Loek Loevendie, the club icon of the Amsterdam Pirates baseball and softball club—known by his well-deserved nickname, Mr. Loevendie—passed away on Saturday (Feb. 6) at the age of 88. Loevendie, who was and remained “Uncle Loek” to many, received numerous awards and was a pioneer in the field of youth coaching.
Loek Loevendie was born on May 9, 1932, in Amsterdam. He is the younger brother of Theo Loevendie, another internationally renowned composer and clarinetist (known for his work in jazz, opera, and chamber music), who turned 90 last year and is still active as a composer. From an early age, Loek Loevendie was interested in sports and began playing soccer and baseball himself.
On February 17, 1959, along with Jaap van der Zee, Rinus Verschuur, and Harry Meijers, Loek Loevendie founded a baseball team at the Rap soccer club. This marked the second time this Amsterdam club had a baseball section. The first was founded in 1937, but disbanded in 1946, as the club had unfortunately lost several members during World War II and could no longer field a team. Ten years after the new baseball division was established, Rap created a women’s softball division in 1969, and a men’s softball division was added in 1974. After separating from soccer club Rap in 1974, the baseball and softball divisions formed an independent association and the name was changed to Amsterdam Pirates.
When Rap’s baseball team first competed in a league in 1959, Loek Loevendie was one of the players. Later, he also became one of the team’s coaches, as did Jaap van der Zee. At the same time, he continued to coach youth soccer teams, something he had been doing since the late 1940s. In the early 1960s, Loevendie, now very active in the baseball department, shifted his focus from training youth soccer players to coaching young baseball players. A few years later, Loevendie began what became his famous Wednesday afternoon workouts for youth baseball players. Toward the end of the 1960s, he placed ads in weekly newspapers, which immediately generated a huge response and a flood of applications. With this, the youth division of Rap baseball began to take shape. It was the beginning of a particularly successful youth division that won many Amsterdam, regional, and national titles. The successes of the youth department continue.
In 1963, the 14- to 16-year-old youth team became the first to win the national championship. At the time, this team played in the so-called MC Bakker division, named after Dutch baseball pioneer M.C. (Maarten) Bakker.
From the late 1960s through the 1970s, Rap/Pirates had a very active youth program. The youngest team (pupils, ages 8–12) participated in many (international) tournaments throughout the country. During those years, this team played in the Bleesing League, named after another Dutch baseball pioneer and longtime Federal President Emile Bleesing. It even happened that a team traveled from one tournament to another on the same day just to make it to the Finals—and then win them. Regularly, one of the first questions Loevendie asked the moment he stepped onto a playing field for a tournament was, “How big is the trophy for first place?” This was often followed by the following announcement: “We’re just here to win that one.” Starting in 1976, the club also participated in the annual baseball tournament at the U.S. Air Force Base Ramstein (Germany). Since the club became independent, Amsterdam Pirates began organizing international youth tournaments on days such as Queen’s Day (April 30). Loek Loevendie was not only one of the organizers, but more importantly, he was one of the coaches of the participating Pirates teams.
The club’s success from the late 1960s through the 1970s was due to the fact that Rap/Pirates had a very active youth committee, as well as dedicated and passionate youth coaches. In addition to Loek Loevendie, these included Paul Hamstra, Wim Joost, Herman Koot, Coen Stoovelaar, Kees van Vegten, Wim van der Poel, Herman Spilker, and Nico Meijers. Together with these coaches, Uncle Loek laid the foundation for Pirates’ successful youth department, which continues to this day.
