Pyle was the well-known and well-loved longtime manager of the WBLY youth baseball team, which qualified 13 times for the National Baseball Congress World Series. It was July 26, 2002, at the beginning of a trip to Oklahoma for WBLY’s 13th appearance, that Pyle was struck with a heart attack and died. The former Springfield mayor and city schools teacher was 64.
He coached sandlot baseball for 52 years, 42 of them with the WBLY team. He had only one losing season with WBLY.
A fund has been set up through the Springfield Foundation for the project, which will cost $35,000. But make no mistake, this is a labor of love.
“We keep sending out more letters as we get more addresses of ex-players,” said Brad Beals, former Northwestern coach and WBLY player who is co-chairman of the effort. “That’s the avenue that we’ve approached so far, just taking the rosters of past teams and getting in touch with them.”
Getting the project rolling wasn’t easy.
“We’ve been working on this effort for several years,” he said. “The process started shortly after Bob passed away with wanting to memorialize him. I believe the city wouldn’t name anything until five years after the individual had passed.
“When we reached that point, Marty (Rogers, the other co-chairperson) rallied the troops and got some local people to go to the recreation department meetings to try to get support from them.
“It took quite awhile, but earlier this year, they gave us the go ahead. We’ve just been in the actual campaign stages the last three or four months.”
Once it got going, things have gone well.
“What I’ve been most pleased about is that the rec department saw how important a figure Bob was in the community and has been 100 percent behind us,” said Beals. “Then to have the Springfield Foundation come behind it has really helped.”
The bottom of the scoreboard is going to be orange and blue, which was WBLY’s colors. But it’ll also have a Wittenberg Tigers theme.
“We’re trying to make this something from the family, but for the community,” he said.
New Ohio State University head coach Greg Beals and former major-leaguers Dave Burba and Dustin Hermanson have been very supportive. All of which is not surprising to Rogers.
“He is a man whose impact remains strong in the community,” she said. “He gave so much to young people. He enjoyed being able to influence young lives in a positive manner.
“He was like a brother to us. We don’t want his legacy to die.”
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