He is among a number of wonderful, local athletes who will be inducted tonight in the Moose Jaw & District Sports Hall of Fame.

Ryan Anholt made his mark in baseball.  He compiled a long list of accomplishments on his way to earning a scholarship at Northwestern State in Louisiana, an NCAA Division I university.  He played for Team Canada at the World Baseball Championships and was, in fact, drafted twice by Major League Baseball's New York Yankees in '94 and the LA Dodgers in '96.

He got it all started in Moose Jaw Little League.  And that's when I first met Ryan.  I was volunteering as an umpire behind the plate one night and Ryan was catching.  I was having fun.  Ryan was playing to win.

There was one border-line pitch I'll never forget.  It was right on the corner and down at the knees.  He caught it and held it.  I said nothing.  He slowly turned his head around and looked up.  I said, "Just a little outside."

Ryan looked me in the eye and said, "You're kidding me?"

I think he was 9 or 10 years old at the time.