Jim White’s Hall of Fame career to be honoured in 2025

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This article was published 21/12/2024 (469 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Jim White has had plenty of time to reflect on his baseball career, but didn’t really prepare for his call to the hall.

The longtime stalwart for the Neepawa Farmers has many people to thank and no shortage of memories, but nothing really prepares you for getting a Hall of Fame induction and joining prestigious company.

“I was a little flabbergasted and I was very surprised. I never really expected it so it was kind of a shock,” White said of the honour.

White is one of eight individuals to be inducted into the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame induction class of 2025.

Truth be told, White didn’t really have a choice. It was more like baseball chose him, which was more than fine with him because he took to it from a young age.

Growing up on an a farm near Neepawa, spring was an exciting time of year for many reasons, but mostly because it meant baseball season had arrived.

White’s father managed the Farmers that won the provincial championship back in 1951, and as such it was almost predestined as the game chose him more than he chose it.

It was a good fit however, as he and siblings always found time to play the game as the seasons changed.

“It was always a busy time of the year for us. We lived out on the farm, so there was always work to be done but there was always lots of time for baseball,” White recalled.

White attended a small community school before high school in Neepawa, coming up through the minor ranks in Neepawa and always finding himself drawn to the game.

“Back then there wasn’t a great deal of things to do, but there was always baseball. We went to school in a country school, so in the summer time all you did was play baseball. We had 12 kids in our school and went from Grade 1 to Grade 9, so we learned to play with older kids and always had fun doing it.”

White played little league and got his first taste of travel ball in Pee Wee, heading to the big city of Winnipeg for one of his first major tournaments.

“There was probably 65-70 teams in it and we used to get billeted out to people in Winnipeg and make an all-star team out of Neepawa. We’d go in there and because we had eight teams in the area, it was a pretty big deal to go.”

He developed as a left-handed pitcher, although his repertoire wasn’t complex.

“Fastball. Curveball,” said White. “That was it. The basics. There weren’t really people to teach you how to throw the different pitches like changeups and whatnot, and I had pretty small hands so just mainly threw fastballs and learned how to hit your spots.”

He continued to develop through the ranks before his midget year at 17. At the time, a senior team from Neepawa played in the Manitoba Senior Baseball League (MSBL), so White and friends made their own intermediate team called the Neepawa Regals.

Turned out they were pretty good, so it wasn’t long before the team was making noise in the provincial ranks. They lost the intermediate A and B finals in 1980 before roaring back the following year to win both, sending White and teammates to their first Western Canadian Championship in Quesnel, B.C. in 1981.

After that, a handful from the Cubs and the remaining Farmers players merged into one team in the MSBL, and neither White nor the Farmers looked back from there.

Most known for his pursuits as a catcher, which was coincidentally one of the last positions he played, White transitioned to behind the plate in 1982, but it wasn’t because he was the textbook utility man.

“More like they couldn’t find me a place to play,” White said with a chuckle. “But I always just loved playing so much that I would play anywhere on the diamond. I know the first year of senior league I played every position but second base.”

It worked out well for him. In the team’s first year in the MSBL, he earned the team’s most valuable player honours.

“There was quite a learning curve, but I enjoyed it and I really started to enjoy it once I started to catch. Being a left-handed catcher is an oddity, but the challenges of it and catching for really good pitchers, trying to anticipate what the batters are doing, and you’re touching the ball on every pitch, so I really started enjoying the thinking side of catching.”

That led to a 17-year career in the MSBL, in which White was consistently one of the Farmers top players, being named to 13 all-star teams.

He was a consistent .300 hitter for most of his career, finishing in the top 10 in batting average in the league eight different times.

He was the primary catcher for the Farmers for his entire MSBL career, which was he was a stalwart on the 1993-1997 team that was inducted into the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame in 2017.

By 1997 he was playing while starting to help brother Garth manage the team, playing less but staying involved with coaching and managing. He even coached hockey in Neepawa as he learned to love the tactical sides of both games.

“You learn to enjoy the different sides of the game, the coaching and the managing. I actually found it harder to be a manager than a player, because you’re not involved in the game you’re just involved in the strategy of game. But most of all I just enjoyed spending time with the kids. From the time they were 10 years old all the way up to intermediate and senior I just enjoyed being around the kids. That was the best part.”

The 1997 season was a special one as well. The Farmers won a league title in 1993, but dropped the provincial final that year to St. Boniface in a three-game series. By 1997, they beat Teulon in a best-of-three series to clinch the team’s first provincial title.

Unsurprisingly White ended up playing a significant role in the team’s success. After having caught only a pair of games in the regular season, the team’s other catcher was injured come playoffs, meaning White caught the last eight games of the season to clinch the team’s first provincial championship.

“To win it all in 1997 as a team was the biggest accomplishment for our group. We were close a few times, but to actually win it is quite an accomplishment.

“It was back in 1986 or ‘87 we made it to the finals for the first time and we thought we were the better team but just didn’t win. So when you finally break through and win, it’s both joy and relief.”

As the congratulatory calls and messages have arrived, the shock of getting the initial call is wearing off and the title “Hall of Famer” is becoming a reality, although White’s humble nature means he’s quick to give credit to the players and teammates with whom he shared his experiences.

“I’m getting lots of congratulations. I can’t say it’s embarrassing, but when you’re not expecting it, and there’s probably half a dozen guys off our teams that are in there already, it’s just kinda nice to be recognized and know that your playing didn’t go unnoticed. Happiness to just be nominated and get that call.”

White joins this year’s induction class which also includes Clark Andres of Roblin, Ryan Scott of Irishtown, N.B., as well as Fred Matsubara, Jack Scott, Ryan Scott, Scott Kelman, Clayton Dreger, Lindsey Dahl, and Matthew Dahl of Winnipeg for individual inductees.

Team inductees include the 2003-06 Crocus Plains Plainsmen, the 2012-18 Brandon Cardinals and the 1985 Manitoba Canada Summer Games team.

Bill Kirkup of Souris, Al Robertson of Hamiota and Murray Zuk of Souris will also be inducted as honorary life members.

The 27th Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame Induction event will take place at the Access Events Centre in Morden on June 14.

Tickets can be purchased through the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame website at www.mbhof.ca.

» mpackwood@brandonsun.com