Ronnie "Miller" MacDonald: Mr Softball
That response is based on a lot of factual information starting in 1935 when Ronald Angus MacDonald was born. His parents Stephen and Marcella MacDonald lived on MacDonald Road in Doctor's Brook and raised a family of eight boys and three girls. These were the days when Ronnie and his siblings walked about three miles to Malignant Cove to a one room schoolhouse where the teacher was responsible for grades one to eleven.
The MacDonald family was known then and still now as the "millers" because an ancestor had at one time operated a grist mill in the community. It also identified the family from the other MacDonald families in the area.
Ronnie's first softball team was the Arisaig Fencebusters. He played many positions on the team, but his real love was pitching. In those days only the catcher and the first baseman wore gloves. It was also a time when games were nine innings, not the seven now played. Many small communities in Antigonish County had teams and built ball fields to watch the local boys play. Arisaig was playing in the County League, which also included teams from Lismore, North Grant, St Andrews, Heatherton, Georgeville and James River.
Ronnie was a left handed conventional pitcher, which meant he did not use the whip windup which became the dominant style by pitchers in later years. He stayed with that style during his career and while he did't generate as much speed, he felt it gave him more control. Many teams from Antigonish and Guysborough Counties had difficulty with that pitch for many years.
Ronnie's first significant award was when in 1958 he pitched for the Antigonish Red Raiders which won the Maritime Intermediate A championship. That same team came back in 1963 to repeat the same title.
Ronnie continued playing until 1977 when he turned his skills to coaching young men of midget and junior age. In 1984 as coach of the Robertson Midgets and with the help of Hughie Smith, his longtime catcher as assistant coach they made a decision to play in the AGR league against senior men. That decision helped them prepare for and win the Nova Scotia Midget championship tournament played in Halifax against eight teams from across the country. Robertson's Midgets played Quebec in the final game of the tournament and won 4 to 2 behind the solid pitching of Ronnie's son David who was named the Most Valuable player of the tournament. Truly a proud moment for the "Miller" family.
In 2005 Ronnie and his Robertson's Midgets were inducted into the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame along with assistant coach Hughie Smith and team manager Donald R MacDonald.
After his success with the midget team, Ronnie then moved up to coach many of the same players as juniors and in 1987 his Central Supplies Juniors as Nova Scotia champions represented the Province at the Canadian National Junior Championship in British Columbia. They made the playoffs but not the finals.
In addition to playing and coaching, Ronnie was also involved as a softball umpire. He did that for many years in Antigonish and Guysborough Counties as well as working senior games in other parts of the province. He also took up TV broadcasting when he hosted a show called Cavalcade of Sports on the local cable station. He interviewed sports personalities from the local area.
Ronnie worked for many years at the Antigonish 5 to $1.00 store and later for the Department of Transportation. He married Joan DeCoste and they raised their two children David and Colleen.
In 2004 Ronnie was recognized for his contribution to softball in Nova Scotia when he was inducted into the Softball Nova Scotia Hall of Fame.
When he looks back on his career as a player, coach and umpire Ronnie can point to many highlights but he says that his best recollection is the National win at the head of Robertson's Midgets. He and Hughie Smith took a team from the small community of Antigonish and beat the best midget teams in Canada.
Ronnie's contribution to softball in Antigonish down through the years should easily earn him the title of "Mr Softball".
1958 Antigonish Red Raiders. Members of the team include Back L -R: Colin MacDonald (Coach, James River), Dave Fleiger, (New Brunswick); Ronnie Miller Macdonald,(Doctor's Brook); Hugh Smith (McArra's Brook), Bill "Co-Op" MacPherson (Antigonish), Tommy Rogers (Heatherton). Front L - R: Sandy Murphy (Ohio); Geno Scattalon, (Dominion CB &St FX); Curtis DeCoste, (Mulgrave); Alan Murphy (Ohio); Ricky MacDonald (Malignant Cove). Batboy: Duncan Chisholm. Missing from photo: Billy Gillis, (Lanark), Donnie MacDonald (Heatherton, Ag. Rep).
Submitted by Douglas L. MacLellan
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