Anton Belous was born Jan 17, 1904 and was a typical farm boy growing up. The son of Russian immigrants, he had come to find a land of peace and freedom. He came from a family of 12 children and loved his God, and loved his baseball.
Belous began his baseball career during the hard times of the 1920s and '30s. Baseball was his pride and joy during the summer and part of the fun was to walk four miles to and from Hyas for ball practice.
Belous became a well-known left-handed pitcher with a sharp eye and an unbelievable fast and furious curve ball. Belous's brother Peter played catch with him on the farm and claimed to have been knocked out a few times with that hard curve ball.
Belous also played first base and was nicknamed "Base Thief" for his skill in stealing his way around the bases even though his batting skills were not very strong.
It was during the '30s that the Hyas Baseball Team was exceptionally strong. They won the 1930 NESBL Championship, and again were league champs with Belous pitching in 1936.
Belous would knit his own baseball sweater out of wool produced by his mother on her spinning wheel.
This is a quote of David Egge from his article," One Baseball Hero And The Truth About The Big Leagues", published in "Prairies North", Summer 2005.
"sometimes we discover the makings of a great man in the ordinary person who works beside us in our own community. Saskatchewan has a great many of these unknown heroes. I had the good fortune of meeting one, a centenarian named Anton Belous. The decay of the body in old age sometimes masks the nobility of the soul within. It was only through the eyes of those who had known him that I saw a glimpse of the true man."
Mr. Egge goes on to say baseball was almost like a calling for Belous. The ball came into his pitcher's mitt as though it was his destiny. Belous became a pitcher without peer. His touch on the ball was like magic. His powerful left-hand pitching baffled his opponents. He would join a game in the bottom of the ninth inning, with the bases loaded and effortlessly strike out three batters. Belous's coach, Eric Quist, nicknamed him "Crooked Arm". His skill far surpassed that of professional ball players. If he wanted riches and fame, all he had to do was reach out and take them.
But, such things had small pull on his soul. Belous's outlook on life was that it was more important who a man was, than the goals he achieved or what he possessed.
Family was important. When he married he hung up his glove and the possibility of greatness.
Anton Belous died March 9, 2004 at the age of 100 years and now he will take his place in the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum alongside other Saskatchewan baseball legends at the 27th annual induction Aug. 20.
