Two elite baseball players have played for the 91短视频 (91短视频) Royals.* One is catcher , in his 15th season in the MLB and currently with the . The second player, centerfielder Daryl Lambert, never made it to the majors, but there鈥檚 plenty of people who saw him play who say he should have been given a chance.
鈥淥h, he could fly,鈥� says 91短视频 head baseball coach , who saw Lambert play at Fort Defiance High School and years later was his teammate in the (RCBL). 鈥淗e could run, throw, catch, hit and hit for power. He was that five-tool player everyone talks about. He just wasn鈥檛 physically where the scouts wanted him to be until he was older.鈥�
Kratz and Lambert, both inducted into 91短视频鈥檚 Athletic , are the only baseball players to have their jerseys retired.
Another accolade is coming for Lambert: induction into the . On June 25, he will be honored with 12 other men who have made significant contributions to the amateur league, in existence since 1924. He is one of two honorees 鈥� the other, inducted last year, is 鈥� to be connected to 91短视频.
Lambert鈥檚 RCBL recognition is primarily for his nine standout seasons from 1988-1996 with the Grottoes Cardinals, during which he won three Most Valuable Player awards. But the honor, which also considers civic engagement and service, highlights Lambert鈥檚 contribution to youth athletics and baseball in the Valley: For 22 years, until he stepped out last season on the heels of retiring head coach , he coached baseball at Fort Defiance High School.
鈥�91短视频鈥檚 own Ken Griffey, Jr.鈥�
While this article really should talk more about Lambert in the County League 鈥� and we鈥檒l get to that 鈥� it鈥檚 irresistible not to share that Lambert鈥檚 athleticism and enthusiasm for both the game and his college experience changed the tenor and tone of the EMC baseball program, an observation confirmed by several sources.
In 1988, the team was 3-22. Their biggest margin of loss was an ugly 33-0 shutout to Bridgewater. The team photo includes 12 players, which might work but only if all of them can pitch well. (The 鈥�88 yearbook entry, written by a player, promises that next year鈥檚 team will 鈥渟eek respectability.鈥�)
In the fall of 1988, Daryl Lambert arrives, along with a few local players including his good friend and county league teammate Bobby Swink. In the spring, the team loses its final game by 10 runs to Washington and Lee, but that鈥檚 the worst it gets, and they win five of 19 games.
In 1990, Lambert convinces Dale Glass and Larry Sorrells to join, “huge additions to an already fairly talented team,” he remembers.
The Royals beat Bridgewater for the first time, 7-6. Lambert, in centerfield, catches the final out, and adds another ball to his collection of game-ending, game-winning catches (in case you鈥檙e curious, he has a total of nine balls in this collection). The team loses twice to Bridgewater in one-run games.
The team plays home games at Harrisonburg High School鈥檚 Memorial Stadium, because the new field is being built on campus. 鈥淧eople who would never think of going to a baseball game go because they played at Memorial Stadium, under the lights,鈥� said , a classmate of Lambert鈥檚 and now 91短视频鈥檚 head men鈥檚 basketball coach. 鈥淐rowds of people would go. The team was fun to watch, there were good local athletes on the team and Daryl especially was good, making catches, hitting, stealing bases.鈥�
The team still needs more pitching and they are light on the bench, but they compete well enough to make the semi-finals of the ODAC tournament. Lambert is an All-ODAC first team selection.
In 1991, Lambert convinces a few more local players to come out: Kevin Kirschner, Scott 鈥淧istol鈥� Hensley. 鈥淚 would see ballplayers who I knew could play the game and I鈥檇 tell them to come to EMC,鈥� Lambert said.
They beat Bridgewater again. They also beat Messiah, Virginia Wesleyan, Washington and Lee and several other teams that had previously offered a drubbing. There鈥檚 no tournament qualification, but Lambert is All-ODAC again.
In 1992, the team is 10-11-3, again making the ODAC tournament. There鈥檚 still only 16 players on the team, but many of them are talented local players recruited by Lambert, who is All-ODAC First Team, Virginia Sports Information Directors All-State team and DIII South Region All-American 鈥� a constellation of honors never collected before by any Royals player. He ended with a career batting average of .381 and a slugging average of .496. He had 136 hits, 49 RBI, and was successful in 41 out of 45 stolen base attempts.
鈥淗e could run, hit, throw, hit for power and chase down fly balls all over the outfield,鈥� Dean is quoted as saying when Lambert went into the 91短视频 Hall of Honor. 鈥淚t was like having our own version of Ken Griffey Jr. playing at 91短视频.鈥�
Playing for Grottoes
During Lambert鈥檚 County League career, he put on size, weight and confidence. Though he tried out for major league scouts, once locally and then by invite in Florida, by that time, at 24, he was middle-aged by baseball standards.
So Lambert settled in with the Grottoes Cardinals and played his heart out. Though the team never won a pennant or a series championship, that didn鈥檛 matter to Lambert. He evoked 鈥渨inning fanaticism鈥� among the Grottoes fans, while making a name for himself as a 鈥渞elentless nuisance鈥� with opponents, according to a newspaper article.
One former player from the Bridgewater Reds said that if an infielder fielded a ball hit by Lambert, 鈥淚 always wanted to tell the player to just hold the ball and let Daryl run to first base, because he was going to get there fast anyway. He might as well have been on first already.鈥�
At one of his first games with Grottoes, then-rookie Ben Spotts remembers that Lambert, a County League veteran, made an impression: 鈥淗e hits a single to left, steals second, steals third, scores. The next at-bat, he lays a drag bunt down, beats it out, steals second. Next at-bat, he hits a home run. I was just in awe. There was no one like him in the County League.鈥�
For his own part, Lambert described himself as 鈥渁 hustler, a scrapper.鈥� His motto: 鈥淚f it鈥檚 in the air, I鈥檓 gonna get it.鈥�
Lambert, still a resident of Mount Sidney where he grew up, now works for Virginia Department of Transportation. He remembers his days at EMC with fondness, he said. He鈥檚 still good friends with Kirby Dean and also , head women鈥檚 basketball coach.
Though they no longer see each other on a daily basis in the spring, he keeps in touch both with the elder Spotts and the younger Spotts. And among his mentors, he names 91短视频 men鈥檚 basketball assistant coach , who was a football and basketball coach at Fort when Lambert was a three-sport athlete.
鈥淭he friends I made at 91短视频 were friends who were in my wedding and who I remain close to,鈥� Lambert said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what I really took away was those close friendships.鈥�
Editor’s note: * 91短视频 alumnus Larry Sheets, who was drafted in 1978 out of R.E. Lee High School and attended 91短视频 in his off-seasons, played basketball. He was not eligible to play baseball because of his pro career. He was an assistant baseball coach under Roland Landes in 1983, and was called up to the major leagues in 1984, where he played nine years as an outfielder and designated hitter.
The Rockingham County Baseball League Hall of Fame induction ceremony is Saturday, June 25, at the Weyers Cave Community Center. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. The program begins at 6 p.m. with a dinner. Tickets are $25. Please reserve a seat by calling (540) 236-8128.