(Story by Marco Stoovelaar; Photos by Inside Magazine, S.H.E.L.L. & Marco Stoovelaar)
IN MEMORIAM
...Wim Joost...
(1931 - 2023)
(© Photo: Inside Magazine) |
 Former softball- and baseball-coach Wim Joost passed away
Nederlands
 AMSTERDAM (Neth.) -
Wim Joost, who was the Head Coach of three teams in the women's softball big league in seven seasons, passed away on Wednesday, December 20 at age 92.
He led the teams of De Pinguïns, S.H.E.L.L. and Bloemendaal in the highest level.
Wim Joost also coached the softball-team of Amsterdam Pirates, where he also has been a baseball-coach.
Besides that, Wim has been a longtime contributor to the Haarlem Baseball Week.
The memorial service has taken place in private.
Willem Hendrik (Wim) Joost was born on September 12, 1931 in Amsterdam, where he has lived his entire life.
There, he starts playing soccer at D.W.S. and then becomes closely involved in baseball and softball.
Towards the end of the sixties, his son Marcel and daughter Monique went on to play baseball and softball at Rap in youth-teams.
From that moment on, Wim immediately became interested in coaching.
He would coach for more than twenty years, most of them in softball.
Wim's wife Jopie also would softball and later coaches youth-teams of Rap, which changed its name to Pirates in 1974.
In 1969, veteran baseball-coach Max Rietbergen became the new Head Coach of the baseball-team of Rap, which then played in the First Division.
Rietbergen is the grandfather of Martijn and Rikkert Faneyte, who both went on to play in the Dutch big league, the latter also played in the Major League for a few seasons.
Rietbergen's daughter Annechien played and coached many years for Rap/Pirates and still is active for the club.
Her husband José Faneyte also played for Rap after having played in the big league for Sparta and OVVO.
A year later, in 1970, Rietbergen got two Assistant Coaches, Wim Joost and Herman Koot, while Wim Geestman, Sr. instructed the pitchers.
The same year, Coen Stoovelaar became the Team Manager.
With that, Wim Joost, Herman Koot and Coen Stoovelaar were re-united in one team.
The three had played soccer together from the youth-teams through the main-squad of D.W.S, which was one of the major soccer-clubs back then in Amsterdam and also was successful at the national level.
Later and before joining Rap, Coen Stoovelaar had played baseball and soccer at S.H.E.L.L, whose soccer-section was named Nautilus.
Like the Joost-family, the Koot-family and Stoovelaar-family had joined Rap at the end of the sixties.
The children of these three families grew up together and all went on to become active in baseball and softball, including the Dutch big league.
Marcel Joost made his debut in the main-squad of Amsterdam Pirates in 1978, then played more than 20 seasons in the big league from 1979 on for Haarlem Nicols and Kinheim.
Marcel, who also coached for Kinheim, also played for many years in the Netherlands National Baseball Team.
He became the first player with 1,000 career basehits and for a long time, he was the All-Time Basehit-leader and also has been the leader in games played.
Monique Joost first played in youth-teams of Pirates, before making her big league-debut at S.H.E.L.L..
Thereafter, she concluded her career at Pirates.
Monique also played in the Netherlands Juniors Team.
Through the years, Wim and Jopie of course were frequent visitors of their games.
The Koot- and Stoovelaar-children also have long careers in baseball or softball.
After having played for Pirates, Frank Koot went on to play in the ig league for De Spartaan, Giants Diemen, Amstel Tijgers and Haarlem Nicols, before returning to Pirates.
He also coached at the big league-level and is still active for Onze Gezellen.
Petra Koot also first played for Pirates, then played some seasons for De Meteoor.
Thereafter, she played in the big league for HCAW and Kinheim.
Currently, Petra is still very active for Kinheim.
Ronald Stoovelaar played his entire 19-year (big league) career for Pirates, where he also coached in the highest league.
He currently is the Head Coach of the second team of Hoofddorp Pioniers in the First Division.
Marco Stoovelaar (the author of this In Memoriam and webmaster of this site) was the Team Scorer of the Pirates baseball-team for 17 seasons, as well as doing other (scoring-)activities for the club for whom he is still active.
In 2024, he will begin his 48th big league-season as Official Scorer, a record he shares with Ben Goorts and Feiko Drost.
