(Story by Marco Stoovelaar)
IN MEMORIAM
...Rob Vakkers...
(1952 - 2017) |
 Former big league-player Rob Vakkers passed away
Nederlands
 THE HAGUE (Neth.) -
Former baseball-player Rob Vakkers unexpectedly has passed away on Monday, January 9 at the age of 64.
The memorial and cremation service will be held on Tuesday, January 17 at Crematorium Ockenburgh at the Ockenburghstraat 21 in The Hague, starting at 3:30 PM.
Robert John Vakkers played in the Dutch big league for Storks and ADO, the two teams that were both located in The Hague.
As a third baseman and outfielder, Vakkers first played at the highest level with Storks in the seventies.
He then transfered to ADO, with whom he then played in the Dutch big league in the first part of the eighties.
Vakkers also played for Celeritas, another team from The Hague, at a lower level.
In later years, after having retired as a baseball-player at the highest level, Vakkers continued his career in softball and went on to play for Kokolishi, which also is based in The Hague.
In more recent years, Vakkers was closely involved with baseball- and softbal-club Red Lions, which is from Rijswijk, a suburb of The Hague.
At Red Lions, Vakkers coached several women softball-teams, including the main women softball-squad.
Rob's brother Bauke Vakkers also played in the Dutch big league.
As a pitcher, he played for Haarlem Nicols in the seventies and also played for the Netherlands National Baseball Team.
Vakkers played in the Dutch big league in a period that all teams were recognizable by the players they had on their rosters.
Players who simply stayed with 'their' team, most of them for several years.
Amongst the teammates of Vakkers in these years were Berry Eijgendaal, John van Gulik, Lou Halkema, Harrie Heikoop, Frank Luyando, René Nieveld, Jerry Remmerswaal, Frank van Rest, Willem Tuijn, Rob van der Valk, Bart Volkerijk and Erik Volkerijk.
When Vakkers played for ADO in the early eighties, Hugo Wapperom was the Head Coach of the team.
,,He was a good player offensively, but especially as third baseman'', said Wapperom, who also played together with Vakkers at ADO as well as in the softball-team of Kokolishi.
Wapperom: ,,Rob always was a relaxed, joyful and inspiring team-player''.
The webmaster of Grand Slam * Stats & News offers his condolences to the family of Rob and wishes them a lot of strength with this big loss.
(January 15)
(photo courtesy of Red Lions)
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