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| cory h
May 18, 2019
2:03:36 PM
Entry #: 4262138
| Mike Johnston as submitted by Alex Sabean
Mike played 18 years with the Windsor Knights logging nearly 450 games. He was a career 0.300 hitter, a utility infielder, and when called upon would take the mound to log innings. His teammates, when asked to describe the man they played with for all those years, used words like warrior, competitor, determined, perseverance, and tenacity, to name a few.
Pitchers who would try to claim the inside corner for their own were often disappointed as they soon realized that it belonged to Mike. Brush back pitches often ended up with a hit batter, a smile and a quick hustle down to first base. He usually led the league in "hit by a pitch" and had the bruises to show for it.
In terms of baseball, Mike played the game old school. The hard slide to break up the double play, the do anything for the team attitude to get to first base, or as witnessed many times when he patrolled second base the block with your chest, then pick up and throw the guy out at first.
Mike is a baseball player’s player. Hardnosed - team first. He would often mentor the younger players with his never give up attitude, and later on in his playing career, would be the first to take himself out of the game to give the younger players an opportunity to play.
He has that “something”, the special ingredient that makes a player good and good players great. Great players rise to the occasion and Mike was no different in the league championship and in his first game since the passing of his Father - he hit back to back home runs.
Congratulations Mike, welcome the Nova Scotia Intermediate Baseball League's Hall of Fame as a player.
Chris Zinck as submitted by Shawn Woodworth
I am proud and honoured to hear that Chris has been selected to the NSIBL Hall of Fame. Chris has been a Bulldog in every sense of the word. Chris as a player was the ultimate team guy that didn’t care about his individual statistics as long as the end result was a win or a championship for the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs had players that would come and go but Chris was a main stay for the Bulldogs, logging big innings every year. Chris was a gamer and would never want to come out of any game. I would always go to the mound and ask Chris how he was doing and his reply was always "I’m fine”.
Chris was a huge part of the Bulldogs history of always being in the hunt for a provincial championship. Chris is famous for pitching fourteen innings in relief in one of the NSIBL Championship games. That was remarkable!
Chris took pride in being a Bulldog and continues to give back to the young Bulldogs in Bridgewater. I am very lucky to have called Chris Zinck a teammate but also a friend. Chris showed class both as a player and a friend. Congratulations to one of the best work horses or Bulldog I have had the opportunity to play and coach with.
Congratulations Chris on becoming a member of the Nova Scotia Intermediate Baseball League's Hall of Fame as a player.
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