In an interview with Marco Stoovelaar in 2000 for Leesvoer, the daily magazine of the Haarlem Baseball Week, Marcel looked back to the start of his career and the role in that of his father.
,,My father read an advertisement in the newspaper that children were wanted at Pirates, which was called Rap at the time'', Marcel said.
,,We went there, threw a ball, hit something with Uncle Loek and I stayed there.
Together with Ronald Stoovelaar and Frank Koot.
The nice thing about that also was that our fathers once played soccer together.
Haitze de Vries also belonged to that group.''
...The softball-team of S.H.E.L.L. in 1978 with Wim Joost (back, 2nd from left)...
...as Head Coach; daughter Monique stands in the middle (fourth from right)...
...Back row: Lida van der Horst, Wim Joost, Saskia Aussen, Hilde Foks,...
...Monique Joost, Karin Bionda, Gerjo Fernhout and Rinie Scheele (asst.coach)...
...Front row: Boukje Kalf, José Heyman, Linda Pijsterman, Anja Kraak,...
...Joanne Schüler and Joke Huiting (later Scheele)...
(© Photo: Team-photo S.H.E.L.L.) |
Like their fathers, Marcel Joost, Frank Koot and Ronald Stoovelaar grew up together and were teammates in youth-teams.
Other teammates included Haitze de Vries, Peter van Erk and.Ton van Koeverden.
They all also played together in the main-squad of Pirates in 1978 when the team played in the First Division.
Thereafter, Joost, Koot and De Vries went on to play elsewhere.
Joost, Koot, Stoovelaar and De Vries also were teammates in the Netherlands Baseball Team.
Later, Koot re-joined Pirates when it played in the highest league.
As mentioned, became Wim Joost was one of the Assistant Coaches of Max Rietbergen in 1970, as did Herman Koot.
They would form the coaching-staff of the Pirates-team through 1974 with Coen Stoovelaar as Team Manager.
In the meantime and also in following years, Joost, Koot and Stoovelaar coached several youth-teams as Rap, which changed its name to Pirates in 1974.
As youth-coaches, the they led several of their teams to local Championship-, as well as National titles.
Stoovelaar also continued to be Team Manager of the Pirates baseball-team for some twenty years.
Koot later became active for De Spartaan, both as a coach and Team Manager.
Amongst the players of Rap in these seasons were André van Beest, Chester Berkel, Mario Berkel, Maurice Cranston, Michael Davidson, Albert Driessen, José Faneyte, Tom Geestman, Wim Geestman jr., Tom Helmers, Hans Jansen de Vries, Harold Leslie, Kurt Lourens, Terry McIntosh, Louis van der Putten, Jan Visser, Marten Walsma and Herman Wijnands.
Oh, for-the-record, Marcel Joost, Ronald and Marco Stoovelaar were the bat-boys of the team in those seasons and Wim Kwekkeboom later joined as Team Scorer.
In these years, Rap played in the First Division and each season, the team was a contender for first place and thus promotion to the highest league.
Rap finished in second place twice.
In the seventies, Wim Joost also is a member of the youth-committee of Rap/Pirates with Dolf Davidson, Loek Loevendie, Wim van der Poel, Coen Stoovelaar and Kees van Vegten.
All of them also are active in youth-baseball in Rayon Amsterdam.
Joost, Davidson, Loevendie and Van der Poel are members of the youth-committee of Rayon Amsterdam in 1971, together with Miel van Heuven, Joke Lammen and Benno Niemeijer.
Stoovelaar is a member of this committee in 1974, when he also is a member of the Rayon-board.
From 1976 through 1980, Wim Joost is the coach of the junior baseball-team of Rayon Amsterdam.
In those years, Van Vegten coaches the little league baseball-team of Amsterdam.
By the way, in 1979 and 1980, Wim's wife Jopie is the coach of the Amsterdam junior softball-team.
Although Wim remained active as youth-coach for baseball at Pirates after 1974, he also turned to coaching softball.
He already had become active in softball at Rap, coaching youth-teams in which his daughter Monique played.
Besides that, Wim also had assisted during practice-sessions of the main softball-team.
In the 1974 season, the Pirates-team played at the regional (rayon) level and had no permanent coach.
During the season, Johnny Gutierrez, Rob Filipiak, Kees van Vegten, Ed Staller and Wim van der Poel all acted as coach.
...The softball-team of S.H.E.L.L. in 1980 with Wim Joost (back, right)...
