Andrew Albers, coming off the Minnesota Twins pitching mound recently, was touched by his welcome home Saturday night.
"I'm supposed to come up here and find a way to say thank you to everyone here tonight," he told a crowd gathered at the Alex Dillabough Centre in Battleford. "I don't know if it's going to be possible."
Albers was the guest of honour at a banquet organized by the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. It was an evening of toasts and good things said about the young baseball star. But he turned it around, saying the real heroes were his family, his friends, his coaches, his fellow players and his community.
"It's such an incredible feeling to come back home and to have this kind of supper," said Albers.
He had a special thank you for Jane Shury, president and CEO of the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
"Thank you so much for preserving the history of this game for us here in the Battlefords."
The museum, he said, is "truly amazing."
To his parents, Denise and Bernie Albers, he said, "I didn't get here without you guys."
He thanked his mom for instilling the faith that got him through some hard time, such as his time in San Diego, where he underwent Tommy John surgery, and didn't know if he would be able to throw a baseball again.
To his father, he said, "Dad, I don't know how many times I sprained your thumb in the backyard," referring to the hours they spent practising.
"You're always there for me, growing up, having coached me my entire career in the Battlefords. And it wasn't just you being my coach, being my role model."
Albers has two sisters. Christine was able to be at the banquet, although his sister Pamela was not. He thanked them both.
"You guys have been there through it all as well … you were there for a lot of ups and downs, and never doubted. You guys always believed in me."
Albers said getting the chance to play in Minnesota this year and having messages of congratulations and good luck was overwhelming.
"It touches you in a way that's so difficult to describe."
That people from his home community went down to see him play meant a great deal to him, he said.
"To have people willing to drive that far to come and watch you play, and come and support you, it's an incredible feeling, and it helps put you at ease."
He also thanked the speakers at the banquet, all coaches, fellow players or teachers, for the impact they made on his life.
"To have that many people say so many great things about you, it's really humbling."
Albers doesn't know yet what he'll be doing next season. Perhaps he will be with the Minnesota Twins again.
For now, he's just happy to be home. Fellow players from his college baseball career were often surprised that he wanted to go home in the off season, he said.
"North Battleford was a tremendous community for me growing up. I couldn't ask to be raised in a better place."
He said, "You never know where life will take you, but for me, I've learned that if you continue to persevere, and continue to work hard, good things will happen."
Kevin Schwing, assistant baseball coach of junior development baseball team coached by Bernie Albers, at a time when both their sons were 10 years old:
"It became quickly apparent that Andrew had exceptional skills and would excel at the sport. He was a natural at any position, and was exceptional at pitching."
David George coached Andrew Albers in hockey and, along with Bernie Albers, in baseball:
"It was five or six years of just absolutely great baseball. It was amazing, the growth of these guys, and it was precipitated because of the hard work that Bernie put into it, and the kids followed his lead. What's this game about? What's any game about? Putting hard work into it and being the best you can be, the dedication and all the rest of it."
"[Andrew's] work ethic was impeccable, and it was from day one. Andrew came out and worked his bum off. And that's all we asked of the kids, because you will get better by working hard. For most kids it was work, but for Andrew it was fun. Working hard was just fun ... he wanted to do it."
"Bernie had as much drive as anybody I ever played with. It was amazing. He worked hard at everything he did, too. Andrew aspired to that and I believe that's where his work ethic came from."
"I don't recall a game when Denise, Christine and Pam weren't there. I call them the Three Musketeers."
Danny Wilgenbusch, coach of the Wilkie team that played against Andrew Albers' team, also "Danny" of Danny and the Dusters who entertained the crowd following Saturday evening's program:
"I remember coming up and playing North Battleford, and I knew he was a special guy then. He was about 10 years old. He was on the mound, he was pitching, probably psyching everybody out. And he looked up at his centre-fielder ... stepped off the mound and said, 'You know what? Tuck in your shirt and look like a ball player.' And I thought 'Wow!'"
"He's a great ball player but he's a really special human being and I think that's a testament to who he is."
Chance Rogers, teammate of Andrew Albers on the North Battleford Beavers for about eight years:
"I was the lucky guy who got to catch his pitches a lot of the time. I learned a lot about him by catching [for] him ... His work ethic is something we rarely see anymore."
"Honestly, I'm kinda waiting for Disney to show up!"
Former teammate Ryan Shepherd, who grew up with Andrew Albers from Bantam on:
"The majority of our success all those years as a team was mostly because of Andrew and his skill and talent. Besides Andrew's talents for the game, his continued love for baseball was something to be admired."
