(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos by Michael Davidson, Lindsay Pein (Amsterdam Pirates) & Marco Stoovelaar)
IN MEMORIAM
...Laurens van der Poel...
(1954 - 2025)
(© Photo: Private Photo) |
 Former Amsterdam Pirates (Dutch big league)-player Laurens van der Poel passed away
Nederlands
 AMSTERDAM (Neth.) -
Laurens van der Poel, who played baseball at the national level in the seventies and eighties, passed away totally unexpected on Wednesday (March 12) at the much too young age of 70.
Laurens' passing comes just over a year after his mother Tiny van der Poel passed away in February last year.
In 1982, the former outfielder played in the first Dutch big league-season for Amsterdam Pirates, for whom he played the majority of his career.
The memorial service for Laurens van der Poel will be held on Thursday, March 20 at 12:00 PM in the Vondel Aula of Crematorium Westgaarde, located at the Ookmeerweg 275 in Amsterdam.
After the memorial service, it is possible to offer condolences to the family.
Laurens van der Poel was born on October 3, 1954 in Amsterdam.
He comes from a family that has been very active in baseball for many years for Quick Amsterdam, HVA and Amsterdam Pirates (and its predecessor Rap) in the sixties through eighties.
Laurens briefly played baseball for HVA, then more for Rap/Pirates.
His brother Steven also played for Rap/Pirates.
Both Laurens and Steven played in youth-teams, as well as senior-teams for Pirates, through the late eighties.
Several years ago, Steven moved to Ireland, where he still lives.
Their father Wim van der Poel played for Quick Amsterdam, where he also was the club's secretary in 1958-1960.
In those years, their mother Tiny van der Poel-van Wiltenburg was the treasurer.
In the early sixties, the Van der Poel-family moved to HVA, where Wim became one of the youth-coaches, alongside Jaap Meeder and Paul Hamstra.
When HVA merged with Rap in 1967, all of them continued as coach, while Wim also played for some more seasons.
At Rap (which changed the name to Pirates in 1974), Wim and Tiny also became members of the board.
In 1975, Wim was the club's chairman.
He also was a member of several commissions of the Rayon Amsterdam of which he was chairman in 1990-1992.
Tiny was the treasurer of Pirates in the early seventies and also was active as a scorer for several (youth-)teams.
For many years, since halfway the seventies, Tiny was the Public Address Announcer at the home-games of the Pirates baseball-team, alongside Coen Stoovelaar (who passed away in October at age 92) and Kees van Vegten.
From 1977 through 1997, Tiny was an Official Scorer in the Dutch big league baseball and softball and also officiated in international tournaments.
She was a Scoring Observer for some ten years since 1998 and filled in as Scorer for two more games in 2000 and one more in 2002.
...Wim and Tiny van der Poel attending a...
...Holland Series-game in October 2007 in...
...the Pim Mulier Stadium in Haarlem...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
Wim passed away on September 21, 2019 at age 93, Tiny passed away on February 3, 2024, also at age 93.
Laurens began his baseball-career at a young age in a youth-team of HVA, which merged with Rap in 1967.
At Rap, Laurens developed into talented player and moved up to the second team of the club.
In 1973, at age 18, Laurens played in several games of the main-squad, then was a regular from 1974 through 1978.
In those seasons Rap/Pirates played in the First Division.
But in many of these seasons, especially the first five, Laurens also played for the second team of the club.
Laurens van der Poel was known for his speed on the bases. as well as in the outfield, where he mostly played in centerfield.
He also reached base frequently via walks or hit batter.
But he also was known for his batting stance.
Being a righthanded hitter, he 'pumped' or 'flapped' his right arm, just before being ready to hit to keep his elbow up, similar to the signature move o Major League-player Joe Morgan of Cincinnati Reds.
In the 1975 season, Van der Poel stole eleven bases and was one of the leaders of the team in this category, following Hans Jansen de Vries (20), José Faneyte (14) and Herman Wijnands (12).
Amongst his teammates in his seasons through 1978 in the main-team were André van Beest, Jan van Beest, Chester Berkel, Mario Berkel, Bert van der Brande, Rob van Buuren, Frank Coppens, Maurice Cranston, Michael Davidson, Ernst Engbrenghof, Peter van Erk, José Faneyte, Tom Geestman, Wim Geestman Jr., Albert Husken, Han Husken, Jan Hijzelendoorn, Hans Jansen de Vries, Marcel Joost, Ton van Koeverden, Frank Koot, Kurt Lourens, Dave Luijdens, Franco Martis, Bas Rodermans, Erik Ronnenbergh, Erwin van Rooij, Harm Schildmeijer, Martin van der Steeg, Ronald Stoovelaar, Kees van Vegten, Sjaak Verbij, Marten Walsma, Jan van Wieringen and Herman Wijnands.