...as Head Coach; daughter Monique stands second from left)...
...Back row: Rinie Scheele (asst. coach), Monique Joost,...
...Saskia Aussen, Elly Prent, Gerjo Fernhout, Lida van der Horst,...
...Hilde Foks, José Heyman, Wim Joost...
...Front row: Joke Scheele, Joanne Schüler, Anja Kraak,...
...Boukje Kalf and Jur Foks (asst. coach)...
(© Photo: Team-photo S.H.E.L.L.) |
Halfway April 1975, Wim Joost becomes the coach of Heemstede-based De Pinguïns, which had relegated from the highest league in 1973.
The initial coach had to return to Curaçao unexpectedly one week before the start of the season.
Cheila Jones and her sister Nen Jones had come over to the club after having played for Pirates the year before.
They knew Joost from his activities at the Amsterdam-club and so, he took over as coach.
Playing in the First Division in 1975, De Pinguïns is one of the two favorites for a promotion to the big league, as is Kinheim.
De Pinguïns and Kinheim play two close games against each other in the 1975 season.
Halfway May, Kinheim nips Pinguïns 10-9, three months later, Kinheim wins 11-9.
However, in the postseason, Kinheim is left empty-handed and De Pinguïns promotes to the big league.
At the end of the season, Kinheim finishes in first place, well ahead of De Pinguïns.
With that, both qualify for the series of games against the two best teams from the B-Pool of the First Division to decide promotion to the highest league.
De Pinguïns eliminated B-Pool champion De Zuidvogels.
A-Pool champion Kinheim was eliminated surprisingly by HCAW, which had finished in second place.
A week later, De Pinguïns faced HCAW, won 6-2 and 4-3 and promoted to the big league.
And so, Wim Joost immediately was successful in his first season as softball-coach.
Besides the sisters Cheila Jones and Nen Jones, other players for De Pinguïns included Toos van de Akker, Tinie Box, Els Huizing, Heleen Leepel, Els Martens, Anneke Smit, Anitra Vooys, Paula Weygers and Inge de Wilde.
Kinheim was coached that season by Matthy Möllmann.
Players for Kinheim included Immy Bruinier, Hansje Horsmeier, Karin Kort, Marit Kreischer, Ingrid Ruseler, Corrie Vermeulen, Tineke de Vries, Yvonne de Vries and Anke van Wezel.
In 1976, De Pinguïns made its comeback in the highest league, but was less successful.
Most players of a year before returned to the team.
However, it became a tough season, also due to some injuries.
De Pinguïns won only four of its 28 games, finished in last place and relegated.
After the season, Wim Joost stepped down as coach.
Looking back a few years later in an article in Inside, written by Dries de Zwaan, Joost stated that some players had an attitude that was too recreational.
In the same article, Joost said:
,,Losing a game is not a bad thing, but then the opponent must be stronger''.
It is clear that Joost expects from his players to give him their best.
In 1977, Wim Joost takes over the coaching from Rob Kruyk at the women's softball-team of Amsterdam Pirates, which plays in the Second Division.
Kruyk (who had coached at S.H.E.L.L. in 1967-1975) had led the Pirates-team in 1976, but he temporarily moved to the Boston-area in the USA for his work.
Kruyk would return to Pirates some years later.
In 1977, Joost leads the team to the Championship-title, which means to promotion to the First Division.
Amongst the Pirates-players were Laura van Ede, Annechien Faneyte, Pauline Hondius, Sylvia Houtstra, Hennie ter Schegget, Annelies Smith and Ietje Walsma.
...As Head Coach of Amsterdam Pirates in 1986,...
...Wim Joost (#20) has a talk with his players...
...Left to right: Irma van Erk, Judith van Erk, Monique Joost,...
...Marie-Susan de Lint, Dré Hoogeveen and Marina Braam...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
After the 1977 season has ended, Wim Joost becomes the new Head Coach of the big league-team of S.H.E.L.L., where he would be active in five seasons, the first four (1978-1981) as Head Coach.
His daughter Monique also transfered to S.H.E.L.L., which in 1977 had secured its spot in the highest league late in the season (early September).
The successor of Joost at Pirates is another former big league-coach, Hans Janssen, who in the previous four seasons had been the successful coach of DSS.
In his last two seasons (1976-1977), he led the Haarlem-based team to the Dutch Championship-title.
This was Janssen's first of three different stints as Head Coach of the Pirates softball-team.
