R.I.P. Richard Todd

* Richard Todd, founder of WebBall site, right, shown here with his dear friend Pete Caliendo of Chicago, passed away April 10. A Celebration of Life will be held for the man with the baseball-shaped heart Saturday, April 25 at 1 PM at 1340 Dominion Ave. in Port Coquitlam, BC. ….  

2015 Canadian draft list …. Canadians in College …. Canadians in Minors 2016 Canadian draft list Letters of Intent

Richard Todd was honored at the BC Minor awards banquet when he was named in the builder’s category to the Roll of Honor at the Langley Events Centre in February.

Originally Published March 14, 2014

By Bob Elliott LANGLEY, BC _ There were a million stories and almost as many sites during the internet era.

Richard Todd was one of those dreamers.

Battling word press.

Putting up pitching, hitting and practice drills.

Answering emails.

Clearing up questions.

Scouring all the resources he could find to help promote the game of baseball.

A funny thing happened while Todd was spending all those hours banging away at his machine.

His site — WebBall Baseball’s Resource Center — grew and grew.

It grew to the point where he was mentioned in USA Today Baseball Weekly.

He even hobnobbed with the rich folks at Forbes.com.

Yet, he said he never knew for sure.

That is until the annual BC Minor awards banquet at the Langley Events Centre.

Todd was one of three men presented with Roll of Honour awards.

“I’ve done things here and I didn’t even realize what I’d done or that anyone around here was paying attention,” Todd told the crowd when the applause finally quieted down.

Todd’s site, which covers all ages, helps coaches plan practice and athletes improve.

WebBall was founded in 1996 to help his own team and by 1999 it became a business,

WebBall reaches baseball people in at least a dozen countries, but most of its followers are south of the border.

Like so many, Todd’s passion was passed down from his father, also named Christopher from watching the Montreal Expos early years at Jarry Park.

An active coach for 25 years he also served on the BC Baseball board.

Little did Todd know he was a leader, a baseball leader, touching lives … spreading lollipops, and touching people he wasn’t even aware of … as Drew Dudley speaks about in this clip.