(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos by Marco Stoovelaar & private photos of the Vuik-family)
IN MEMORIAM
...Aad Vuik....
(1933 - 2024)
(© Private Photo) |
 Former longtime baseball-umpire Aad Vuik passed away
Nederlands
 ROTTERDAM (Neth.) -
Aad Vuik, who was a baseball-umpire for many years, has passed away after a long ilness on Thursday, August 22, a week after he had turned 91.
As an umpire, Aad Vuik had been one of only a few umpires, who had been active in five different decades since the late sixties.
The memorial service for Aad Vuik will be held on Friday, August 30 at 2:30 PM in Crematorium Aan de Vaan, located at the Maeterlinckweg 101 in Rotterdam.
Adriaan (Aad) Vuik was born on August 15, 1933 in Rotterdam.
Aad Vuik played baseball for VVOR in Rotterdam and Zwijndrecht.
He has been very active for Zwijndrecht, which states that its women's softball-section owes much thanks to Aad, alongside Jane and Aad de Vos and Rob van der Linden.
And in later years, Stanley Boutisma, Martijn Teuben and Michael Zwitzer.
However, despite his activities for Zwijndrecht, Aad Vuik is more known as a baseball-umpire.
In a long career of more than thirty years, Aad Vuik was active as an umpire in five different decades.
He made his debut in 1969 and officiated his final game in 2000.
Aad Vuik was a very recognizable umpire and not only because of his height of almost 2 meters (6.5 ft), which makes him one of the longest baseball-umpires (if not the longest) in history.
Aad also was recognizable because of a characteristic moustache.
And he always wore his cap such that the visor was turned downwards covering his forehead, just above his eyebrows.
Because of his length, Aad didn't like to umpire behind the plate, as he would get problems with his knees from crouching behind the catcher.
As a result, he officiated most of his games at either first base or third base.
While being an umpire in the Dutch big league, he did some games behind the plate, but he mostly was a field-umpire.
Another recognizable side of Aad was that he developed a style of making several calls at the bases while sitting on one knee.
Through his many years of umpiring, Aad became a well-respected umpire by both players and coaches, but also amongst colleagues.
Because of his long career, Aad has been part of an umpiring corps, which was pretty large back then.
Nowadays, there is a clear shortage of available umpires, making it difficult to assign umpires for all scheduled games.
But in the sixties through nineties, there were enough umpires.
In many of these years, there were at least 80 (or even more) umpires available for national games.
Besides that, each of the nine Rayons had its own corps for regional games.
...Aad as player of Zwijndrecht...
(© Private Photo) |
In all those years, many of these umpires were well-known and well-respected.
Aad worked with many of them in his long career and many of these names will be mentioned in this story.
Aad Vuik made his umpiring debut in 1969, officiating in both baseball- and softball-games in what was then Rayon Rotterdam.
Amongst his colleagues in that year were Ton Benningshof, Cor Dirksz, Fred de Kramer and Karel van Veen.
Aad would lead baseball/softball-games in regional leagues in Rayon Rotterdam through 1975.
He then only officiated softball-games from 1976 through 1979 in what was then-called Rayon Rotterdam/Zeeland.
That also had to do with the fact that he had promoted to the national baseball-level and so, he could lead softball-games, which were played on evenings during the week.
Besides Benningshof, Dirksz, De Kramer and Van Veen, other regional umpires in these seasons included Willem den Boef, Kees Bol Jr., Wim Cremer, Paul Goode, Gerda Krabbendam, Leo Krabbendam, Joop Knegt, Chris Mast, Aad Mooldijk, Wiebe Pannekoek, Ada Reymer, Theo Walthie and Leen Zuur.
Aad Vuik promoted to the national level during the 1976 season.
From 1977 on, he would be a member of the national umpire-corps in eight full seasons, through 1984.
Amongst his umpiring colleagues in the seventies and early eighties at the national level were Wim Baas, John Barrett, Paul Barts, Wim van Beek, Dick Bliek, Cor Blitterswijk, Ton Bodaan, Willem den Boef, Jan Boerendonk, Paul Bokern, Robert Bos, Wil ten Bosch, Cees Bouterse, Rob Brink, Willem Broertjes, Jos de Champs, Hans Corpeleijn, Nico Dalmulder, Willem Detiger, Hans van Deursen, Taco Dillesse, Cor Dirksz, Huib Donker, Feiko Drost, Henk Ebbing, Mario Figaroa, Jos Gieskens, Paul Goode, Wim Griebling, Fred van Groningen Schinkel, Vincent Hazel, Carlos Hellburg, Ton Hout, Gerard Inden, Jan Janszen, Bram Klijnsmit, Jan Kooijmans, Fred de Kramer, Jaap Kuggeleijn, Jan Kuipers, Bert Lauer, Jaap Lind, Jos Loogman, Henk Meerleveld, Jan Meijer, Tom Middendorp, Aad Mooldijk, Dick Mos, Jan Pauwels, Chris Pieters, Piet Pomstra, Ede Pool, Henk Post, André Prins, Karel Rebel, Ada Reymer, Lex Rimini, Henk Ronnenbergh, Piet van Rijswijk, Hans Schotel, André Schrijber, Jan Schut, Guus Slauerhof, Bert Staller, Coen Stoovelaar, Evert van Tuyl, Karel van Veen, Theo van der Velden, Ton Verbeten, Franklin Victor, Willem Visser, Piet Vorst, Aad de Vos, Theo Walthie, Jan van der Wardt, Aart Wedemeijer, Henk Wolffenbuttel, Karel van Zadelhoff and Leen Zuur.
...Aad as umpire...
