(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Action photos by ANP Photo/Flip Martens)
IN MEMORIAM
...Hans Schotel...
(1932 - 2020)...
(© Archive Photo) |
 Longtime baseball-umpire, committee-member, Honorary Member Hans Schotel passed away
Nederlands
 AMSTERDAM (Neth.) -
Hans Schotel, who for many years has been a baseball-umpire and served in several commissions of the Royal Netherlands Baseball and Softball Association (KNBSB), passed away on Monday, March 30 at the age of 87.
Hans Schotel will be remembered for his long career of over 65 years in Dutch baseball.
He stepped down as chairman of Rule Committee in 2012 when he was 80 years old!
Due to the current situation regarding the coronavirus, the memorial service will be private and closed.
Hans Johan Cornelis Schotel was born September 29, 1932 in Amsterdam.
At a young age, Hans Schotel first got acquainted with baseball, as he visited games of Amsterdam-based Blauw-Wit with his father before World War II.
Later, he started playing baseball himself in school.
However, he always said himself that he wasn't that good.
While in school, his fellow students wanted to know how baseball was played, but there was no rule-book.
Schotel decided to contact someone of the Netherlands Baseball Association and said that he needed the game-rules, as he wanted to become an umpire.
As answer, he got an application form and was also assigned to officiate a game.
And so, at age fourteen, Schotel was an umpire for the first time in 1946 at a game that was played in Haarlem.
67 years later, he was still active in baseball!
Hans Schotel was one of those persons who made a lot of contributions to the sport of baseball.
First as an umpire, later as a member of several committiees.
With this, he belonged to the same category as someone as Ron Voerman, who passed away on January 24.
The game in 1946 was the start of a long umpiring career in baseball.
After having officiated in the Amsterdam-region initially, he was later assigned to national league-games.
In 1961, Hans Schotel promoted to the highest league.
He remained one of the big league-umpires through 1979 when he retired.
As a big league and international umpire in the sixties, Schotel frequently was complimented for his way of leading games.
Schotel was always relaxed, but clearly showed that he was in charge of the game.
Besides that, his knowledge of the rules was such that he became the dean of Dutch umpires.
Schotel, who never raised his voice and always was softspoken, was well respected and liked by players and coaches.
In his 34-year umpiring career, he ejected only some ten players.
In an interview with Joop Köhler of Inside-magazine in June 1972, Schotel was asked what's important to be an umpire.
Schotel answered: ,,To have the knowledge of the game and to be involved in this game is very important''.
In the same interview in 1972, Schotel said that he wanted to retire for the past few seasons.
,,But I loved it so much to do this that I always decide to continue", he said.
Schotel was an umpiring for seven more seasons.
Thereafter, he was active for 33 more years in several committees!
Hans Schotel also believed that umpires needed to be correctly, but he also like some showmanship.
In the above mentioned interview, he said:
,,Sometimes, they say that I'm some kind of a half God and that I walk like that.
But you know, I like to play some comedy now and then.
I believe that the entrance of the umpire, his appearance, correctly dressed, polished shoes, clean clothes, already makes the game for half.
You understand, there is someone special entering the field.
All umpires together.
Not wandering, but taking brisk steps.
A good umpire actually has to be a dictator.
I know, an annoying word, but it has to be that way.
Let's not forget that baseball also is a showsport.
Americans like show and can do it.''
When Hans Schotel started to officiate in national league-games in the early fifties, he was part of an umpiring-corps that included several experienced umpires, such as M.C. Bakker, Cees Boer Sr., Hans Boersma, Frans Broekhuis, Hennie van Dalen, Piet van Deenen, Herman van Deursen, Piet de Goede, Co Hetem, Hendrik Epema, Cor Jonker, Luuk Kensen, Rinus Onderwater, Jo Pleyt, Henk de Ruiter, Jan Scheurman, Hans Schirmer, Piet Schijvenaar, Evert van Tuyl, Jan van der Vegte, Toon Verzijlberg, Ron Voerman, Al Vogel and Cor Waalewijn.
