The game of fastball was beginning to be a very popular sport in our area in the mid 70’s and Langenburg already had an established team in the Langenburg Braves. Mitchell Nerbas thought there was a need for another team, so in the spring of 1978 with Mitchell organizing, he found around 15 players who were eager to play. Now with the team formed, they needed a name and a sponsor, so Mitchell approached beer breweries with Colt 45 stepping up. This was the beginning of the Langenburg Colts fastball team.
For the first 2 years they played in fastball tournaments around the area with the occasional exhibition game. The tournaments they attended were at Asessippi Beach, Rhein, Langenburg, Churchbridge, Calder, MacNutt, Gerald, Spy Hill and Saltcoats.
In 1980, teams around the area decided there was a need for a league. With representatives from all teams interested, a meeting was held in Roly Zimmer’s basement. From that meeting, the Yellowhead Fastball League was formed with 12 teams entering including the Langenburg- Braves and Colts, the Churchbridge – Flames and Cougars, the Russell – Raiders and Dale’s Dodgers, the Wroxton Canadians, the Atwater Steelers, the Togo Terriers, the MacNutt Clubs and the Brandon Bandits [school district].
Over the years, the Colts entered provincial playdowns numerous times. Their 1st year entering was their most successful losing out to the Atwater Steelers in the final game in their zone. One year, they decided to host zone playdowns but they needed to have 2 regulation sized ball diamonds that were fenced. So, the Colts spent most of June that year building a 2nd diamond and that diamond is still in use today. There is a funny story to go along with that diamond. A few years later, when the Colts were scheduled to play the Calder Comets in a league game, they decided to move the game to this diamond. That year they had Chuck Nelson pitching and Calder had a team that liked to swing for the fence. The Colts had speedy young fielders that could cover a lot of ground they ended up winning the game but Calder still brings up that game that it shouldn’t have been allowed to move diamonds.
The Colts attended tournaments in the U.S., twice in Plentywood and their 2nd year there they lost in the semifinal by 1 run to a local team. The Colts also went to Minot twice which was one of the biggest tournaments they ever attended. Teams participated from Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the Northern states. The event was intended for team building but it ended up showcasing some very exciting ball.
The Colts also played some exhibition games at Madge Lake against the Kamsack Royals on Sunday’s instead of going to a tournament. The team found it a lot more relaxing and enjoyable.
Highlights over the years for the Colts include winning Langenburg’s own tournament in 1982 and beating some good teams along the way to win. It ended up being the only tournament the Colts would ever win so it was a lasting memory. Winning the league in 1983 was the team’s biggest accomplishment as they found out over the years it is the hardest prize to achieve. They were to play Calder in the finals which was supposed to be a best of 5 series, but with harvest already started the teams ended up only playing 1 game. The game was held in Langenburg. Kelvin Nernberg was the Colt’s pitcher and he was unhittable, only allowing 1 base runner on a hit batsman and he was thrown out at 2nd a couple of pitches later. He ended up only facing the minimum number of batters which is 21. The Colts won the game 1-0 and they were the league champions.
Another highlight was when the Colts were contacted by the Queen and her Court’s agent to see if they would be willing to play an exhibition game against them. The teams agreed to set a date in late June which happened to be the rainiest week of the summer. Countless hours were spent on the diamond trying to keep it dry and drying it out. The night before the game, when everyone thought it was hopeless, Bob Reitenbach showed up with his tractor and around 20 gallons of diesel. Mitchell Nerbas and Rob spread the diesel around and lit it on fire. Then, with lots of sand and raking it, it turned out to be dry enough to play on. The Colts picked up Cliff Zimmer to pitch and with over 1500 spectators in attendance everyone went home well entertained. The Queen and Her Court won the very close game, but some fans might say otherwise…
Over the years, the Colts played some very competitive ball against some very good teams, which turned into some good rivalries; especially against Calder and Gerald Shemko. Then, the team’s later years, the Theodore Buffs with Sandy Reed.
It was those rivalries that brought out the best in the players. Over the years the Colts were privileged to play with and against some very talented ball players. They we’re told by numerous teams over the years that they were always able to field a very dangerous lineup in innings 1 through 9, which is a form of respect.
Pitching is a necessity in fastball and some of the pitchers that pitched for Langenburg were Garry Haas, Mo McKinnon, Don Fogg, Kelvin Nernberg, Chuck Nelson, and Mark Doratti. In the end it was that lack of being able to find a pitcher that forced the team to fold in 1989.
These are some of the memories of the Colts as submitted by Michell Nerbas, Randy McDonell, Terry Hautz and Brian Ingjaldson.