Last week, the Thorold Anchors officially retired number 28 in honour of former player Lou Gazzola.
“This is something that the Thorold Anchors started doing the last couple of years to recognize the people that have been there for years and kept the team going,” says Gazzola, in an interview with ThoroldToday. “They gave me a phone call and said they’re going to retire the number and I said: ‘Great!’”
Gazzola has always loved baseball, and enjoyed an illustrious career with both the St. Catharines Metros and the Thorold Anchors.
“Back in the ‘70s, being a kid you played baseball in the summer and after you put your glove down you played hockey in the winter,” he says. “We grew up in a time where you went out and you played in the ballpark. That’s where you learned your trade. I played in Thorold for a couple of years, then I went to St. Catharines, and then back to Thorold for the end of my career.”
“Lou Gazzolo is probably one of the best long-standing pitchers in Thorold history,” the manager of the Thorold Anchors, Aaron McInnis, tells ThoroldToday.
Back in 2007, Gazzolo already saw his number retired from the St. Catharines Metros team.
“I was MVP of the league down there,” Gazzola says. “I won most of the pitching awards, I still hold records in that league.”
During last week’s number retiring ceremony, Mayor Terry Ugulini presented Gazzola with a special recognition certificate from the City of Thorold. It was a very special night for Gazzola.
“I threw in the first pitch,” he says. “A few of my old baseball coaches came out from when I was a kid, some of my friends that I played with in my younger days, and some family came out. I was well-known on the baseball field in Thorold so people followed my career throughout the years.”
Gazzola believes his achievements are a testament to good teamwork.
“Whether it’s hockey, soccer, baseball, you’re only as good as the other eight or nine guys you’re on the field with,” Gazzola says. “Some of my accomplishments are predicated on the teammates that I had. It’s not just one person, it’s the whole team that makes it.”