Baseball and farming was the way of life for many in Saskatchewan in the 1960s and one of the best at balancing the farm and ball diamond was Robert McLane.
McLane was born and raised in Liberty, and farmed in the district all his life.
His baseball career began as a catcher and, when he was 16, he began to pitch.
In the early 1960s McLane began senior baseball with Imperial.
In 1963 and '64 he was picked up by the Govan Angels to play with them during tournaments and after two seasons of tournament play he joined the team full time
At the senior level McLane played shortstop and third base, but it was his pitching and power swing that lifted Govan to the next level.
In 1967, a year after playing in the northern finals against Prince Albert, Govan hosted Rivers, Man. and Peace River, Alta. to decide the Western Canadian Championship. The strong pitching of McLane, led the team to the Western Canadian Championship on home soil.
In 1968, the Prince Albert Bohemians picked him up for the Western Canadian playoffs. McLane pitched the final game and Prince Albert won the title giving McLane two titles and a second place finish at Westerns.
Again, in 1969, McLane was picked up by Prince Albert for the Western Canadian playoffs in Edmonton, but they did not take the title this time around.
McLane closed out his baseball career by playing in the provincial twilight tournament program for 10 years with teams from Lanigan and Lockwood.
He coached minor baseball in Liberty throughout the 1980s and '90s, with many of the teams having represented the area at the provincial level.
McLane was a team leader who always respected the game as well as the opponent. He was a true sportsman in victory or defeat, and his attitude rubbed off on the players.
Robert McLane was truly a gentleman of the game of baseball and Aug. 21, he will be inducted with 12 other individuals, one family and a team into the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
Contact the museum by calling 446-1983 or e-mail [email protected] to get your tickets for the event.