Amongst his teammates in the second team also were Engbrenghof, Koot, Luijdens, Van der Steeg, Van Vegten and Verbij, but also Tom van Es, Willem van Es, Martin Gupffert, Martin Meeder, Piet Meeder, Louis van der Putten, Jeroen Schuil, Nico Smith and Rolf Smith.
...The 1972 Rap Juniors-team with Laurens seated 2nd from right...
...Back: Wim Joost (coach), Martin Ronnenbergh, André van Beest,...
...Jan Hijzeledoorn, Michael Davidson and Sjaak Verbij...
...Seated: unknown, Harm Schildmeijer, Martin van der Steeg,...
...Laurens and Coen Stoovelaar (team manager)...
...Lying in front is Tom Geestman...
(© Photo: Archive Michael Davidson) |
In most of his seasons (through 1977), Max Rietbergen was the Head Coach of the main-squad.
The veteran coach was assisted by Wim Joost and Herman Koot through 1974 with Coen Stoovelaar as Team Manager.
Wim Kwekkeboom was the Team Manager/Scorer in 1975-1977.
After the 1977 season, several players left.
José Faneyte and Franco Martis went on to play for Sparks in Haarlem, where Rietbergen became the new Head Coach and Kwekkeboom as Team Manager/Scorer.
The second team was coached in several seasons by Nico Meijers with first Herman Spilker, Jr. and then Marco Stoovelaar as scorer.
In 1978, the Pirates main-team was coached by Jim Strong, but the team relegated to the Second Division.
During that season, Laurens was amongst the team-leaders in walks with Kees van Vegten.
After the 1978 season, Laurens van der Poel also transfered to Sparks.
For tre record, back then, the city's name was yet added to the club's name.
It was also in these years, that the weekly magazine of Pirates featured its own baseball-cartoon-series.
In 1977, Kees van Vegten and Marco Stoovelaar had become the editors and the latter made the cartoon.
Many characters were based on real members of the club.
In those years, Laurens sported a characteristic, small beard, more in the form of a goatee, which by the way was popular with several (Major League-)players.
So, in the cartoon, Laurens was given a hood instead of a cap and a new character was born: Laurens Musketeer.
In 1979, Ruud Koene became the new Head Coach of the main-team of Amsterdam Pirates, assited by Nico Meijers, while Coen Stoovelaar returned as Team Manager.
Marco Stoovelaar had become the Team Scorer in 1978.
Pirates promoted back to the First Division in 1980, then to the Major League in 1981.
After the 1981 season, Laurens van der Poel returned from Sparks to Pirates.
In 1982, as one of the outfielders, he was part of the Pirates-team that then played in its first big league-season with the same coaches and supporting staff as in the previous three seasons.
The other players then, in that historic season for the club, were André van Beest, André Boddendijk, Tonny Cohen, Peter van Erk, Han Husken, Marco Loevendie, John Ludenhoff, Edsel Martis, Franco Martis, Peter Meijers, Alex Nansink, Bas Rodermans, Ronald Stoovelaar, Marten Walsma, Jan van Wieringen and Americans Leo Kalinowski and Paul Stockley.
In 1982, Laurens van der Poel played in 13 big league-games and was the lone regular player in the Pirates-team, who not committed an error.
...The 1973 Juveniles/Under-12/Bleesing-team of Rap that captured the...
...Netherlands Championship-title with coaches Laurens van der Poel...
...(standing behind, left) and Kees van Vegten (standing behind, right)...
...Players seated include Alfred Coppens (left), Steven van der Poel...
...(3rd from left), Ronald Stoovelaar (3rd from right), Franklin Richardson...
...(right) and standing Han Husken (3rd from left) and Marcel Joost...
...(4th from left); Standing right is scorer Marco Stoovelaar...
(© Photo: Archive Marco Stoovelaar) |
Since his return at Pirates, Laurens also went on to play again in the second team.
In 1982, this team was coached by his father Wim, while his mother Tiny was the scorer and his brother Steven was a teammate.
Another teammate was Martin van der Steeg, who became the coach of the team in 1983.
From that season on, Laurens only played in the second team through 1984.
