Mrs. Murphy's son gets hitched

It's a big day for West Carleton Electric's Neil "Murph Dog" Murphy, who is getting married to Margaret Rivett. Margaret is a ball player too - a match made in fastball heaven.

Congratulations Murph and Mags.

GOFL games postponed tonight

The GOFL games on the schedule are both postponed tonight, albeit for different reasons.

Carp I4C Victory was to face the Micksburg Twins tonight, but the Victory have player / pitching issues. This game has tentatively been rescheduled to Thursday June 20.

In what is a league first, the game in Quyon has been "flooded out". West Carleton Electric were to take the short boat ride over to face the Flyers, but the water has been very high in the Ottawa River lately. At one point less that two weeks ago, pretty much all of the smaller diamond was underwater and most of right field on the main diamond was submerged. While the floodwaters have receded, the field has been determined to be still too soggy to play ball so the game had to be postponed. No date has been set yet for the make up.

56ers defeat Blitz, Konkle earns win - UPDATED

The Stittsville 56ers beat the Manotick Blitz 9-6 in GOFL action on Wednesday night at the Grove. Dan Konkle has his first win for the 56ers, in relief of Trevor Scott. Jamie Blakely took the loss in relief of Derick Bulley and had relief from Shannon Borho.

details from Ivan Taylor

Stittsville 56ers Use Big Inning to Defeat Manotick Taylor's Blitz

 Trevor Scott took to the rubber for the 56ers.  He allowed an unearned run in the first inning when Derek Martin reached first and Derick Bulley hit a double.  Derick Bulley got the start for the Blitz.  The 56ers went three up and three down in the first.

Matt Bowman hit a single in the top of the second but was stranded by the Blitz.  The 56ers got a run to tie the game with a one out single by Tyler Nystedt followed a double be Trevor Scott.

The Blitz got three runs in the top of the third inning.  Marcel Mondoux led off the inning with an infield single, Derek Martin knocked him in with a double.  Derick Bulley followed with a walk.  Then Jon Ferguson knocked in Martin and Bulley with a one out double.  Matt Bowman walked with two out but the Blitz stranded two.

In the bottom of the third inning, the 56ers tied up the game.  With two out, John Craig hit a single followed by a single by Dan Jessiman.  The Blitz brought in Jamie Blakely in relief.  Dan Bradley reached on an error.  Then Tyler Nystedt hit a single to tie the score before Blakely got a strike out to end the inning.

Dan Konkle came on in relief for the 56ers and the Blitz went three up and three down in the top of the fourth.  The flood gates opened for the 56ers in the bottom of the inning. Mike Barrett led off with a double.  Darren Ladouceur followed with a walk.  Darren Featherstone cleared the bases with a triple.  Jon Craig and Dan Jessiman walked before the Blitz brought in Shannon Burho in to pitch.  Dan Konkle then hit a single followed by another single by  Barrett.  By the time the dust settled the 56ers had sent 11 players to bat and scored 6 runs to take a 10-4 lead.

The Blitz stranded a one out single by Tony Searle in the top of the fifth.  The 56ers went three up three down.  The Blitz stranded two walks in the sixth.  Dan Jessiman led off the bottom of the sixth with a triple and then with the 7-run mercy rule looming Burho got the next three outs.

In the top of the seventh, Derick Bulley got hit by a pitch.  Then Tony Searle singled.  Shannon Burho and Matt Bowman hit singles scoring Bulley and Searle.  Konkle finished it with two strike outs to end the rally and the game.

The final score was 10-6 for the 56ers over the Blitz.  Dan Konkle got the win and Jamie Blakely took the loss.

********************************
Nice to see "Konks" back in action in the GOFL. For his win in his first appearance as a 56ers as well as his RBI, Dan Konkle is Caveman's Choice for player of the game.

Kars defeats Barrhaven in GOFL opener (with details)

The defending champions Kars Aces beat the Barrhaven Broadway Blues 14-9 in the GOFL season opener in North Gower on Tuesday night.

