Hawke's Bay softball legend Chubb Tangaroa has been experiencing considerable pain in recent weeks while awaiting a hernia operation.
However, that pain was eased a little yesterday when Tangaroa heard he was one of three Kiwis to be inducted into the International Softball Federation's Hall of Fame at the congress meeting in Oklahoma City at the weekend. Former White Sox pitcher Gina Weber and former Black Sox statistician Russell Moffat were the others.
"I did a lot of hard yards in the game and now I'm being recognised. The awards keep coming," said Tangaroa who joins another former Bay pitcher Owen Walford in the ISF Hall of Fame.
Earlier this year Tangaroa was inducted into the Hawke's Bay Sports Hall of Fame and he has previously been inducted into Softball New Zealand's Hall of Fame. In June the three-time world champion became the first international inductee at the Legends of Fastball Classic in Canada. Tangaroa hopes to have a presentation function to celebrate his ISF induction in Hawke's Bay later this summer.
"It would be neat to have it here at home as there are so many people who I played alongside and it would mean a lot," he added.