Rory Gregoire, former teammate who travelled to Minnesota to watch Andrew pitch:
"Pitching a complete game shutout in your second game made me speechless and brought tears to my eyes. I couldn't believe it and I was so proud. That's a night I'm never going to forget and I want to thank you for being the person and player that you are and for making all those memories for me."
Sheldon Revet, teacher at John Paul II Collegiate in North Battleford where Andrew Albers attended high school, and also taught as a substitute teacher.
"If there were any doubters recently, you proved them wrong. Whereas Nike says 'Just do it,' Andrew says 'Just watch me.'"
Murray Zakresky taught Andrew Albers high school chemistry and mathematics and coached his senior basketball team:
"Drew was just outstanding as a senior basketball player and I just loved coaching him. He was easy to coach, he learned things very quickly, he worked extremely hard and he was always a leader."
"[Drew] had such wonderful support from his family ... Bernie, you taught Drew a whole lot about basketball, a whole lot about sports in general, and a whole lot about life, and I think that's the most important part. Denise, you instilled the importance of relationships -- taught him to be respectful, kind and, really importantly, gentle."
Doug Sieben, Andrew Albers' high school volleyball coach:
"Looking at Drew now, it's easy to see why he was a great addition to JPII. Our sports teams obviously benefited from his athletic ability. He became starter at each sport he played at our school, which is rare for a Grade 8. Not only did he have great natural ability, but he hated to lose more than anybody I ever met."
Christine Tkachuk and her husband Jeff shared some family insight into the character of the man being honoured Saturday by the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Andrew Albers.
Andrew's sister Christine: We've always known Drew was destined to play ball, not just because my dad, uncles and grandpas loved, played and coached baseball, but because he showed an aptitude and love for the game at quite an early age. Thankfully he decided to be a pitcher because when he started out as a batter he was adamant that he should hold the bat upside down by the barrel. Granted, he was only two at the time, but we are very grateful the Twins haven't asked him to step up to the plate as of yet.
Growing up, Drew was always doing something sports related. If he wasn't throwing a ball around, he would put his ski pants on and practise his sliding in the living room. If he wasn't watching baseball with Dad on TV, he was playing baseball on the computer. If he wasn't playing cards, he was memorizing his baseball deck of cards and I guarantee to this day he could still tell you who is on the ace of spades. If he wasn't shooting hoops outside, he would be playing ping pong in the house. I think you catch the drift.
When he was six or seven, I remember he could never sit still at the supper table. He would take a bite from his plate, then get up and practise his throwing motion or his swing. Mom and Dad got so desperate to get him to just sit still for one meal that they tried to bribe him with money. A quarter just didn't quite cut it.
Jeff: When Drew reached high school he was ecstatic. He could play sports year round. There was a sport for every season. He played basketball and volleyball and baseball. His room was littered with all kinds of medals, plaques and trophies, but his dream was always to play ball.
Drew finally got his big TV break at the University of Kentucky, which was awesome because we could see his games on the Internet. The best part for me was when the announcers would discuss Drew, because they always tried to explain where he was from and pronounce his home province of "Saskatchewa-an."
It was also the first time I heard baseball phrases like "can of corn" to refer to a fly ball out. I guess you can tell I didn't grow up in much of a baseball family.
We were fortunate enough though to travel to Kentucky to see Drew pitch twice. His team, the Wildcats, always seemed to do well while we were there, which Christine attributed to her inspired cheering. One of the most memorable things for me was actually facing Iron Mike. You see they have this pitching machine in the Kentucky clubhouse for batters to practise their swings on. It throws about an 80 mile per hour fastball right down the middle … I thought I'd give it a try. Couldn't be that hard. So 30 swings later, I'd developed a blister on my left thumb, and I was three for 30. That is I managed to foul off the ball, I missed 28 clean! Again, not from a baseball family. But it did give me a whole new level of respect for the pros and people who do things like that and just how good they are.
Christine: As most of you have heard, Drew's career had its ups and downs. When he was finally able to get a contract with the Twins we were so happy for him. I personally was really happy because he was with my second favourite baseball team, but more important, the Twins colours were a lot nicer than the Padres' colours.
We have listened to almost every game Drew's played while in Fort Myers, Fla. and New Britain, Conn. When he started at the beginning of this year, we thought he would end up back in New Britain, but just before the season started he found out he was going to be moving up to triple A in Rochester, N.Y. We were thrilled. We could actually watch his games over the Internet now.
