18-year-old Ron Fairly, Edmonton Eskimos 1957 (a year before his major league debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers).  A 21 year major league career. All Fairly did in '57 was hit .388 (third in the league) with an OBA of .447 and SLG of .702.

 
As a 19-year-old, Ron Perranoski pitched for the Lloydminster Meridians at the end of the 1956 season (after completing a tour of duty with Watertown of the Basin League in South Dakota). In his first playoff start, Perranoski struck out 15 in a complete game victory against Edmonton. Originally signed by the Cubs, Perranoski came up with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1961 to begin a 13 year major league playing career.

Catcher Tom Haller was 20 when he starred for the Moose Jaw Mallards in 1957. It was just two years before his major league debut with the San Francisco Giants. 12-year major league career. Haller batted .300 in '57.  His 15 homers tied him for 2nd place in the Western Canada Baseball League.

Shortstop Jerry Adair of the Williston Oilers hit .409 in 1958 to win the batting crown. The 21-year-old defensive star also tied for the league lead in home runs with 10.  On the mound -- three starts, three complete game victories, a 2.67 ERA. He went right from the Western Canada League playoffs to the big leagues!  Adair helped Williston wrap up the Can-Am title on August 30th, 1958. Made his debut with Baltimore on September 2nd, 1958 -- the beginning of a 13-year major league career which included several fielding records. 

Benjamin Lott, (left)  Lloydminster, 1956-57.  "Honey" Lott. Probably, because of that sweet swing. Outstanding second baseman who hit for both average and power. Came to the Meridans after stints in the Negro Leagues, professional ball and the ManDak League.  Stylish both on and off the field.  

Outfielder Don Buford was a key member of the 1959 Lloydminster-North Battleford Combines (and, for the playoff final, the Edmonton Eskimos). Buford hit .284, led the league in stolen bases with 19, and in triples with 11. Buford made his major league debut in 1963 with the Chicago White Sox.  He played in the majors for 10 years. Currently a coach with Baltimore. 

Willie Curly Williams  Lloydminster 1955-1963. For nearly a decade, one of the best and most popular players in the WCBL. Came to the Meridians after stints in the Negro League, pro ball and the ManDak loop.  In 1997, the Sarasota, Florida Council declared "Curly Williams Day" in honour of his efforts to raise funds to provide college scholarships for needy students.  Nearly 60 years after he began his baseball career with chum Modie Risher (on the Lakeland Tigers and Jacksonville Eagles) the two remain close friends. 

Modie L. Risher, Lloydminster, 1957.  A saluted high school educator in Charleston, SC. Click the link to read Risher articles from The Post and Courier in Charleston.  Risher (left) still raising hell in Charleston, South Carolina to help the disadvantaged.  (Photo : Charleston Post and Courier)
  

Len Tucker, (right) Kamsack, 1952, Saskatoon 1957, Lethbridge, 1961. Minor league career included one for the books -- 1956, Pampa, Texas .404, 181 runs, 228 hits, 40 doubles, 13 triples, 51 home runs, 181 batted in, 47 stolen bases.  In January, 2000 Tucker was recognized as one of the all-time great Minor League sluggers.  An article in SABR's Baseball Research Journal cited Tucker as the top slugger of 1956 (.791 SLG).  (SABR : Society for American Baseball Research)

Steve Schott  (Left: Then and now) Co-owner of the Oakland A's. A pitcher with the Lethbridge White Sox of the Southern Alberta League in 1959.  Bellarmine High School in San Jose (all-city in his junior and senior seasons), Santa Clara University.  A major developer in Santa Clara (Citation Homes). 

Bob Milano  (Left: Now and then) Lloydminster, 1960.  From the University of California at Berkley. Became the head coach at Cal In 1978 and stayed on for 22 years. Milano led the Bears to a Pac-10 Southern Division title, three College World Series appearances and six NCAA Regionals. He's also served as assistant athletic director at Cal, a member of the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee, an assistant coach for the United States Olympic Team and the head coach for the USA National Team. More wins than any other coach in Cal history.

Bill Thom, Williston 1958. MVP of the 1958 College World Series, All-American at USC in 1959. 

Scotty McNeill was a fixture at my dad's restaurant and on the Lloydminster sporting scene.  A robust, jovial man who noted the Meridians' exploits in the local weekly, The Lloydminster Times. A mentor who convinced my parents it would be just fine for the kid to go on the road with the team.  Probably the one who steered me toward a career in broadcasting (and, most likely the one responsible for getting the Times to publish my own baseball columns while barely a teenager).  An easy mark for all my fund-raising activities through the school years!  In 1956, Scotty -- who had never owned an automobile -- was the winner of a league draw for a car. (Photo - 75 Years of Sport & Culture in Lloydminster; Headline - Lloydminster Times)

The ads in The Lloydminster Times said W.A. Thorpe Real Estate.  Walter something, I think.  But, he was just "Slim", Slim Thorpe to everyone.  A tireless worker for baseball in Lloydminster.  Arch rival of Edmonton's Mr. Baseball, John Ducey.  The lowly Meridians took particular delight in defeating their big city neighbors. And ... the hat.  Always, well almost always, the hat.