Info from Chad Milne

Kars and Barrhaven opened the 2013 GOFL season on a frigid night in North Gower, but the cold weather didn't seem to affect the bats as this one turned into a slugfest. Kars jumped out to an early 6-0 lead after 3 innings, highlighted by a Cory Alkerton fly ball that found the grass in no man's land in right centre, falling in for a bases clearing, 3-rbi single. Barrhaven roared back with 9 runs over the next 2 innings to close the gap to 12-9 after 5 innings. Tony MacDonald (Barrhaven) and Kristian Knapp (Kars) traded 3-run homers in the 4th inning. Kars added 2 more runs in the 6th inning to close out the scoring. Cory Alkerton went the distance for Kars to pick up the victory. Paul Ceppi was charged with the loss, while Trevor Lahey and Jason Smith saw action in relief for Barrhaven. Final score Kars 14, Barrhaven 9.

Cory Alkerton gets the nod as Caveman's Choice for player of the game for his key 3-rbi single and for pitching 7 gritty innings.

Kars stats:

K. Knapp: 1/3, HR, 4 rbi, 3 runs, 2 BB
C. Alkerton: 2/5, 3 rbi, 2 runs
C. Milne: 2/4, HR, 2 rbi, 2 runs, BB
Jamie Smith: 0/2, 3 runs, 2 BB

 

Barrhaven st

Robin Mackin Pitching Clinic

Robin Mackin Pitching Clinic


Robin Mackin will be hosting a pitching clinic on May 23rd from 6-9 PM at Riverrain Park.

Robin is one of the best pitchers in Canadian history, and was a member of the 2008 National team that competed in the Beijing Olympics. Robin also pitched for Fresno State and Nebraska University and was named All-American and Academic All-American at both schools. She moved to Ottawa to study medicine at UOttawa. In 2005, Robin led Team Ontario to a silver medal at the Canada Games. A two-time MVP of the national tournament, Mackin was also named the two-time Pitcher of Ontario.

She is both an Athletic and Academic All-American and was an offensive and pitching star for Nebraska and Fresno State. She led her offense at both Universities. At Fresno State for two seasons and made an immediate impact for the Bulldogs as a freshman in 2006. In her rookie year, she set school records with 19 double-digit strikeout games, 402 strikeouts and a 10.3 strikeouts-per-seven-innings average while ranking in the top 10 in five other categories. Mackin set the school record for most strikeouts in a seven-inning game with 17. Robin was also a two-time WAC all-tournament team selection, earning MVP honors while leading Fresno State to the title as a junior. Mackin earned third-team All-America and CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in 2007. A two-time NFCA All-West Region selection, Mackin was also an eight-time WAC Pitcher of the Week and earned one award as the WAC Hitter of the Week. In her first year at Fresno State she was named “NCAA Freshman of the Year” and “NCAA Pitcher of the year”.

Robin is currently studying medicine at the University of Ottawa. It is not an exaggeration to say Robin is one of the best pitching coaches in Canada, as she combines extraordinary mastery of the technical requirements of pitching, with her biomechanical background as a medical student.

The cost of the clinic is $25 per pitcher and pitchers are asked to bring their own catcher. Both male and female pitchers are invited.

U14 6-7 PM

U16 7-8 PM

Open 8-9 PM

Please register with Scott Searle by emailing him at Scottsearle@rogers.com

It will be first come, first served so register quickly to avoid disappointment!

Park Address:

400 North River Road

World Masters Games team raffle

from Kevin McGuire
Contact him at kmcguire3@hotmail.com

Coaching question

Ok all you minor softball coaches out there. A question:

If you were coaching a Squirt Boys team (10-12) and your third baseman showed up with a stack of comic books and wearing a trilby hat, how would you handle that situation?

Asking for a friend.

Caveman pitching debut

The Caveman has taken the Softball Ontario pitching course this year and the previous year - but up until Thursday, he had never actually pitched in a "real" game. After countless hours of practicing in the gym and in the backyard, it was finally time for his debut in pitching in a fastball game.

