The world of local fastball is not quite the same in the summer of 2024.

This past winter, all those involved with the sport were saddened to learn of the passing of Howard "Ike" MacDonald, the native of St Croix (Nova Scotia) who came to prominence as a manager and organizer in Sudbury and area - and across the north, truth be told.

Few have been impacted more than the local contingent of those players and supporters of the Relics of Sudbury Legends Fastpitch Club, the team which MacDonald "managed", for as much as one can manage a group of 50+ athletes whose accolades on the diamonds are as long as my arm.

Joel Belanger, the fleet-of-foot outfielder who still tracks down fly balls with the best of them first came to gain an awereness of MacDonald back in the mid-nineties, still building a name for himself on the local fastball circuit.

"I was playing orthodox (fastpitch) when I was 16 or so and Brad Rienguette dragged me over to fastball," recalled Belanger. "I knew of Howard - but he stayed mainly with the masters / legends / oldtimers."

By the time he was 35, Belanger was set to become a core at the heart of a squad that could compete, in their age group, with the very best in the country and even the world.

Some thirty years later, he suggested that his opinion of a man who was far more than simply a manager to Belanger would morph over time.

"Ike (as he was commonly known) was strong-willed, opiniated," said Belanger with a smile. "He could come across sometimes as even grouchy, I think you would call it. But once you got to know him, you realized he was a big teddy bear."

Given the playing experience of the men under his watch, MacDonald's key value with the team often revolved around being that central point of contact for one and all, the glue that holds things together, if you will.

"I tried my hand at organizing teams but it's never easy to play and coach without upsetting people," admitted Belanger. "Ike allowed us to just go out and play. He made it easy for us. He had it all covered."

A little over a decade ago, as the Relics continued to transform to the times, pitcher Ward Gosse jumped aboard, the Newfoundland resident developing an almost immediate attachment to his fellow maritimer.

There was much to the bond that connected the two.

"I got to know Ike pretty well," said Gosse, the 56 year-old preparing for yet another summer of ball, one which the Relics will dedicate to the memory of Howard MacDonald. "He talked pretty fondly of growing up out east."

"When Newfoundland went to out of province competitions, we were always underestimated, not really seen as much of a threat," suggested Gosse. "We were always playing with a chip on our shoulder."

"Northern (Ontario) fastpitch at one time was very, very strong - but when I got here, it seemed like everyone felt like we had to make a mark - and Ike loved the underdog."

As one might imagine, trying to assemble such a talented group that now gathered folks from right across the country, bringing them in line with a singular mindset would not be easy.

"Ike had a certain vision of the game, but with the experience a lot of our guys had - national players, ISC champions, numerous award winners - we were kind of on cruise control," said Gosse.

"Sometimes Ike liked to do something to get into the game. He didn't always like our cruise control too much. It was an evolution. We evolved into the group we are now and won a couple of titles with Ike as coach."

Those, and many more, are the memories that are not about to fade any time soon.

"Ike had his little tendencies," noted Belanger. "Going to bat and looking down at third base and not seeing him there, that's going to be pretty tough for me."

And one senses that Joel Belanger will not be alone, in this regard, as a man who lived for the sport of fastball now remains in spirit only.