Coquitlam native Steve Kandborg experienced several highlights this summer competing in his first season with New York's Cooperstown Hawkeyes of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League.
He got to visit the National Baseball Hall of Fame "five or six times," got to play his home games at the famed Doubleday Field, and achieved a team-leading .328 batting average by season's end Tuesday.
But one day two weeks ago, the 18-year-old shortsthop got to do something he never, ever imagined. He got to meet Ozzie Smith.
The Wizard of Oz, as he was so aptly referred to during his Major League Baseball playing days with the St. Louis Cardinals, Smith was in town to help celebrate the Hall's annual induction ceremony. He simply thought he'd swing by the Hawkeyes' clubhouse along the way to pay a visit with the Hawkeyes' up-and-comers, which is where he greeted Kandborg, a former standout with his hometown Reds of the B.C. Premier League.
"I was kinda star struck," Steve admitted during a long-distance phone interview with The Tri-City News. "He's one of the nicest people I've ever met. We talked for maybe two or three minutes... we didn't talk baseball much, just regular stuff. It was pretty neat, all right."
Kandborg also got to meet another big-time, long-time former big-leaguer Howard Johnson, who played four for MLB teams, the longest being with the New York Mets, and saw strolling down the streets of Cooperstown others such as Pete Rose, Yogi Berra and Barry Larkin, one of this year's Hall inductees.
Toss that in with toiling at Doubleday Field, where many old-time ex-greats such as Babe Ruth once dug his spikes in the dirt, sent shivers up Kandborg's spine even though his 11-31 squad averaged only about 1,000 fans per game.
"It's sacred ground, for sure," was how the five-foot-11, 180-pound Kandborg described it. "It's kind of a weird experience... knowing Babe Ruth actually played their once and stuff. It was an unforgettable expereince, so much fun. Not many kids my age get that kind of opportunity, for sure."
Kandborg doubts however he'll be back in Cooperstown next season. His plans are to further his playing career, likely by joining the Iowa Lakes Community College Lakers in the reputable Northwoods League, and will come to a firm decision after returning home Wednesday.
