(Story by Marco Stoovelaar)
IN MEMORIAM
...Harry Blijden...
(1939 - 2023) |
  Harry Blijden, former big league-player Feyenoord, passed away
Nederlands
 ROTTERDAM (Neth.) -
Harry Blijden, who played in the Dutch big league for six seasons (1969-1974), has passed away on Thursday, August 24 at age 83.
The outfielder played his entire baseball-career for Rotterdam-based Feyenoord.
Harry Cynclair Blijden was born on November 20, 1939 in Willemstad, the capital of Curaçao.
After moving to the Netherlands in the early sixties, Blijden settled in Rottterdam.
There, in 1964, he started playing baseball at Feyenoord, which at that moment played in the Second Division (what then was the third highest league).
When Blijden joined the team, he was the first Antillian player to play in the main-squad of Feyenoord.
Harry Blijden immediately showed that he had talent.
He was a speedy runner, but above all a solid outfielder and a productive hitter.
Blijden not only was able to move players around the bases, he also showed he had homerun-power.
In an important game early during the 1966 season against Laakkwartier, Blijden homered for Feyenoord.
In the following seasons, Harry Blijden remained one of the prime players in the line-up of Feyenoord.
Also in these years, there was another Blijden playing baseball, as Roy Blijden played in the highest league for Storks in The Hague.
However, the two were not related, as Roy Blijden came from Aruba.
Roy Blijden passed away on December 23 last year at age 78.
Since 1966, Wim Onderstal had been the Head Coach of Feyenoord.
He was an ambitious coach, who had several successful seasons with the baseball-team of the Rotterdam-based club, where he also has played soccer.
In 1952 through 1958, Onderstal was one of the goalkeepers of the main soccer-team of Feyenoord in the highest soccer-competition, playing in 41 official games.
Initially, he was one of the back-ups, but he was the prime goalkeeper in the 1956-1957 season.
However, after the 1957-1958 season, Feyenoord signed Eddy Pieters Graafland, who would be the prime goalkeeper of the club through 1970.
Onderstal also played baseball for Feyenoord since 1954 and after concluding his playing career, he took over as coach.
Onderstal passed away in 2012 at age 77.
While playing for Feyenoord, Harry Blijden mostly played in centerfield for coach Onderstal.
In 1968, Blijden was one of the team's prime players when it ended up in first place of the First Division.
The team then had to play a Promotion Series against Giants Diemen.
Feyenoord won the series to promote to the highest league.
After the 1968 season, Feyenoord adds new players Fred Rietdijk, Frank Luyando (both Celeritas) and Herbert Ramlal (Sparta), who all are welcome additions to the team.
In 1969, during its first season in the Dutch big league, Feyenoord recorded a surprise split against favorite Sparta, also from Rotterdam.
On May 31, Feyenoord won 4-2 at home to hand Sparta its first loss of the season.
The next day, Sparta took revenge and won 10-0 in a 7-inning mercy-rule game.
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...Harry Blijden in action for Feyenoord... |
However, that first win against Sparta of course was memorable.
Pitcher Marcel de Bruijn (who passed away last year at age 76) dominated for Feyenoord and silenced the powerful offense of Sparta.
Feyenoord opened the score at its home-site at Sportpark 'Varkenoord' in the first inning when Huub Kohl scored on an error.
Sparta came alongside in the fourth, thanks to a sacrifice fly by Harry van der Berg.
But in the sixth, Feyenoord rallied for three decisive runs.
First, Ton Steenbruggen scored on a sac-fly by Wil de Waard.
Moments later, Herbert Ramlal and Blijden deliver runscoring singles to bring in two insurance runs and raise the lead to 4-1.
That was enough, as Sparta added only one more run, which was a homerun by Hamilton Richardson in the eighth inning.
The next day, at the site of Sparta, some 2,000 spectators see how Feyenoord is being shutout by Ben de Brouwer.
The lefthander gives up only five basehits, two by both Blijden and Steenbruggen.
In its first season, Feyenoord finishes in fourth place to stay in the highest league.
In 1970, the team has another memorable outing, this time against league-leader Haarlem Nicols.
In early July, Feyenoord wins 9-6 to end hand Nicols its first loss and end the team's 13-game winning streak.