S.H.E.L.L. was written as five individual capital letters, as it was an abbreviation, but as mentioned earlier, this also was the name of the baseball- and softball-section of Shell, which was located in Amsterdam-North.
Initially, only employees of the company could play in one of its sports-section.
In later years, persons from outside the company also could play for the club.
By the way, the abbreviation S.H.E.L.L. stood for Sport Keeps Every Body Flexible (Sport Houdt Elk Lichaam Lenig).
Wim Joost was assisted by Jur Foks (1980), Rik Boers (since 1981) and Rinie Scheele.
The latter would become a longtime softball-coach at different teams and also would be involved in men-softball at S.H.E.L.L. and also the National Men's Team.
Rinie married S.H.E.L.L.-player Joke Huiting.
Their daughter Kirsten Scheele would have a long softball-career, pitching in the big league for Terrasvogels and Sparks Haarlem, while playing in the Netherlands Team for many years.
From the seventies on, Peter Schüler also coached at S.H.E.L.L., but in the Joost-years, he was the Team Manager and also handled the public relations.
Schüler married S.H.E.L.L.-infielder Joanne Christiano, one of the first American softball-players in the Netherlands.
Her brother Rudy Christiano was the Team Scorer.
Like Rinie Scheele, Peter Schüler also would become very involved in men-softball and for several years, he was the Head Coach of the National Men's Team.
Wim Geestman, Sr. assisted during practice-sessions as a hitting instructor, while Hans Kalf (in 1978-1980) and Rinie Scheele (in 1981 and 1982) were Physiotherapist.
When Wim first coached S.H.E.L.L. in 1978, there were three National Team-players in his team.
Pitcher Hilde Foks played in the Netherlands Team, while Saskia Aussen and Monique Joost played in the Netherlands Juniors Team.
Hilde Foks was the sixth best hitter in the league, Lida van der Horst was eighth best.
The team finishes in fifth place, winning nine of its 28 games.
In the next season, the team wins eleven games, but finishes in sixth place.
1980 is a tough season, but secures its stay in the highest league.
The team wins eight of its 28 games and ends in seventh place, only two points (one win) ahead of HCAW, which relegates.
This time, Hilde Foks is the fifth best hitter in the league.
In Wim's fourth and last season as Head Coach (1981), S.H.E.L.L. finishes in sixth place, winning eleven games.
In this season, Monique Joost is the team's leading hitter with a .338 batting average, which is the third highest average in the league, behind Gerjanne Treuren (Terrasvogels) and Elly Nijhuis (H.H.C.).
Anja Kraak hits the most doubles in the big league with three, sharing the lead with seven other players.
...Wim has a talk with Herman Koot during the 60th anniversary...
...of Amsterdam Pirates in February 2019...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
In 1982, Rik Boers takes over as Head Coach of S.H.E.L.L., but Wim Joost stays on as Assistant Coach, together with Rinie Scheele.
Again, the team has a tough season and this time, relegation cannot be avoided.
The team wins only two of its 28 games and finishes in eighth and last place.
In following seasons, the already mentioned Ben Goorts became the Team Scorer, succeeding Rudy Christiano.
Playing for S.H.E.L.L. in all five seasons in which Wim Joost was coach were Lida van der Horst, Joke Scheele (Huiting), Monique Joost, Anja Kraak and Joanne Schüler.
Playing in four of these seasons were Marjo Boers, Hilde Foks and José Heyman, while Saskia Aussen, Boukje Kalf and Ellen Volkers played in three seasons.
Other players included Karin Bionda, Marina Braam, Gerjo Fernhout, Tineke Oranje, Elly Prent, Linda Pijsterman, Ellen Starink, Marjon Urbanus, Nicoline van der Valk and Irma de Vries.
After not being active in 1983 and 1984, Wim Joost is the Head Coach of the softball-team of Amsterdam Pirates, which then plays in the First Division.
This time, Joost was the successor of Hans Janssen, who ended his second 2-year stint as Head Coach of the team.
Janssen had succeeded Rob Kruyk after he had returned from the USA in 1981.
Wim leads the Pirates-team in two seasons.
In 1985, the team finishes in third place with a 18-10 record, only six points (three wins) behind champion DSC '74 and four behind Onze Gezellen.
In 1986, Pirates comes very close to promoting to the highest league, which expands to ten teams in 1987.
