April 28, 2021

By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

Have you ever been in a meeting when it felt like you were clinging to the side of the mountain and you could see the avalanche begin to head south?

That’s how I felt in the winter of 1979. The Ottawa-Nepean Canadians had a senior team in the New York State League (which played on weekends) in 1978 and also had a separate team in the Ottawa-based Senior Provincial League.

Due to player conflicts and a lack of coaches, someone came up with the bright idea of one team playing in both leagues.

Needless to say the city league teams were not pleased. Around the table we went.

Thumbs down.

Thumbs down.

Thumbs down.

Thumbs down.

With one team absent.

Our chances were sinking in quicksand with only one team left to speak ... and it was the man who ran the youngest team in the loop. The outlook wasn’t brilliant for the Canadians nine that day to paraphrase the poem Casey at the Bat.

“Let me ask you something ... do you coaches actually believe that this man is going to go to Syracuse for a doubleheader Saturday and a doubleheader Sunday use all his best arms -- Conrad Young, Mark Gryba, Jimmy Kent, Duke Murphy and Clare Osborne -- and then come back and use them again on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in city league games?” Faulkner asked. “He’ll use the same pitchers against you guys that you faced last year -- Brian Burns, Michael Sundin and maybe Bob Yanus.

“One more thing gentleman, I know I am older than all of you, but it has always been my experience in life that you are better off building up your own programs or putting your own house in order -- that is a whole lot more productive than trying to tear good programs down.”

You could feel the pendulum in the room begin to swing in our direction. Then, league president Art Nielsen spoke and asked me to leave.

Outside in the hallway of the Nepean Sportsplex, I could here raised voices. The loudest was Faulkner’s.

Eventually we were invited in and told we were going to be allowed into the league, by the Nepean Brewers, Nepean Knights, Hull Volants, Canterbury, Alta Vista Ritchies and Pinecrest. We played over 70 games that year in the two leagues.

In the best-of-three league final of the city league championship Nepean Knights’ lefty reliever Mike Arundel struck out pinch hitter Ed Jordan to put us down 1-0 in the best-of-three series. We struggled but eventually won the next two to advance to Waterbury, Conn.

All of it was made possible by Carl Faulkner.

That would be the same Lincoln Carl Faulkner, who passed away April 21 in Perth at age 91.

My father, a better man than I in so many aspects during 60 short years on earth, always said that the “greatest baseball compliment anyone could give someone is to name a ballpark after a coach.”

Years ago it was decided that Pinecrest Little Leaguers would play on Carl Faulkner Field. We used to visit Pinecrest on Iris and later visited when it was Faulkner Field. Pinecrest merged with Carlingwood-Frank Ryan Little Leagues in 2014.

The last time I saw Faulkner was at the Ottawa-Nepean Canadians 50th Hall of Fame inductions in 2019 as former major leaguers OF Doug Frobel (Ottawa, Ont.) and RHP Peter Hoy (Cardinal, Ont.) were inducted, along with minor leaguers RHP Dave MacQuarrie (Oakville, Ont.) and LHP Mike Kusiewicz (Nepean, Ont.), plus LeMoyne Dolphin C Cameron (The Hammer) Pelton (Nepean, Ont.). Former manager Don Campbell (Ottawa, Ont.) and the late Art Nielsen (Ottawa, Ont.), who founded the organization were also honoured.

There were good baseball men from Atlanta, New York state, the Ottawa Valley and ex-players from cities near and far. We’d go as far to say that the most knowledge belonged in Faulkner’s noggin. He was much in demand before, during and after the alumni game. The score from the game has not been finalized: one manager is protesting the roster composition.

He coached so many good ones over his 24 years at Pincrest. Deepest sympathies are extended to his family

* * *

The particulars:

Carl was predeceased by his father, Cleveland; mother, Birdall (Pearsall); and all seven of his older siblings.

He is survived by his son, Michael and Millie of Stamford, NY, who live 51 minutes east of Cooperstown; daughter, Amy and Rod Harris of Gabrolia, BC ... a 48 hour drive west of Cooperstown. The Faulkner roster includes six grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and his second wife, Diane.

Born and raised in Manorkill, NY -- a 77-minute drive southeast of the Hall of Fame -- Carl was affectionately called Peewee, yet, he was no small man on the sport venues. A Gilboa Central School, class of 1947 graduate, he played semi-pro baseball in Homer, NY, 100 minutes from Cooperstown.

Carl enlisted in the U.S. Army, where he became a helicopter pilot and caught for his squad’s ball team. He flew in Korea as well as missions in Columbia. He then moved his young family to Ottawa in 1959, where he continued to fly choppers for private and government companies.

