Smacking a softball was where Gillie excelled. His shots were legendary. He was one of a handful that hit ball over right field fence. The fence was 270 – 280 feet away and climbed 40 feet high. He was only person I ever saw that hit a ball that soared over that fence onto Goldsmith Avenue. His hits seemed to gain height as they cleared fence.

For me, Gillie always represented strength, dedication and just being a real good guy. He never used his size and strength to put others down. It was his way of building himself up.

Aron Wallad has been a baseball lover for over 45 years. His passions have included; playing, watching, reading , evaluating, and coaching the game he adores. Check out his baseball ezine. For inspiring quotes, unusual statistics and most of all heartwarming stories go here.

There is no greater feeling on earth than hitting a ball over a fence and running around bases at your own speed. And I would be just like Scott Rolen, who has fastest home run trot in game -- no-nonsense, get back to dugout and prepare for that next at-bat. I would be even-keel like a Cal Ripken and a Tony Gwynn and take satisfaction from reaching my potential every day and living in that zone and being completely in every inning. The above article was written and given to this publication with permissions by Mark Newman – You can find Mark at mlb.com

For me hitting a ball on sweet part of bat is best. As far as doing anything in sports, I cannot think of anything that pleased me more. This includes shooting a basketball, scoring a touchdown, or sinking a long put in golf. When I played, it was my fantasy to hit one squarely. This is what I dreamt about. Hit one to right center. Hit one to left center. Hit one down line. Always hit it hard.

Aron Wallad has been a baseball lover for over 45 years. His passions have included; playing, watching, reading , evaluating, and coaching the game he adores. Check out his baseball ezine. For inspiring quotes, unusual statistics and most of all heartwarming stories go here.