Strike one up for Tangaroa | Hawkes Bay Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Hawkes Bay

Hawke's Bay softball legend Chubb Tangaroa would be excused if he opted to join the "corporate box brigade" next summer.

They're the spectators who sit under their sun umbrellas with their chilly bins behind the outfield fence on diamond one at Akina Park, Hastings.

Tangaroa, along with the Bay's most capped Black Sticks hockey player, Caryn Paewai, will be inducted into the Unison Hawke's Bay Sports Hall of Fame at the Hawke's Bay Sports Awards function in Taradale next weekend.

But, while Tangaroa, 48, might occasionally join those in the "corporate box brigade" for a stint of reminiscing and a cold ale or two, the father of six and grandfather of one has no intention of being a permanent deckchair resident yet.

"There's one more world title to come. You know me ... I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't think we could win it," said Tangaroa.

He decided to come out of international retirement last year and assume the Black Sox pitching-coach role for the 2013 World Series at North Harbour.

Before then he would have had a tournament or two with his son Ihaka's Hawke's Bay under-13 side.

"That's why I've given the Hawke's Bay senior men's job up ... I want to develop another crop of youngsters," said Tangaroa.

However, the Te Kura Kaupapa Maori O Ngati Kahungunu Ki Heretaunga head of physical education admitted the memories flowed when he was first told about his induction.

"I was rapt. I considered it an acknowledgement of the work I've done around the Bay. A lot of other people in a lot of different sports have done a lot more work and haven't been acknowledged but my international background was probably a key factor," said Tangaroa.

The three-peat - World Series titles with the Black Sox in 1996, 2000 and 2004 (the first as a player, the others as pitching coach) - is the highlight of Tangaroa's international career. He ranks the 1996 title as his best.

"That was all about getting pride back and wiping out four years of hurt after we finished second in 1992. The 2000 one was all about a repeat and the 2004 one was all about whanau ... winning for a lot of the boys who were playing at their last World Series," recalled Tangaroa.

The lowpoint was the second place in 1992.

"I started the final but couldn't finish it. It still hurts and so does the 2009 second placing although I wasn't part of the team ... I was still part of that wider whanau."

A couple of heart scares, one when he was playing in the States in 1995 and another in 1997 forced an earlier-than-expected finish to his international playing career.

"My heart condition is hereditary from Dad. But they say those things happen for a reason and they influenced my decision to become a pitching coach," said Tangaroa.

He rates former Black Sox coaches Mike Walsh and Don Tricker as the best Kiwi coaches he has either played under or worked alongside. Another top coach he played under was Chuck D'Arcy, with the Guinella brothers in the United States.

"Chuck was also a pitcher and he taught me a lot about dealing with umpires and other players. The fact he was a district attorney also helped," said Tangaroa.

The keen golfer has enjoyed taking talented Hawke's Bay youngsters on to Black Sox level.

"I remember when I spoke at the Tamatea Rugby Club's 1996 prize-giving. I told them one of their own, Thomas Makea, would one day be the best softballer in the world ... Ten years later, he was the best," recalled Tangaroa.

He arrived in the Bay in 1990 with the plan of staying for a year or two.

"We're still here ... guys like Craig Waterhouse, Graham England and Chris Hill made it too good to leave."

We couldn't leave Tangaroa without getting him to name his best Hawke's Bay Selection, a side containing the best players he played alongside in the Bay.

It is: Pitcher, Tangaroa (we had to help him with this one); Catcher, Tony Simpson; First base, Rayner Te Wake; Second base, Joachim Paul; Third base, Kevin Gettins; Short stop, Vallance Horne; Left outfield, Thomas Makea; Centre outfield, Vaughan Dellow; Right outfield, Kevin England. Substitutes, Brian Smith, Max De Brett, Les Broadman.