The Caveman is actually only "Atom" age - in West Carleton, that's 'coach pitch'. But his aunt and uncle coach one of the Mites teams in Fitzroy, featuring Cousin Herb. They were short this week - including both of their two main pitchers absent. So the call came and the Caveman was very excited. He has played Mites before, sparing last year on a couple of occasions, including a Mite Selects game which he still talks about ("Daddy, remember the time I stole home in that Selects game, Daddy?").

But this time was different. This time he was given the heads up they wanted him to pitch.

The game was in Kinburn. We arrived early and warmed up. Then the questions started. "Will they let me pitch, Daddy. I'm pitching, right? Do I get to pitch the first inning? How many innings will I pitch?"

I did my best to manage his expectations - after all, he was a guest on this team.

But it turns out his Auntie had him slotted in to pitch the first inning. When he was told that he had the ball to start, there was a look of happiness one would usually equate with Christmas morning. His dad on the other hand was a nervous wreck. His older brother Fitzroy Junior has pitched before, but he is a much more easy-going child. As regular blog readers know, the Caveman has a bit of temper. I was somewhat worried that if it didn't go well I may never be able to convince him to play ball again let alone pitch.

Not being part of the coaches for this team, I began to pace. I wore a path along the fence of that Kinburn diamond that will probably take a trailer load of topsoil to fill. I had no idea how he would do. It's one thing to pitch to your dad after school, but quite another in a game with kids up to two years older.

His catcher was our neighbour Arnold (you may remember this story) and he did well to give the Caveman a good target.

And then play started and he started throwing strikes. I am talking the Mites version of beebees. Keep in mind he just turned 8 and he was throwing against up to 10 year olds. Now, truth be told, he did walk a few kids, but mostly he just blew the ball past these poor Kinburn kids who couldn't even foul it off. The best player from Kinburn stroked out a triple to the grass as Cousin Herb stood still in centre, hands in his pockets; but other than that they barely touched him.

In the West Carleton Mites league, half innings last until the hitting team scores five runs or the defense gets three outs. Probably about 70 per cent of the time the team scores the five runs. But with the Caveman on the slab for two innings, the other team only scored one run, and he got six outs - all by strike out. These strikeouts were not spazzy kids swinging at pitches of their heads. These were fastballs right over the plate that the surprisingly good 13 year-old umpire recognized as legit strikes.

I probably should get my priorities straight. He is a very good student at school, a loving boy that you can't help but want to hug, a wonderfully crazy amusing child....but I was never so proud of him watching him pitch in a Mites house league game like that. He had very high expectations for himself and he did so well.

And hey....if the Caveman turns out to be a fastball pitcher going forward, surely that will be a great source of blog stories!

Official Caveman pitching line, preserved on the blog for prosperity:

WP: Caveman 2IP 1R 1ER 2H 3BB 1HBP 6K

Williamsburg Tournament schedule set

The schedule for the Casey at Bat Tournament in Williamsburg will have 10 teams in 2013. The tournament takes place on May 24-26.

Friday May 24
6:30pm Williamsburg vs Domville
6:30pm Barrhaven vs Cornwall
8:30pm Blitz vs Lyn

Saturday May 25
8:30am Donnacona vs Quebec Midgets
10am Barrhaven vs Napanee
10:30am Williamsburg vs Eastmain
12:00pm Domville vs Blitz
12:30pm Cornwall vs Donnacona
2:00pm Lyn vs Eastmain
2:30pm Williamsburg vs Blitz
4:00pm Quebec Midgets vs Napanee
4:30pm Barrhaven vs Donnacona
6:00pm Domville vs Lyn
6:30pm Cornwall vs Quebec Midgets
8:30pm Blitz vs Eastmain
Sunday May 26
9:00am Donnacona vs Napanee
9:00am Barrhaven vs Quebec Midgets
11:00am Williamsburg vs Lyn
11:00am Domville vs Eastmain
1:00pm Cornwall vs Napanee
SemiFinal 1- 3pm
SemiFinal 2- 3pm
Finals 5:30pm

GOFL season starts next week

The Greater Ottawa Fastball League 2013 season kicks off next week with all 8 teams in action.  Full schedule is available at www.GOFL.ca.