Feyenoord-newcomer Ricky Placidus (who played for Nicols the year before) belts two homeruns to highlight the victory at the historic Pim Mulier Stadium in Haarlem.
Nicols wins the next day.
Another splitt is recorded a few weeks later against OVVO, another favorite.
After OVVO had won 7-1 in the first game in Rotterdam, Feyenoord wins the second game in Amsterdam, coincidentally also with a 9-6 score.
Feyenoord initially leads 3-1, then trails 6-3, but comes alongside to force extra innings.
In tthe eleventh inning,Feyenoord re-takes the lead when Harry Blijden scores on a triple by Herbert Ramlal.
Successful squeeze-bunts by Jan Kreuk and Ton Pols then account for two additional runs.
The 1970 season ended with a crisis within the Feyenoord-club.
Ten players from the team, accompanied by some players from Storks, planned to make a 14-day trip to Cuba to play some games there.
However, the baseball-section's committtee of Feyenoord refuses to let the team play under the name Feyenoord.
Besides that, the players are not allowed to use equipment of the club and also are not allowed to use the home-field to conduct some practices.
...The team of Feyenoord in 1973...
...Harry Blijden (#3) is standing in the back row, third from right...
...Other players standing are Paul Koster, Huub Kohl, Eric Schouten, Marcel de Bruijn...
...and Fred Beckers; Standing 2nd from right is Coach Wim Onderstal...
...Seated are Hudson John, Jan Collins, Paul van den Oever, Jimmy Bell,...
...Ton Steenbruggen, Aad Verheul and Frank Luyando... |
Wim Onderstal didn't agree with this point of view and handed in his resignation after having led the team in five seasons.
It also led to Herbert Ramlal, Henk Daniels (both to Storks) and Rickey Placidus (HCAW) leaving the team.
Back-up players (who then all played in the second team) Paul Koster, Paul van den Oever, Jan Kreuk (all Neptunus) and Ton van Uitert (Botlek) also announced they would leave.
Besides that, there were rumors that catcher Huub Kohl would retire and that Harry Blijden also would tranfer to Botlek.
However, Blijden's decision came after the tranfer-deadline had expired and instead, he intended to play at a recreational level.
Some three weeks later, a talk followed with a delegation of the remaining players meeting Onderstal.
That led to the return of Onderstal as Head Coach, while Koster, Van den Oever, Kohl and Blijden all would remain to play for Feyenoord.
And so, Harry Blijden again was one of the outfielders for Feyenoord in the following seasons.
After the 1971 season, the team gets a powerful addition, as Hudson John joins Feyenoord.
In 1972, John is one of the leading hitters in the team, together with Blijden, Frank Luyando and Huub Kohl.
After the 1974 season, the Feyenoord-team falls apart.
Fred Beckers, Jan Collins, Hudson John, Jan Kreuk, Lourens Louisa (the father of current big league-umpire Edwin Louisa) and Ton Steenbruggen all left.
Harry Blijden retires, while Wim Onderstal becomes the new Head Coach of UVV in 1975.
In that year, Feyenoord would relegate from the big league after a seven-year stay in the highest division.
Harry Blijden played in eleven seasons for Feyenoord (1964-1974), including nine of them led by Wim Onderstal and six at the big league-level.
Through the years, amongst his teammates at Feyenoord were Fred Beckers, Jimmy Bell, André Boddendijk, Theo Bos, Aad Brox, Marcel de Bruijn, Piet Burg, John Collette, Jan Collins, Wim Corpeleijn, Henk Daniels, Bram Geilman, Jan van Gent, Joop van Herp, Arie Hulsebos, Hudson John, Henk van 't Klooster, Huub Kohl, Paul Koster, Jan Kreuk, Leo van de Lek, Lourens Louisa, Frank Luyando, Frans Luykx,Paul van den Oever, Ricky Placidus, Ton Pols, Herbert Ramlal, Fred Rietdijk, Eric Schouten, Irving Simmons, Ton Steenbruggen, Ton van Uitert, Aad Verheul, Ton Verheul and Wil de Waard.
The webmaster of Grand Slam * Stats & News offers his condolences to Harry's family and friends and wishes them a lot of strength with this big loss.
(September 6)
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