(© Private Photo) |
That are a lot of names, but they were all very wellknown umpires in those years and Aad Vuik officiated games with many of them.
And, as mentioned, there were a lot of umpires back then.
From the late seventies, Aad would be a member of the umpire-corps that was assigned to big league-games.
In the early eighties, Aad got some more colleagues, including Erick Barkhuis, Bob Bergkamp, Mario Blaauw, Sjaak Bonten, Wim Fagel, Jan Groenewegen, Aad Harmsen, Mario Klardie, Henk Leeflang, Fred van Leeuwen, Gerard Nanninga, Alex Nansink Sr., Herman van Os, Harry Praat, Piet van Rossum, Gerard Salemink, Gerard Siep, Leo Spierenburg, Piet Sterk, Wil Tessers, Eli Vlessing, Harold Waalzaan and Leo Zeilstra.
In 1985, Aad Vuik switched to women's softball and would lead games on the national level through 1988.
Like in baseball, there were many umpires in softball also in those years.
Amongst them in these years as Aad's colleagues were Erik Bokern, Wil ten Bosch, Bert Brebde, Herman Brouwer, Anne de Bruijne, Henk van Harrewijn, Ruud van Houten, Dirk Jong, Rob Kerkman, Jan Lievense, Ton Meijer, Roel Meijering, Frits Mulder, Gerard van Noort, Rob Oene, Marianne van Peelen, Gilbert Peloz, Pieter van der Ploeg, Gerrit Preker, Jean Rijksen, Hennie de Roos, Willem Schutterop, Rob Smit, René Sterkenburg, John Stevens, Jan Termaat, Ton Verton, Toon Verzijlberg, Jan Vlasveld Marjan Vlasveld, Wil van Vliet, Jan van der Wardt, Co van de Wateringen and Willem de Wijs.
From 1983, Aad Vuik also officiated games again at the regional level in what was then-called Rayon Zuidwest-Nederland.
He would continue to do so through 1990.
Amongst his colleagues in these years were Toy Bislip, Cor Blitterswijk, Sjaak Bonten, Leo Boom, Jan Dries, Henri van Heijningen, Theo Jansen, Aad Kooijman, Fred de Kramer, Henk Leeflang, Ben Lens, Chris Mast and Marianne van Peelen.
In 1993 and 1994, Aad returned to the national level in baseball.
Amongst his new umpiring colleagues in these years were John Beltman, Edwin van den Berk, Leo Boom, Johan Brandsma, Jan Dries, Dennis Duin, Henri van Heijningen, Joop Kölker, Gijs Koppen, Hans Leenen, Ben Lens, Ben van Meerkerk, Frank de Neling, Arnold Verbrugge, Frank Volkers and Fred Westerhoff.
...Aad Vuik (standing in the middle) with a team of umpires representing...
...Rotterdam in an umpire softball-tournament (Piet Schijvenaar Trophy) halfway...
...the eighties at the site of Amsterdam Pirates in Amsterdam; Other umpires on...
...this photo are John van Peelen, Willem den Boef, Wim van Beek, Karel van Veen,...
...Jan Kooijmans, Wim Cremer, Theo Jansen, Leo Krabbendam, Sjaak Bonten,...
...Marianne van Peelen, Leen Zuur, Fred de Kramer and Toy Bislip (lying in front)...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
From 1992 through 1994 and then from 1996 through 2000, Aad Vuik was an umpire in District Zuid (South), which was created in 1992 after the nine Rayons were realigned into four Districts.
And with eight seasons in this District, Aad also got several new colleagues, as he officiated games in both baseball and softball.
Not only from the Rotterdam- and The Hague-region, but also from Noord-Brabant and Limburg.
Amongst them were Ad Baart, Winfried Berkvens, Kjell Brandenburg, Peter Brink, Hans Daanen, Rutger Druijve, Jos van Eijsden, Martin Lemstra, Jac van Riel and Olav Steijger.
Most of them would become an umpire in the big league baseball or softball and some are still active nowadays, like Daanen, Lemstra, Van Riel and Steijger.
Brink is the current Umpire Commissioner.
In 1993, Aad Vuik also had become an umpire observer.
After leaving the national level himself after the 1994 season, he would continue as an observer in following years, while being active himself as an umpire on the District-level.
In 1988, Aad already had been an umpire observer in softball.
Several of his former umpiring colleagues also were active as an observer in these years, joining longtime observers, such as Paul Paul, Gerrit Sluijters and Joop van Wendel de Joode.
Aad Vuik would be an umpire observer for more than 10 years.
After having retired from baseball and softball, Aad Vuik went on to do something completely different, as he started breeding tropical birds.
He also had a successful career in doing this, as he was crowned Dutch champion a few times.
And he even won a world championship-title at a World Bird Exhibition in Zutphen (Netherlands).
Aad was very passionate in this new hobby, which he had to stop in 2016 due to health problems.
Aad Vuik was a colorful person on and off the field.
As an umpire, Aad never was the center of attention.
He simply did his job, made his calls in calm and convincing fashion and handled a game correctly.
Aad seldom got into arguments with players or coaches.
But when needed, he could show who was in charge of the game.
And he liked to have a laugh now and then on the field.
Not only with his colleagues, but also with players and coaches.
All this made him a well-liked and respected umpire.
Through the years, Aad also was a frequent visitor of games during the World Port Tournament in Rotterdam.
For his long career as an umpire and mentoring new umpires, Aad Vuik was decorated by the Royal Netherlands Baseball and Softball Federation (KNBSB) in 1995.
The webmaster of Grand Slam * Stats & News offers his condolences to Aad's wife Marja, son Aad jr., stepson Gianni, other family and friends and wishes them a lot of strength with this big loss.
(August 29)
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