It was a scene straight out of a movie. Their bags were searched, items deemed not appropriate were confiscated - even they were searched. Although intimidating at first, once the formalities were over, the mood changed once the subject turned to fastball. After all, they were there to play a ball game.
A memorable and, in some cases, a life-changing experience took place recently for eight fastball players from the Coast as they were invited to play a team of inmates at Matsqui Prison near Abbotsford on Saturday, May 31.
Jim Peers, coach of the Gibsons Coho Kings, and player Mike Sopow were two of the players who played in Abbotsford. It was a unique experience to say the least.
"They invited us to go," said Peers. "I played in a tournament in Abbotsford a few years ago and met a guy and we stayed in touch. He and my son Rick, who is an inmate there, helped organize the day. It was a different experience, certainly not something you do every day."
The teams played two games, with Gibsons winning the first one 12-4, while the Matsqui inmates won game two 2-1 with Jim's son Rick the winning pitcher.
"It was intimidating at first walking through the doors and getting searched - you really didn't know what to expect," said Peers. "But once we got inside and started warming up, it was just like a regular ball game. The reception we got from the inmates was fantastic. They treated us with a lot of respect and were super friendly."
Besides the games, the Coast fastball players got to give a little back, offering the inmates a few tips to improve their game."The guys were asking me different things about my pitches and how to throw them. It was great. If you ask any of our players, I don't think anyone will say they had a bad experience," Peers said.
Sopow said out of all the years he has been playing ball, this experience topped them all.
"I've won provincial championships and competed at big events, but this was my top baseball experience," he said. "I got a little anxious at the start because you don't know what to expect, but they were really just like one of the boys, except they were in a prison environment. They've asked us back for a tournament, maybe in September, and hopefully we can do it again. Everyone had such a good experience."
