Adam Prudhomme
Editor
In the summer of 1980, the Napanee Mall Juniors and Verona Merchants squared off in a seven game fastpitch series that was for the ages.
To mark the 43rd anniversary of the epic series several players and coaches will be gathering at Napanee’s Shoeless Joe’s on Oct. 1, starting at 2 p.m. They’re inviting fans from that era to drop by as well and share in some memories.
Also on hand will be former players from the Odessa A’s, who won the OASA championship in 1976 and ’77, the Camden East Merchants, who won the Molson’s Major Fastball League in the late 80’s and the Kingston Wejay Machines, who won eight invitation tournaments in ’79.
Helping to organize the reunion is Rick Revelle, who along with Al Whitfield, coaches the Napanee Juniors to a thrilling 4-3 series win against Verona in 1980.
“Verona had never been beat in a playoff series ever in the Kingston district. We won four games in Verona, they won three here. The last game in Verona they had over 1,500 fans,” recalled Revelle. “It was probably one of the last great ball series in 1980 before people had other things to do. Verona Merchants were like the New York Yankees of the Kingston area. You couldn’t beat them.”
Napanee pulled off the feat however, winning all four games on the road in Verona, while the Merchants won all three in Napanee, which were played at the King Street ball diamond in front of large crowds.
Revelle recalled a strong dislike for their opponents on the field, but off the field they each had a deep respect for one another.
Originally the plan had been to hold a reunion to mark the 40th anniversary of the series, but that was postponed due to the pandemic. With former ace pitcher Peter Finn in town, it made for the perfect timing to reunite former players and encourage fans to stop by and relive some memories.