2005 Inductees

Carl Best

Carl began playing ball at Waterville School and it was obvious from the beginning that he had a special talent for pitching.

After the Second World War, softball developed in popularity. A league began in Waterville and eventually spread to include the whole Valley. The Waterville teams played an exciting brand of ball, with talent at every position. There were often over a thousand fans in attendance to enjoy the excitement.

Carl helped to organize his first team, the Waterville Farmers, in 1946. When Carl pitched twenty-seven innings in twenty-four hours for the Waterville Farmers against the Greenwood Flyers, in 1950, the newspaper account of the day referred to him as the best softball pitcher "ever" in the Valley.

The Farmers evolved into the Waterville 7-Ups and later the Waterville Mohawks. In 1956 the Mohawks played against Sydney for the Nova Scotia Championship. Carl, with his famous riseball, threw a brilliant two-hitter in the deciding game, but he saved his best for the Nova Scotia - Prince Edward Island Championship against RCAF Prince Edward Island. Carl threw a no-hitter and also scored the winning run, in effect winning his own game.

In 1958 the Mohawks kept their name but moved to Aylesford. Carl continued to star. In a series against Westville, he was the winning pitcher in both games and, again, he shone at the plate as well, hitting three times in the championship game. The paper of the day described his being carried off the field in glorified fashion by team mates and fans.

Carl moved to the Cambridge Red & Whites in 1964 and won another Nova Scotia Championship. He was once again brilliant as he put Sydney away with a four-hit performance in the championship game.

On the rare occasions when Carl's team was beaten out, he was held in such high respect that he was always picked up by the winning team to help them continue in their quest for the title. In 1963, he was recruited by the Berwick Allstars in their victorious campaign against his old team, the Aylesford Mohawks.

Carl is a very humble man who gives a lot of the credit for his successes to the teammates that he felt privileged to play with over the years.

After his playing career, he went on to manage with longtime friend and coach Dr. Ron Thorpe.

At age fifty-three, Carl returned to the Waterville Mohawks to experience the thrill of playing one game with his two sons.

Carl Best is a great competitor and gentleman who was respected by his opponents and loved by his teammates and fans.

Inducted June 2005