Week One see the Barrhaven Broadway Blues visit the Kars Aces in North Gower on Tuesday at 8:30pm, while the Blitz faces the 56ers in Stittsville on Wednesday at 8:30pm. Thursday sees two games with Fitzroy Harbour West Carleton Electric visting the Quyon Flyers (assuming the diamond is no longer flooded) at 7:30pm and Carp I4C Victory going up the line to Micksburg for the Twins home opener at 8:30pm.

Fenelon Falls Tournament

Fenelon Falls, ON tournament

August 23 - 25
12 teams
Entry fee $350 due by 3rd week of July - deposit of $100 due by last week in Jun
Contact: Shannon Post heyu686@hotmail.com

Loughborough Fastball League update

from Jeff Hannah
The Loughborough Fastball League has five teams this season.

North Fred Kings (defending champs)
Sydenham men's (finalists)
Enterprise
Sunbury
Napanee Juniors

The Sydenham Jrs have graduated so that team is no longer together, but players have spread themselves around the league. The Napanee Midgets have graduated to Junior, so there will be no midget team but a strong and young Junior teamout of Napanee. The Newburgh team has also folded, but has spread some players around the league.

The playoffs will again be done in a series format with the top 4 teams making the playoffs.

NHL Playoff Hockey Pool fundraiser

from Eric Rosenquist

The NHL Playoff Pool - "Procrastinator's Edition" is back for another year. Most pools set their deadline to be the drop of the puck on the first night of playoffs; this one lets you submit or revise your entry up until Saturday May 4th at noon Eastern time.


This year the proceeds are going to a joint cause. They'll help offset the expenses of the Carp I4C Victory GOFL team, plus they'll go towards travel expenses for a team comprised of several GOFL players that is attending the World Masters Games in Torino Italy this August.

Hedge your bets & create as many entries as you like, but make sure you arrange to send in $10 per entry. This is one of those “box pools” where you have 20 multiple choice boxes; sometimes guessing works out better than listening to the NHL “experts” – people who took a chance on 8th place LA last year ended up finishing at the top of the pool.

The payout is 35% of the take for first place and 15% for second place. Last year this pool had 420 entries, so if the numbers in 2013 are the same the winner will be collecting $1470!

The cutoff for entries is Saturday (May 4th) at noon Eastern time. Most of the series will have 1 or 2 games played by then, so save the confirmation emails you get from OfficePools in case you decide to revise your entries before the Saturday deadline.

Good luck to all, and please share this with anyone and everyone you think might be interested. Folks can send their entry fee electronically to kmcguire3 (at) hotmail (dot) com, or eric (at) rosenquist (dot) com. Contact either of those emails if you wish to mail a cheque and we'll send you the mailing address.

Entry form: http://www.officepools.com/pool/invites/pick/994ZGHZ

Standings: http://www.officepools.com/pool/auth/2012/playoff/Annual_NHL_Playoff_Pool/Fastball

OASA Springboard Clinic a huge success

Thanks to all the volunteers organizers and coaches that made the OASA Springboard softball skills clinic at Stonecrest Elementary School on Saturday such a success.

The West Carleton Minor Softball Association did a survey at the end of last season to see what interested players - and a general skills clinic was top of the list.

About 100 boys and girls showed up to learn various softball skills in what was a well run day. Special thanks to Dale Aiken for putting everything together.

Expansion in local leagues

Fastball fans often hear bad news about teams folding, struggling leagues, etc.

So it is good to hear when leagues are adding teams and expanding.

GOFL: As reported earlier, the Greater Ottawa Fastball League is growing to eight teams with season with the addition of the Micksburg Twins.

Fitzroy Harbour Men's Fastball League: The house league in Fitzroy Harbour has experienced growth the last few years, with an influx of young players. With several news player signing up for the draft and the addition of a local West Carleton Midget Select team to the league, the FHMFL has gone from eight to ten teams for this season.

