam Pirates big league-team) grounded out, Joshua Meulenhoff walked and scored when Hikaru Toyota followed with a double.
Toyota later scored on a wild pitch.
With two outs, Timo Wille and Cas Rübsaam walked and went on to score on singles by Sander van der Velden and Daniël Scherenberg.
Earlier in the game, Riley Veltman, Sander van der Velden (who was 2-for-2) and Mees Jansen also had singled for Pirates.
,,This is a young team'', Loevendie stated.
,,Most of them played in the juvenile-division last season.
They learned a lot this season, in two years they will be much stronger and better.''
After completion of the game, teamphotos were taken and champaign was uncorked to celebrate the impressive coaching career of Loevendie.
Loevendie: ,,I would have loved to continue, but my back is hurting too much.
It's time to stop with coaching.
But I will remain active for the club.
I have many things that I will look after, youth committee, equipment, the museum and much more.
And I will continue overseeing the Wednesday-afternoon practices.
I will then sit simply on a chair and throw balls to the batters.
I love coaching youth-players and instruct them to get better.
I'll have plenty to do.''
(September 29)
...Coverage local TV-station AT5... (commentator is Pieter Hulst)
...Catcher Riley Veltman hands Loevendie... ...the game ball and the jersey...
...Loek Loevendie throws the first pitch...
...Ready to play ball...
...Wearing the personalized jersey, Loevendie... ...looks on from the coaching box...
...Loek Loevendie oversees the field, as he has done in thousands of games...
...Loevendie with pitcher Hikaru Toyota...
...Returning to the dug-out...
...Local TV-station AT5 reported on the last game....
...Loevendie waves home a player in the 5th inning...
...Pirates has scored another run...
...Loevendie is honored after the game...
...And that included a champaign-shower...
...A standing ovation for Loevendie... ...Boardmember Peter Meuris is at left...
...The teams of Amsterdam Pirates and Tex Town Tigers pose together on this memorable day...
...The players say goodbye to their coach...
...Former player Kees van Vegten thanks... ...Loevendie for his many contributions...
...Loevendie is interviewed by Elvin Englentina... ...of Radio Backstop Pengue...
...Ronald Stoovelaar, one of his future... ...National Team-players with Loevendie...
Loek Loevendie ends coaching career after 65 years!
AMSTERDAM (Neth.) -
Exactly at four o'clock on Sunday-afternoon, September 29, an unique and very rare career ended.
With the final out of the game of his Amsterdam Pirates' cadets-youthteam, Loek Loevendie ended his active coaching career.
A career that spanned a period of 65 years!
Loevendie became one of the players in the baseball-team, while continuing coaching youth soccer-teams.
Later, Loevendie began with his famous weekly practice sessions for baseball-youth.
He placed advertisements in weekly newspapers and immediately got a lot of reactions.
With that, the youth section of Rap-baseball began.
And it was the start of a very successful youth section, which captured numerous Amsterdam-league titles, regional titles and national titles.