Toward the end of July, we were in Regina and Jeff asked me, just out of the blue, if we had our passports just in case we had to go down to the States and watch Drew. This was my first indication that there could be a chance Drew would get his big break.
On Aug. 2, we finally got the call from Drew. My sister (Pamela) was at the house at the time, so Drew got to tell the both of us together. It was the best phone call I've ever received. At the time I was concerned we couldn't go to his major league debut because we both had two-month-old babies and no passports for them. After talking to Drew during the emotional phone call, I hung up the phone and turned to Jeff and said, "I feel like I should go," and Jeff right away said, "I think you have to go." So we figured out logistics and my sister and I were able to join my mom and dad and go to his major league debut. What a surreal and unforgettable day. To see my brother walk onto the major league mound, his dream spot, was awesome. I was so focussed on the game, constantly praying, the first strike pitch, ground out, double play, c'mon Drew, strike three! it took me till the sixth inning to realize what was happening. I asked the Royals fan beside me who was marking a score card and I said, "There hasn't even been a runner in scoring position yet, has there?" And he told me at that point that Drew had pitched to the minimum number of batters so far. It hit me then just how well Drew was doing. At one point I even told my sister it didn't seem like a major league game, just another one of Drew's games. What an incredible night, and I'm so glad we there to share it with you, Drew.
The remarks by Christine and Jeff Tkachuk concluded with Christine saying:
Drew, we're proud of you because of who you are, not what you do. What we are is happy and excited that after all your hard work and diligence you got to prove yourself and live out your dream. No more "what ifs."
On behalf of my family, thank you everyone for your support and kind words throughout this amazing season. We are grateful and beyond touched.
Letters from a number of well-wishers arrived in time for the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum's Welcome Home Andrew Albers Banquet Saturday.
Among them was a letter from the premier of Saskatchewan, Brad Wall.
"You are a true source of inspiration to young athletes in our province epitomizing what can be done with dreams and resolute determination," the premier wrote. "As you take your place in the spotlight, you are being recognized for being a worthy ambassador, and for representing your home town, your province and Canada on the international stage."
The letter included a hand-written note from Wall saying he hoped they would be able to meet soon.
The crowd at the banquet also heard from a Connecticut family who hosted Albers during his time with the Torrington Twisters. They wished him well on his success and described him as a member of their family.
A letter also arrived from the Kentucky baseball program's head coach Gary Henderson, who coached Albers when he was a Kentucky Wildcat senior pitcher.
Henderson said Albers was a "fierce competitor" and his success was well deserved.
Congratulations for a great 2013 season also came from the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, Scott Crawford, director of operations. Albers was inducted into the Canadian hall of fame in June 2012 when his 2011 gold winning Pan-Am team was honoured.
Another letter of congratulations came from Rob Cherepuschak, director of personnel for the Regina Red Sox. Cherepuschak coached Albers with the 2001 and 2002 Saskatchewan under-17 selects teams, which competed in the Baseball Canada Cup.
Another letter came from Saskatchewan born Terry Puhl, a Canadian hall of famer who retired from the major leagues in 1991. He is now the head coach of the University of Houston-Victoria Jaguars in Texas.
Puhl wrote, "Your hard work and determination has given you and your family a glimpse of the big leagues. Your initial success was fun to watch and be a small part of. Anyone who lives or ever lived in Saskatchewan partners with you every time you take the mound. We're with you when you win and when you lose; it makes no difference to us. You've done Saskatchewan proud. See you next year in Houston. If so, we're going fishing.
Jane Shury, CEO and president of the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum says ,"We are making history."
In her welcome address at a banquet being held to honour major league baseball player Andrew Albers, who grew up in North Battleford, Shury said the event was a celebration.
"Our young man Andrew here is from the Battlefords," she said. "We should be very proud of that, and we are, and we want to celebrate. That is why we decided to do this especially for Andrew."
The Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, she said, has an important purpose. She said the museum is a record of Saskatchewan's rich baseball history made available for people to come and see, a place to do research and preserve artifacts.
The organization also honours those who contribute, she said, and that was the reason behind the night's event.
The Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is run by volunteers and many of those were helping out at the banquet and the autograph session held earlier.
The Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum was organized in 1983. Annual inductions have been held each year since 1985, honouring those who have contributed to Saskatchewan's baseball history. Next year will be the 30th annual induction ceremonies.
The museum is located at 292 - 22nd St. W. in Battleford. Battleford was the home for the very first recorded baseball game in the history of Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, which was played on the grounds of the Battleford National Historic Site on May 31, 1879.
The Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is a non-profit association supported by volunteers.
