Cluny Macpherson “Mac” Rideout – Athlete/Builder

Inducted April 5, 2008

Cluny Macpherson “Mac” Rideout quickly demonstrated that he was going to be a force to be reckoned with when he first entered the competitive world of baseball as a minor leaguer. His skill and dominance as a pitcher soon became evident as he recorded numerous no-hitters. In 1960, Rideout was named Little League Player of the Year. At age 15, he was drafted by the Guards Athletic Association to begin a pitching career on the local, provincial, and national junior scene that has been unequalled. Rideout was fortunate enough to be part of a team that won one National Championship, eight Provincial Championships, and ten St. John’s Championships. In addition, he received seven Top Pitcher Awards, three MVP Awards, and was named Senior Rookie of the Year. He also received the Top Batter Award and led the league in six batting categories while playing with St. Bon’s in the St. John’s Senior Baseball League in 1970. In 1968, Rideout was scouted by the Boston Red Sox. Although Rideout dominated baseball as a player, his real contribution to the sport was in his organizational ability, his ability to teach young players the fundamentals, and his commitment to making sure things were done right. In 1980, Rideout took on the job of reorganizing and rebuilding the Guards Athletic Association’s junior program. Rideout prepared a group of recent graduates from the Pony League and by the summer of 1981, he had a St. John’s Junior Champion. In 1982, he took over the Mount Pearl Minor Baseball Program and in a period of five years transformed the program into the best organized and run minor baseball program in the province with over 700 players. He was also instrumental in the hiring of the first full-time paid technical person for Mount Pearl Youth Baseball. After leaving the Mount Pearl Minor Program, Rideout coached the Guards Athletic Association’s teams for seven years. For his outstanding efforts, he was awarded the Charlie Quick Award for outstanding contribution to the Guards Athletic Association, the Association’s highest honour. Rideout then decided to take on the challenge of turning around the CEI Senior Team who had finished the year before with a 7-17 win-loss record and out of the play-offs. His efforts rejuvenated the team, resulting in many players having career years and the team finishing in first place with a 15-1 win-loss record. Mac Rideout has been inducted into the Newfoundland and Labrador Baseball Hall of Fame, the St. John’s Baseball Hall of Fame, and the Mount Pearl Sports Hall of Fame.