Loek Loevendie always rode his moped (later a scooter) to and from the field—whether from home or straight from work—just to be with his club and his players every day. Over the years, Loevendie coached and mentored over a thousand young players in the club’s youth program. Of this group, over a hundred went on to play in the major leagues. Many also played for the Amsterdam Rayon teams, which were formed during those years and competed against each other in the Rayon tournaments of the time. Several players made it to the Dutch Youth Teams or played on the Dutch National Baseball Team. The youth teams that Loevendie oversaw in the late 1960s and early 1970s included players such as Marcel Joost, Frank Koot, Haitze de Vries, Jan Hijzelendoorn, Ronald Stoovelaar, Marten Walsma, Peter van Erk, Hans Jansen, Harm Schildmeijer, Martin van der Steeg, André van Beest, and Laurens van der Poel, all of whom would go on to play in the major leagues. The first six also played on the Dutch National Baseball Team.
In the years that followed, other players who had begun their careers in the Pirates’ youth academy also made it to the Dutch national team. Many of them played under Loevendie in the youth ranks or received valuable guidance from him. Among them were Peter Boon, Jeffrey Cranston, Martijn Faneyte, René van Huffel, Patrick de Lange, Byron Ward, Jesse Aussems, Rashid Gerard, Zaïr Koeiman, Bas Nooij, and Pim Walsma. Loevendie also trained and coached his own sons , Loek Jr. and Marco. As a pitcher, the latter also pitched in the major leagues and for the Young Orange.
Among his young talents were players who would later go on to play professionally, such as Rikkert Faneyte, who played in Major League Baseball for the San Francisco Giants and the Texas Rangers. Players such as pitcher Tonny Cohen, infielder Raymond Hofer, and pitcher Tom de Blok would also go on to play professional baseball in the United States.
His students in the 1990s included Johnny and Mariekson Gregorius. Their father, Didi, was a pitcher on the Amsterdam Pirates’ major league baseball team, and their mother, Sheritsa, played on the softball team that also competed in the top division. In later years, after the family returned to Curaçao, Mariekson developed not only into a very talented baseball player but also into a Major League shortstop. Mariekson adopted the nickname Didi from his father and played in the Major Leagues for the Cincinnati Reds, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees, and Philadelphia Phillies.
Loek Loevendie had an eye for talent and attention to detail. He could tell right away when someone had something special, and he often provided extra training. To many of these players, as well as many other club members, Loevendie was simply Uncle Loek—and often remained so.
It wasn’t just the youth program that enjoyed success in the 1970s. The flagship teams in both baseball and softball also regularly finished at the top of their respective divisions. In 1981, the baseball team was promoted to the top division. The softball team also advanced to the top division. Six years later, a dream came true when the Amsterdam Pirates defeated Neptunus in the Holland Series and became national champions for the first time in club history. Loek Loevendie was among the first on the field, tears in his eyes, to celebrate with the team and congratulate the players, many of whom had played for him on youth teams.
In 1982, the club opened a brand-new clubhouse with a beautiful terrace, which was located behind right field and thus offered a magnificent view of the entire field. The cornerstone for the new building was laid (of course) by Loek Loevendie.
After the 2000 season, the club moved from its old location on Jan van Galenstraat to its current home at Sportpark ‘Ookmeer’. There, the club was given more space, including two full-sized major league baseball fields, a major league softball field, and a youth field. The club also gained its own sports hall.
A few years later, Loevendie established his own baseball and softball museum, which overlooks the field in the gymnasium. Many artifacts and photos from the Pirates’ history are on display here, as well as items related to baseball history in general. In setting up and decorating the museum and compiling all the items, Loevendie received a great deal of help from Ger Lange, who now oversees the museum.
On the afternoon of Sunday, September 29, 2013, Loek Loevendie brought his active career as a youth coach to a close. On that day, he coached a cadet team from the Amsterdam Pirates for the last time in a game against the Tex Town Tigers from Enschede. Before the game began, Loevendie threw the ceremonial first pitch. His coaching career spanned a period of no less than 65 years, beginning in 1948 when he started coaching youth soccer teams at Rap at the age of 16. For the past fifty years, he coached youth baseball teams, something he always enjoyed the most. After his final game, Loevendie said, “I would have liked to have continued, but my back just hurts too much. It’s time to stop coaching. But I’ll just keep being active for the club, you know. I’m still involved in many things, such as the youth committee, equipment, the museum, and much more. And, of course, I’ll continue with the Wednesday afternoon workouts. Then I just sit on a chair and throw the balls to the batter. I love coaching youth and helping them improve. I still have plenty to do.”