Other players in 1982, 1983 and 1984 in the second team included Alfred Coppens, Frank Gupffert, Randell Hannah, Jeroen Hessels, Frans van Huffel, Han Husken, Marco Loevendie, Franco Martis, Martin Meeder, Peter Meijers, Jan Pluis, Erwin van Rooij, Ronald van Rooij, Anthony St. Aubyn, Jeroen Schuil and Jan van Wieringen.
Van der Poel remained a valuable hitter, reached base frequently and kept his speed.
In the 1983 season, he was one of six players in the team, who batted .300 or higher and he led in stolen bases (21) and runs scored (34).
In the 1984 season, Van der Poel assisted Van der Steeg as coach and also was the team's best hitter with a .500 average.
After the 1984 season, the entire team transfered to De Boekaniers (nicknamed Bucs), a new club that was created by Amsterdam Pirates as a future farm-team to enable young and talented players to play at a good level to prepare them for the main-team in the big league.
Laurens van der Poel played for this new team through 1987, while also assisting Head Coach Martin van der Steeg in 1985 and 1986.
Jan van Wierringen assisted him in 1987
From 1985 on, Boekaniers experienced several successful seasons, capturing four consecutive titles and promoting from the highest division in the Amsterdam-region to the national First Division, the second highest league.
Most of the players from the second Pirates-team of 1984 kept on playing for Boekaniers, including Coppens, Gupffert, Hannah, Hessels, Van Huffel, the Husken-brothers, Loevendie, the Van Rooij-brothers, St. Aubyn and the Van der Poel-brothers.
But also André van Beest, Dennis and Rob van den Eeckhout, Peter Herkemij, Dennis van Houten, John Loogman, Gerson Mesman, Jacco Mossel, Maarten Pluis, Han Strackke and American Duane James played for Boekaniers since 1985.
During the 1988 season, both Laurens van der Poel and Martin van der Steeg appeared in one game, before retiring after the season.
From 1985 through 1988, Joyce Hannah had been the Team Scorer and Hein Breek was the Team Manager.
In 1989, Louis Hofer became the new Head Coach of the Bucs.
...Several former HVA/Rap/Pirates-players came together for a reunion on...
...Sunday, January 5 of this year in the clubhouse of Amsterdam Pirates...
...during the annual Loek Loevendie Indoor Youth Tournament...
...Back: Martin van der Steeg, Martin Gupffert, Jeroen Hessels,...
...Kees van Vegten, Ronald Stoovelaar, Martin Meeder, Sjaak Verbij and...
...Marco Stoovelaar; Seated: Michael Davidson, Laurens van der Poel,...
...Hans Jansen de Vries and Randell Hannah...
(© Photo: Lindsay Pein (Amsterdam Pirates)) |
In the seventies, Laurens also was active for some seasons at Rap/Pirates as a youth-coach, sharing his knowledge and giving advice to young players.
In several of these seasons, he was a coach, alongside Kees van Vegten, of the club's main juvenile-team (Under-12, then called Bleesing).
They led this team to many titles, including National Championships.
One of his players was his younger brother Steven, who later also went on to coach some youth-teams in the eighties.
After he had concluded his playing career in 1988, Laurens was not active anymore, but he always has remained interested in baseball and Amsterdam Pirates.
Laurens, who was a school-teacher and later school-director, regularly visited games.
Especially when he picked up his parents and then his mother from home in recent years and took her to the field to visit games or attend club-activities.
Laurens frequently did the same when they attended get-togethers or meetings of Alumni-Club De Kievten.
Most recently, in early January, Laurens attended a reunion of HVA/Rap/Pirates-players from the late sixties/early seventies.
Former player Michael Davidson had taken the initiative to form an app-group late last year and to come together in the near future.
A spontaneous reunion followed during the annual Loek Loevendie Inddoor Youth Tourmament in the first weekend of January at the site of Amsterdam Pirates.
On that day, for some, it was a longtime no-see and several stories from the past were shared.
Laurens had a characteristic voice, as has his brother Steven, which they clearly inherited from their father.
Laurens was a family-man, which he underscored in the way he addressed the attendees during the memorial services of his parents.
He was a clearly involved person in his family, but also always was interested in others, frequently offering a helping hand when needed.
His sympathetic personality, smile and involvement will be missed by many.
The webmaster of Grand Slam * Stats & News offers his condolences to Laurens' wife Linda, daughters Tessa and Kim, son Erwin, sons-in-law Marcel and Bas, daughter-in-law Natasha, grandchildren, his brother Steven and his wife Fabienne, other family and friends and wishes them a lot of strength with this huge loss.
(March 16)
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