North Leeds Fastball League: This league, in the Brockville area, has added two teams: Domville Midgets and Lyn. They join Athens, Eastons Corners, Greenbush Generals, Greenbush Juniors, Newboro, and Seeley’s Bay to make for an eight team loop.

Has your league expanded too? Let us know the good news. Send an email to fastball@fitzroyharbour.com and I will post the info.

Caveman Practice Plan

As all veteran coaches know, you have to have a good plan to make a practice successful.

Since I am coaching Fitzroy Junior's Squirt Boys team, the Caveman's Atom team will be coached by his mom. Caveman is very excited for the upcoming season. While Fitzroy Jr and I were away at practice tonight, the Caveman asked Mrs Fastball what they would be doing at his practice later this week.

Because he was so keen, she let him devise the practice plan - and it actually isn't too bad!  See below, spelling left intact.

1st practist stuff

1. blob tage
2. runing throught 1st base
3. cathing driles
4. infeileding / outfeileding
5. how to hold the bat
6. tell posetions

End!!!!!

While his spelling needs work, it's actually not too bad a plan for a group of 6-8 year olds.

Softball season almost upon us

Word on the street is that Blackburn League has 8 teams again this year, and so does the Glen Cairn Men's League. I believe the New Edinburgh Fastball League is going with 4 teams again. GOFL is expanding from 7 to 8 teams as per an earlier announcement, and the Fitzroy Harbour Men's Fastball League is looking to possibly expand from 8 to 10 teams (including a new midget team) - if they can figure out the diamond time. Fitzroy Harbour kids softball registration is up too, almost 100 children registered. (Population of the greater Fitzroy area: approx 1000.) Good news all around.

The two boys and I were out enjoying the nice weather tonight, practicing our pitching skills as per the orders of "Coach Jamey" from up the line. Then a little batting practice and the next thing you know the girls from next door were outside, a couple of parents joined in, and a fun game of "scrub" softball ensued. Good times. Has me itching for the beginning of fastball season even more than before.

Anyway, after a good game, it was time for bath and bed for the lads. Then I had the unfortunate experience of the following conversation. (Honestly, there is no way I could make this stuff up.)

[voices from the bathroom as they are getting dried off]

Fitzroy Junior: "Caveman! Yuck! Stop chewing your nails!"

Me: "Caveman, listen to your brother. Chewing your fingernails is a bad habit."

Fitzroy Junior: "Daddy, he was actually chewing his toenails."

Me: [SPEECHLESS]

Caveman, exits bathrooms shrugging his shoulders: "Sorry, Daddy."

OASA Springboard Clinic this Saturday in West Carleton

The OASA, in partnership with West Carleton Minor Softball, is presenting a "Springboard" fastball skills clinic for boys and girls this Saturday April 27 at Stonecrest Elementary School in Woodlawn.

There are sessions for young kids in the morning, with older kids in the afternoon.

Response has been outstanding - we have had over 110 kids sign up to attend the clinic!

Looking forward to a great day.

New Men's Team: Napanee Express

Announced on Al's Fastball

Good to see a men's team out of Napanee on the tourney circuit.

Exciting news from Napanee, Ontario.


We are pleased to announce a new competitive mens tournament Fastpitch team from Napanee, Ontario. With support of Softball Napanee we have formed an exciting young team to compete in competitive tournaments in Ontario and the U.S. The team will be known as ‘NAPANEE EXPRESS’. Brad MacDonald and Daryl MacDonald felt there was a void for local players to continue with their fastptich careers after finishing the junior level. We polled some junior graduates and felt there was a real desire to keep playing top level Fastpitch. With that momentum over the winter we approached Express players to begin the process of putting the team together.

The team selection has solidified with a terrific group of athletes.

Every player on the roster has had time with the Napanee Jr Express program and experienced competition at the Canadian Nationals including gold, silver and bronze medal winners. All these players will continue
to play with their local league teams as they have in the past.