Later in fifties, new umpires included Teun van den Berg, Cor Blitterswijk, Cees de Bruin, Bertus Caldenhove, Wim Corpeleijn, Paul Goode, Dick van der Klaauw, Gerard van Klingeren, Jaap Kuggeleijn, Jan Maalsté, Lou Meijer, John Oosterbroek, Lex Rimini, Henk Ronnenbergh and Aart Wedemeijer.
Many of these umpires went on to officiate in the highest league.
...Hans Schotel calls the sliding Wim Crouwel (OVVO) safe after...
...avoiding being tagged by catcher Dolf de Zwart (Haarlem Nicols)...
...in a big league-game on June 20, 1965 in Amsterdam...
(© Photo: ANP Photo/Flip Martens) |
In the sixties, more future big league-umpires started their careers in regional competitions.
When they promoted, Schotel became a mentor to many of them, guiding them and advising them.
Umpires who started in the sixties, include Wim van Beek, Hans Corpeleijn, Wim Detiger, Huib Donker, Fred van Groningen Schinkel, André Haring, Vincent Hazel, Ton Hout, Bram Klijnsmit, Fred de Kramer, Bert Lauer, Chris Mast, Aad Mooldijk, Jan Pauwels, Chris Pieters, André Prins, André Schrijber, Joop Schuitemaker, Bert Staller, Karel van Veen, Wim Visser, Aad Vuik and Henk Wolffenbuttel.
In February 1961, the Netherlands Association enabled Schotel to attend a weeklong umpiring course in Kaiserslautern (then West-Germany).
There, some fifty American umpires did their exam to officiate games at military bases in Europe who had their own competitions.
Schotel was the lone foreigner to attend the clinic and did very good, as he belonged to the top-five.
The umpiring clinic was conducted by Major League-umpires Ken 'Lefty' Burkhart and Vincent 'Vinnie' Smith.
After returning back to the Netherlands, Schotel immediately translated the rules-book into a new Dutch version.
While he already was one of the umpires during the first edition of the Haarlem Baseball Week in 1961, Schotel officially became an international umpire in 1962.
As such, he was assigned to several tournaments.
During his international debut at the Haarlem Baseball Week in 1961, his tournament ended unexpectedly.
In one of the last games of the event, Schotel was the home plate umpire in the game between the American teams from Chateauroux Sabres (from France) and Wiesbaden Flyers (from West-Germany).
With Wiesbaden leading 8-2 in the sixth inning, Schotel sustained an eye-injury and had to leave the game.
Teun van den Berg, who also was one of the umpires during that event, was attending the game.
However, Van den Berg was an upcoming umpire and was only assigned to work at the bases during the event.
He now had to replace Schotel behind the plate and did very well.
For Hans Schotel, this was the first of seven Haarlem Baseball Weeks he participated in.
He also was an umpire in 1963, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1971 and 1974.
In 1962, Schotel initially was a back-up umpire during the European Championship, which then was held in Dutch capital Amsterdam.
Veterans Piet van Deenen and Co Hetem were assigned for the event as Dutch umpires, while Schotel and Evert van Tuyl were on the reserve-list.
However, both were included in the assigments during the tournament.
In 1965, Schotel and Van Deenen represented the Netherlands as umpire during the European Championship in Madrid (Spain).
In February 1972, during the Congress of the European Baseball Federation (then abbreviated as FEB) in Marseille (France), Schotel was named Umpiring Commissioner of the European Umpiring Committee.
As such, he became responsible for assigning the umpires for the European Championship and the European Cup-tournaments.
Later that year, he served as Commissioner during the European Cup-games between Italian champion Nettuno and Dutch champion Sparta in Milan (Italy).
In July 1975, Schotel stepped down as Commissioner and was succeeded by Carmelo Pettener from Italy.