And indeed, Loevendie continued to oversee his famous Wednesday afternoon workouts. That was until a few years ago, when health issues forced him to stop. Despite these physical ailments, he obviously kept coming to the Pirates’ field as often as possible, because he didn’t want to miss a thing. And he was always there whenever the club’s major league team played at home.
In addition to coaching youth teams at Rap/Amsterdam Pirates, Loevendie also served as game secretary for the club’s youth baseball program for several years. He began doing so in the late 1960s and continued until the early 1970s. A few years later, until sometime in the early 1990s, he served again as game secretary, but this time only for the senior baseball teams, as Kees van Vegten had by then taken over the youth game secretary position. Several times during this period, Loevendie stepped down from this administrative role, but then returned a few years later.
Loevendie was also involved in maintaining the playing fields, marking the lines for many years, and serving as groundskeeper. From the 1970s through the 1990s, he also acted as a consultant whom opponents could consult to determine whether a field was playable after rain, for example. In the early years, he shared this role with Doon van der Steeg.
Loek Loevendie also briefly served on the Amsterdam Pirates club board and served as president for about two years in the early 1970s. However, he argued that he was not cut out to be a club director. He always said, “I’m not a driver; I’m someone who wants to do things, be on the field, and coach youth players.” However, he was a member of the association’s youth committee for many years until a few years ago. In that role, he was better suited because he was then closely involved in what he loved most: training youth and sharing his ideas. After he stepped down as president, but especially for his many contributions in previous years, Loevendie was named an Honorary Member of the club.
From 1970 to 1974, Loevendie also served as secretary of the Youth Committee of what was then known as Rayon Amsterdam. Other members of this committee included Bertus Caldenhove, Dolf Davidson, Miel van Heuven, Wim Joost, Joke Lammen, Benno Niemeijer, Dick Pels, Wim van der Poel, Roel Post, Coen Stoovelaar, and Victor van Swede. Loevendie served as an alternate Federal Council delegate for teams from the Main and First Leagues (1974–1975) and for Rayon associations from Amsterdam (1983–1989).
Over the years, Loek Loevendie has received several awards for his work.
At the Federal Council meeting of the Royal Dutch Baseball and Softball Association (KNBSB) on February 28, 1976, the Slugger was awarded to Loevendie. The Slugger is the highest award of the Dutch Federation for individuals or organizations that have made a significant contribution to the promotion of baseball and softball in the Netherlands in the previous year(s). Loevendie received the Slugger because he had been involved with youth baseball for many years and took a special interest in the game as played by very young children. For this age group (starting at 4 or 5 years old), Loevendie established game rules for a format they could play before eventually moving on to real baseball. Loevendie’s ideas were then developed by a larger group of people, leading to the creation of peanut ball.
In 1983, Loevendie was named Member of Merit of the then Rayon Amsterdam for his many contributions to youth baseball.
A few years later, Loevendie received a special ring from the Amsterdam newspaper
Het Parool
. At the time, this ring was regularly awarded to individuals who had distinguished themselves in a variety of fields, including sports.
For his many years of service in various capacities within the Rap/Amsterdam Pirates organization—including coaching youth teams, promoting baseball and softball, and much more—Loek Loevendie received a royal decoration on April 29, 2004. On that day, he was named a Member of the Order of Orange-Nassau.
On October 4, 2014, Loek Loevendie became the newest member of the Dutch Baseball and Softball Museum’s Hall of Fame. On this day, he was officially inducted into the Honor Row before the start of Game 4 of the Holland Series between the L&D Amsterdam Pirates and DOOR Neptunus at Sportpark ‘Ookmeer,’ the Pirates’ home field. Loevendie’s plaque was unveiled at a gathering in the clubhouse, after which he was honored before the start of the game. He became the 49th Hall of Fame inductee and the first since 2009.