Our tournament selection has been finalized for this season. The Express will begin with the Crush Victoria Day tournament in Woodstock(May), Jim Bradford-Neil Cane in Cobourg(June), Mickey Brennan Memorial in Lackawana (July), Gil Read Memorial in Carp (July) and finish off the season with the NAFA Worlds in DesMoines, Iowa (Aug).

The roster is comprised of a pitching staff including Ian Wallwork, Josh Lockridge and Jordan MacDonald. The catching duties will be shared by Dan Burnham and Murray Hodgson. Position players are Kyle Lloyd, Joel Langford, Kristian Knapp, Lucas McNeill, Scott Mills, Ryan Mills, Adam Alexander , Nathan Moffat and Chris Switzer. The squad will have great team speed and defense, a good mix of power and contact hitting and solid pitching.

At this time we are still looking to secure a sponsor to aid in the promotion and development of the tournament team. We are looking forward to providing this opportunity to the players and endeavour to continue the program for years to come.

Team Coaches:
Brad MacDonald
Daryl MacDonald

To Contact Brad or Daryl
napmensfastpitch@gmail.com

Parry Island Hawks new website

The Parry Island Hawks, champions last year at the ISC II level, now have a new website.

GOFLers Joe McCleary, Matt Greer and Joran Graham will all be suiting up for the Hawks this season, who are managed by the one and only Derek Pinkerton.

Announcement: GOFL welcomes new club in Micksburg

The Greater Ottawa Fastball League will be expanding to eight teams in 2013 with the addition of a club in Micksburg.

The Twins, longtime powerhouse in the defunct Upper Ottawa Valley Men's Fastball League, will participate as a full member of the top area league in eastern Ontario and western Quebec.

Right away, the Micksburg club will be considered a contender for the league title as highly-regarded area pitchers Joran Graham and Corey Costello will toe the rubber for the Twins. The team is expected to field a squad of both veteran GOFLers and young area ball players.

Micksburg joins Fitzroy Harbour West Carleton Electric, Quyon Flyers, Stittsville 56ers, Carp I4C Victory, Kars Aces, Barrhaven Broadway Blues, and the Ottawa Blitz.

The GOFL schedule is under development and should be made public soon. The season will start the second week of May.

Would you buy hockey tickets from this man?

Well, if you would, read this.

Season starts soon.....and Caveman quotables

With April drawing to an end I am sure many players young and old are looking forward to ball season starting.

Caveman and Fitzroy Junior have once again signed up for the CanPitch sessions in Fitzroy Harbour. These are a great opportunity for kids to learn the mechanics of pitching. They are also a great way for their dad to learn more about teaching young players the basics of our sport's most important position.  I highly recommend it if you have young ball players.

As we wait for the weather to warm up and the softball season to start, the Caveman has been up to his usual antics. A few recent quotable quotes:

Training required
I guess the Caveman's experiences with learning to pitch have him thinking about appropriate training for all aspects of life - as demonstrated by this recent exchange last month:
Caveman: "How old do we have to be before kids can drink beer?"
Me: "We talked about this before - 19"
Caveman: "Do I have to take a course or something like that?"

Fake ID required
Caveman is desperate to play what he calls "real ball" - in other words graduate from Atom Coach Pitch to Mites, where he could use his pitching skills on a regular basis. Unfortunately he is a year too young to move up to Mites. He had a bit of a tantrum the other night when this was explained to him - repeatedly. Once he calmed down he came up with what he thought was a reasonable compromise: "Daddy, couldn't you just lie about my birthday?"

Inquiring minds want to know
Caveman was learning recently at school about making sure you can provide evidence when giving answers. (Things have changed since I was in grade two.) With Fitzroy Junior and I away one evening, the Caveman decided to put this methodology to work. "Mommy? Tell me the top three reasons why you married Daddy, with proof."

Blackburn Tournament update

BMFL Mens and Womens Summer Kickoff Tournament (June 13th-16th) **UPDATE**


Due to the tremendous success of the 2 tournaments we put on last year, we are kicking off the 2013 with a bang.

This year we are looking to not only have a Men's division but we want to add a Women's division as well.