...Hans Schotel is ready to make the out-call at first base...
...where 1B Simon Heemskerk (Haarlem Nicols) got...
...the ball moments before Leo Vonk (HVA) reaches base...
...on June 27, 1965 in Amsterdam...
(© Photo: ANP Photo/Flip Martens) |
In 1959, Hans Schotel became a member of the Umpiring Committee of the Netherlands Association.
That committee was then led by chairman Ad Schaling, while Hans Boersma was the secretary.
Other members were Henk de Ruiter and Hans Schirmer.
Later, Co Hetem also joined.
Boersma, Hetem, De Ruiter and Schotel remained committee-members through 1972.
In later years,, Cor Blitterswijk and Piet Schijvenaar joined, as did Ron Voerman, who became secretary in 1972.
In 1973, Rinus Onderwater took over as chairman, while Schotel served as advisor, then left the committee at the end of that year.
But Hans Schotel had his longest associations with the Game Rules Committee (52 years), the Protest Committee (41 years) and the Penalty Committee (37 years).
Schotel became a member of the Penalty Committee in 1974, joining chairman Gerard Waanders, secretary Ron Voerman and members Dick Baas, Herman Kruijt and Jac Neutkens.
Besides Schotel, another longtime member of this committee was Ron Voerman, who was the secretary in 1973-2008.
Other members who served for many years were Cor Blitterswijk, Leo van den Boomgaard (more than 30 years, including 20-plus as chairman), Martin Bremer, Teun Gaartman, Henk Geesink, Loek Imhof, Bert Lauer, Jac Neutkens, Pieter van der Ploeg, Gerard Voogd and Greet van Wijk.
In later years, Schotel was joined by younger members Dennis Duin, Nico van de Kamer, Sandra Nypels and Bert Stevens.
Schotel left the committee in August 2010.
His second longest association was with the Protest Committee.
He first was a so-called deputy member from 1963 through 1974.
He was a active member in 1975-1995, then led the committee as chairman in 1996-2003, succeeding Piet van Deenen, who had been the chairman for 21 years.
Other members of this committee through the years Schotel was a member include Wim de Bok, Henk Kempen, Joke Lammen, Bert Lauer, Gé Oosterbaan, Rinus Paardekooper, Henk de Ruiter, Harry Schotte, André Schrijber, Piet Schijvenaar, Wim van Sorge and Aart Wedemeijer.
He served the longest in the Rules Committee, and this was something he really loved: the rules.
Schotel joined the Rules Commitee in 1961 when it was led by chairman Piet van Deenen
Other members then were Henk de Ruiter and Han Urbanus.
Some ten years later, Piet Gabes, Chris Mast and Wim van Sorge became members of this committee.
In 1980, Schotel became the secretary of the committee, something he did for sixteen years.
In 1996, Schotel became the committee's chairman.
Since 1997, the committee had only three members through 2012, being Schotel, secretary Harry Wedemeijer and Fred van Groningen Schinkel.
In 2012, the year the Netherlands Association celebrated its 100th anniversary, Schotel resigned at age 80.
For his many contributions, Hans Schotel was named a Member of Merit of the Royal Netherlands Baseball and Softball Association (KNBSB) in February 1978.
In 2001, the KNBSB promoted him to Honorary Member.
Through the years, Hans Schotel remained a frequent visitor of the Haarlem Baseball Week, as well as attending the reunion gatherings of the Kieviten.
With the passing of Hans Schotel, the Dutch baseball- and softball-family unfortunately has lost another of its icons in recent months, including Bep van Beijmerwerdt, Anton Kops, Els Smit-ter Meulen, Hans de Bie, Ron Voerman and Iet Wennekes.
They all have been active in baseball and/or softball for many years.
All will be remembered fondly and will be missed.
The webmaster of Grand Slam * Stats & News offers his condolences to the family of Hans Schotel and wishes them a lot of strength with this big loss.
(April 1)
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