He was a Carleton University grad of economics and a basketball official for 40 years. He had an illustrious coaching career on Ottawa and Canadian diamonds, winning three national championships, nine provincial tittles, and 15 city tittles. His teams won nationals in the Big League age group (16-to-18) of Little League in 1978, 1986 and 1990.

In 1978 and 1990 his Pinecrest teams were honored as the ACT Travelers Team of the year at the annual top sports banquet in the capital.

Bird hunting, fishing and apple pie always brought him great joy. He loved his Brittany springer spaniels and every October, he would come to New York state to hunt with family and friends. He hunted pheasants and grouse until he was 89.

After years of living in Ottawa, Mike Faulkner moved to upstate New York, the same area where his father grew up. In fact, he is coaching at his alma mater, Gilboa. After 17 years at Stamford, he is in his fourth year teaching at Gilboa.

Life does travel full circle.

Carl loved sitting on his son Michael’s porch, staring at his beloved Catskill Mountains, reminiscing with family, friends, all his nieces and nephews throughout Delaware and Schoharie counties. He had a quick dry wit and a keen sense of humor. He loved the reunions, both school and family.

In 1992, the Pinecrest park where he staged so many tryouts, hit so many ground balls and won so many games was re-named Carl Faulkner Field. He was a mentor to so many young men. Make no mistake he wasn’t an easy man to play for ... he was Army Strong.

We covered the eastern Canadian final one night in a Montreal suburb. Pinecrest was playing a Quebec team and the winner would advance to the nationals in Ottawa.

Early in the game we were standing down the third base line when an opposing hitter lined a ball over the head of a leaping third baseman Roberto Straccini for a single to left.

“ROBERTO! JUMP!” yelled Carl.

“I did Mr. Faulkner,” said Straccini.

“Well next time ... JUMP HIGHER!” said Carl.

His son Michael was a solid outfielder who could do all the little things and knew how to play the game, heading south to play at Miami-Dade.

All that porch time obviously led down a path all former managers take ... “and you would have him on your all-time team.”

* * *

Carl picked his a number of nights adjusted it as games from 24 years of coaching Pinecrest were analyzed and disseminated ... and his all-time team (alphabetically) was:

SS Lionel Best, C-RHP Terry Brennan, C Paul Boston, SS Kevin Collins and C Allan (Dins) Drisdelle.

RHP Brad Duthie, OF Mike Faulkner, OF Dave Glass, 3B Tom Langford and RP Frank Lyall.

1B Erik MacDonald, C-INF Greg Mackay, OF Bruce McGregor, RHP Peter Rywak and RHP Jeff Sneyd.

And finally ... RHP Alex Stinson, OF John Taylor, 1B John Towell, RHP Larry Vance, LHP Brian Webber, OF Barry Wilson and INF Mark Worobey.

* * *

Former players, friends, fathers and sons Facebook posts read:

Lionel Best: “Legend. Showed me what toughness, honour and accountability look like ... Back in the day.”

Steven Burnie: “So glad you got home Mike. I remember him well.”

Barb Flewwelling: “He lived a remarkable life. What a wonderful tribute.”

Dan Gibson “He sure left his mark on so many of us here in Canada’s Capital!”

Rod Hennigar: “My sincere condolences Mike. Carl was truly a great man, I learned a lot from him. I am very proud to have known him and for him to have educated me. God speed!”

Todd (Mr. Lubner) Laframboise: Happy to hear you and Millie where able to spend his last few hours with him! Not easy to be able to arrange in these troubled times.”

Erik McDonald: “Beautiful day for a visit to Carl’s third base office at Pinecrest. So many great memories and life lessons learned. Of course his first name was Lincoln. Legend! You will truly be missed.”

Peter Rywak: “Mike, Glad you were able to enter Canada and say goodbye to your Dad. Take care my friend.”

Judy Taylor: “Our hearts go out to you Mike and your family. Carl was a legend in so many ways. An amazing ‘father’ to so many guys in their developmental years of becoming men.

Shane Tourangeau “So sorry to you and your family Mike for the loss of a great man, and a man of many stories.”

John Towell: “R. I. P. Coach! The Best!”

Barry Wilson: “I’ll never forget the championship game against East Nepean when I was 16. Tom Szabo was on the mound, the bases were loaded, I was up and Carl called time at third base. I walked up the line and Carl said “first good pitch you see, drive the thing into next week.” No word of a lie. And I did. And I made the all star team the next day. Pretty sweet memory.”

About five or six years ago I was in a meeting … the same kind of meeting I attended in 1979. I looked around the Rogers Centre conference room at the five people. None were Carl. I missed him that day. Just as his family and hundreds of ex players are missing him.

Said son Michael so eloquently in Carl’s obit: “Dad, you will be deeply missed. You taught me so much. I love you old pal.”