When the idea of a provincial softball hall of fame was first raised back in the early 1990s, sports reporter and historian Vince Leah wrote a column where he mentioned candidates from softball’s golden era of the 1920s to the 1940s. Earl Haines was one of several pitchers listed and Leah stated that he was the “first of the windmill hurlers.” While that may never be documented, the reporters of the 1930s described Haines as “a lanky trick-delivery star” and “an extra-ordinary pitching ace.” Haines primarily pitched for Maroons in the intermediate and senior diamond ball leagues where his “freak delivery” helped him rack up high strikeout totals throughout his career. In 1939 while with the intermediate champion Long Hats, he pitched a no-hitter and struck out 19. Haines passed away on May 20, 2005, less than two weeks after his sister Audrey Daniels, also a pitcher, was inducted into the Manitoba Softball Hall of Fame.