With that, not only the champions of the two First Division Pools promote.
Pirates is 25-10 and finishes in second place behind E.D.O. to qualify for a play-off series against A.D.O. (second place in the A-Pool of the First Division) and Kinheim (last place big league).
That results in a tie and another had to be played.
ADO wins that series to promote, meaning Pirates stays in the First Division.
After the 1986 season, Wim steps down due to busy working commitment.
He is succeeded as Head Coach by Fred Pasman.
Amongst the players in the Pirates-team in these two seasons were Alice Degens, Laura van Ede, Irma van Erk, Judith van Erk, Monique Geel, Katja de Groot, Yolande Honig, Dré Hoogeveen and Carla van Wissen.
Other players in 1985 included Mirjam Sluijters and Ietje Walsma.
In 1986, Wim's daughter Monique also played for Pirates after having transfered from S.H.E.L.L.
Other players in 1986 were Marina Braam (who also came from S.H.E.L.L.), Marie-Susan de Lint and Sheritsa Stroop, the mother of future Major Leaguer Didi Gregorius.
From this group, Judith van Erk played in the Netherlands Softball Team in 1986, while Katja de Groot played in the Netherlands Juniors-squad.
After his two seasons at Pirates, Wim Joost doesn't coach for two years.
But in 1989, he returns in the coaching box when he leads the big league softball-team of Bloemendaal.
There, he is the successor of Ton Hendriks, who had taken over the coaching during the previous season.
He now wanted to focus more on the Netherlands Softball Team, where he was the Pitchng Coach.
Joost is assisted by Pablo Mayerhofen and the team finishes with a 20-25 record, sharing fifth place with Schiedam.
...Wim Joost and Coen Stoovelaar during the...
...Haarlem Baseball Week in 2000...
...In a period of eleven years (six tournaments), they...
...took care of the catering and drinks for the teams,...
...game-officials, announcers, scouts and media...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
Amongst the players that season in the Bloemendaal-team were Jacqueline Bakker, Jacqueline van Berloo, Nita Brouwer, Meike Dell, Monique Fris, Agnes van den Heuvel, Olette van den Heuvel, Cynthia Pieneman, Joke Scheele, Chandra Rampersad and Carolien Smit.
From this group, Bakker and Smit played in the Netherlands Softball Team in 1989, while (former international) Fris leads the big league in walks.
After having coached the Bloemendaal-team, Wim Joost retired from coaching.
A few years later, Wim became one of the many (volunteer) contributors of the biennial Haarlem Baseball Week.
In 1994 and 1996, he was one of the drivers of the mini-van for the shuttle service that transported spectators from the parking-lot to the Pim Mulier Stadium.
Wim also was one of the shuttle service-drivers during the 1995 European Championship when the event was held in Haarlem.
As the Organizing Committee was the same as during the Haarlem Baseball Week, most volunteers of that tournament also were active during this EC.
From 1996 through 2006 (six tournaments are played in that span), Wim formed a well-recognizable duo with Coen Stoovelaar, who handled the catering (drinks) for the teams, umpires, as well as for the official scorers, public address announcers, scoreboard operators and the media-representatives.
They looked after the umpires before and after the game in their clubhouse/locker-room and made sure they also got drinks during a game on hot days.
And they provided the teams with drinks in the dug-outs.
During the game, they also served drinks to the others, who were all located at the press-stands, located behind home plate.
At the field-level behind home plate, the duo also took care of the scouts, who were seated there.
Wim and Coen were always busy during a day, as they always walked together through the stadium, carrying drinks (or food) and talked with everyone.
Because of this, Wim and Coen were nicknamed Knabbel and Babbel, which are the Dutch names of the cartoon-characters Chip & Dale.
In the last ten years or so, Wim Joost sparsely visited a baseball- or softball-game.
Instead, he enjoyed being at home with his wife Jopie, living in the Jordaan-neighborhood where he had grown up and always had lived, and visiting the nearby market.
In February 2019, Wim and Jopie attended the 60th anniversary celebration of Amsterdam Pirates.
Throughout his life, Wim retained that real characteristic Amsterdam-humor and always had a brought smile on his face with twinkling eyes.
The webmaster of Grand Slam * Stats & News offers his condolences to Wim's wife Jopie, son Marcel, daughter Monique, grandchildren, other family and friends and wishes them a lot of strength with this big loss.
(January 5)
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