In December 2014, the Amsterdam Pirates hosted the first international indoor youth baseball tournament in their own sports hall. In recognition of his longstanding contributions to youth training within the club, the tournament was named after Loek Loevendie. The Great Ome Loek International Indoor Christmas Baseball Tournament became an instant success and drew many spectators. In 2018, tournament organizers Pepijn Beerman and Byron Ward (both former Loevendie youth players) led the fifth edition. Last December, unfortunately, the seventh edition could not take place due to COVID-19 restrictions. Of course, Loek Loevendie was always present in person to watch the young teams (pupil-age) in action, sitting on a throne made especially for him. Due to health problems, he attended only one day in 2018 and 2019.
On June 2, 2016, at Amsterdam’s Stadsschouwburg, Loek Loevendie was awarded the Penning van de Sportraad Amsterdam. This award is presented to a person or institution/association that has made a major contribution to sports in Amsterdam through daring, vision, ambition, and commitment. The jury wrote that it “praised Loevendie’s years of service with the Amsterdam Pirates Baseball and Softball Association and his many contributions to the development of both sports in Amsterdam. In his acceptance speech, Loevendie said, “I had a great time at the Pirates as a coach. I still enjoy giving BeeBall training to the very young every Wednesday. It’s hard to walk away from the sport.”
In February 2019, the Amsterdam Pirates celebrated their 60th anniversary. On Saturday, May 18, it was a special afternoon at Sportpark ‘Ookmeer,’ where both the first baseball and softball teams played at home against Hoofddorp Pioniers and UVV, respectively. A ceremony held before the games officially commemorated the club’s 60th anniversary. During this ceremony, the new name of the Amsterdam Pirates’ baseball and softball complex was unveiled: Loek Loevendie Ballpark. This was followed by a memorable first-pitch ceremony, attended by Ronald Stoovelaar and Judith van Erk, who were the first to represent the Amsterdam Pirates on the Dutch national baseball and softball teams. Stoovelaar was one of many youth players who played for Loevendie on the then Bleesing (pupils) team. Ronald Stoovelaar caught the ball thrown by former Pirates Head Coach Charles Urbanus, while Judith van Erk threw a softball to former teammate Evelien Bode, who had reached the Orange level as the Pirates’ second youth player.
The 2019 season ended with a huge success, as the L&D Amsterdam Pirates baseball team made history in the Holland Series against Curaçao Neptunus. The team lost the first three games, but then staged a spectacular comeback and became the first team in history to win the next four games after trailing 3-0 to become national champions. Uncle Loek was able to celebrate this title in person. Also in 2019, the women’s softball team secured promotion to return to the top division in 2020.
From the very beginning in 1959, Loevendie was on the field almost every day. He enjoyed spending time at his club’s facilities and being with others, chatting with his many baseball and softball friends or playing cards.
Loevendie couldn’t sit still; he was always working on something. Whether that was coaching, giving instructions, collecting scrap paper, working in the cafeteria, preparing fields, expanding his museum, or watching games. In later years, he also enjoyed attending games, watching from his own seat and looking around proudly. How “his” Pirates had grown into one of the leading clubs in the Netherlands. And thinking back on all the successes over the years of those youth teams and all those young players he had coached.
Loek Loevendie was and will always be not only a club icon, but also “Mr. Pirates.” We are going to miss him terribly.
Goodbye, Uncle Loek. Rest in peace.
The board of Baseball Week Haarlem extends its condolences to Loek’s wife Riet, his sons Loek Jr. and Marco, and the rest of the family, and wishes them much strength in coping with this devastating loss.
(Feb. 6)
Text: Marco Stoovelaar
Source: Grand Slam * Stats & News
© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar