Plaque to P.E.I. big-leaguer a reminder; 'don't ever give up'

Amy Handrahan remembers as a kid listening to her father Vern reminisce about his Major League Baseball career with friends in their Charlottetown home.

"For me, as a kid, I was standing there thinking I can't believe my dad was in Yankee Stadium pitching. Like what? No way, you know, he's a postman, he's my dad," she said.

Vern Handrahan is the only Islander to reach the major leagues in the modern era.

He was drafted by the Milwaukee Braves in 1959 and made his major league debut in 1964 with the Kansas City A's.

Handrahan died in 2016, and a plaque was recently erected in his honour at Memorial Field in Charlottetown.

"I think it's amazing," Amy said. "It's somewhere where I can come and I know he'd be hanging around here. I think I'd come here and visit him a lot more often."

In the summertime if the windows were open you could hear him roaring and my mom used to say, 'Vern, you're roaring tooloud.'- Amy Handrahan

Vern got his start in baseball at Memorial Fieldand after he retired and became a postmanhe would spend many days and nights watching baseball at the field.

He'd offer tips to the young players, Amy said.

"If anything, he would say don't ever give up, because it's possible."

Baseball always on the TV

At home, baseball was always on TV, Amy said.

"In the summertime if the windows were open you could hear him roaring and my mom used to say, 'Vern, you're roaring too loud.'"

Greg Stapleton, a local baseball fan, was the driving force to get the plaque erected by the city of Charlottetown.

He said he always remembered seeing Vern watching games at Memorial Field.

"You always knew when Vern was here, you'd see the Atlanta Braves jacket andthe Atlanta Braves hat, the toothpick would be in mouth, the tinted glasses, and he'd be standing out there, he wouldn't really be talking to anyone just kind of taking in everything and enjoying the night, enjoying the game of baseball."

Stapleton said he hopes young Island baseball players who see the plaque will appreciate Handrahan's accomplishments, and be inspired to chase their own dreams.

"This guy did something amazing, starting here at Memorial Field as a teenager and making it all the way to the major leagues."

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