We would like to have a minimum of 8 teams per division. The Men's division will be Fastpitch and Women's will be orthodox/conventional.

There have been a number of teams showing interest and a few confirmed. If you or anyone you know is interested in putting a team in make sure to send an email to the address below ASAP.

Interested/Confirmed Teams:
Gloucester Heating (BMFL)
Sebringville Sting Jr's
Curve Lake Trappers
Ottawa Taylors Blitz
Glen Cairn All Stars
Knights (BMFL)
Guzzlers (BMFL)
Eastmain Fireballs
Chisasibi Jays
Wemindji White Sox

There has been a bit of interest from womens teams but no confirmations yet.....

The entry fee will be $300 per team.

There will of course be food and beverages on site for all players and spectators.

Any teams who wish to register please email derek.t.martin@hotmail.com.

Pitcher need for New Edinburgh Men's Fastball League in Ottawa

Looking for possible spare pitchers for New Edinburgh Pub's fast pitch team. We have recently lost 2 of our pitchers for this up coming season and are in need of pitching. If you know of anyone that might be looking for some extra games could you please have them contact me at geoffgrace@live.com.

Robert (Bob) McClintock Facebook page

Check out the Facebook page made in honour of Robert (Bob) McClintock, who was a fastball pitcher back in the 70s and 80s for teams in the Kemptville area, and who died at an early age. Lots of great old articles and photos from years gone by, include a good photo one with a young Bob Templeton (former commish of the GOFL) from back in his Junior days!

Thanks to Brenden Holmes for the tip about the site.

New Edinburgh league looking for pitcher

from Martin Thornell
We're looking for an intermediate level fastball pitcher to join our team in the New Edinburgh Men's Softball League. We play one game a week on either Wednesday or Thursday night, starting at 6 p.m. at Stanley Park in New Edinburgh. This is a fun, competitive, 4-team league with players between ages 20-60. Contact me if interested in joining or learning more. martinthornell@gmail.com

Caveman road rage

Numbers are looking decent for West Carleton Minor Softball so far. Our formal registration sessions are done, but if you know a kid that would like to play minor softball, let me know at fastball@fitzroyharbour.com and I'll get them on a team.

In other news, the Caveman was on the road with Grandma recently when another car cut in front of Grandma's van. The following conversation was reported by Grandma, who also thinks / knows that Caveman is a nut.

Grandma: "Oh would you look at that dummy!" as the car cuts her off.

Caveman: "You can do better than that, Grandma."

Grandma: "What do you mean?"

Caveman: "You can come up with a better word than 'dummy'."

Grandma: "Oh OK.....um...what a jerk."

Caveman: "C'mon you can do better."

Grandma: :  "OK, what an a__hole!"

Caveman: "That's better, Grandma. Good job."

REMINDER: OASA Springboard Clinic in West Carleton April 27

West Carleton Minor Softball and the Ontario Amateur Softball Association are pleased to present:

"Fastball Springboard"Come out and learn how to improve your softball skills! Master Pitching Instructor and Team Canada Coaches will teach you how to pitch, catch, hit and field!

For male and female athletes aged 8 – 12 and 13 – 18

Minor Team Coaches will learn about skills, drills, practice organization and strategy.

Saturday April 27, 2013
Stonecrest Elementary School,
3791 Stonecrest Road, Woodlawn

$ 10.00 fee includes T-Shirt
Visit www.oasa.ca for registration information.

GOFL announcement

Some interesting news should be coming for the Greater Ottawa Fastball League for the 2013 season shortly. Keep checking the blog for an upcoming announcement.

In other news, it's been confirmed - the Caveman will be playing the lead role in Stonecrest Elementary School's grade two production of "Louis La Grenouille" (Louis the Frog). He is very excited for this opportunity to act. In fact this morning he asked if he could have flies for breakfast to get into character.

OASA Masters

2013 OASA Masters Championship : Cambridge Ontario

Please be advised that the dates for the O.A.S.A. Masters A and B Provincial Championships have officially been changed.

 

The tournament was originally scheduled for July 12-14, the new dates are July 19-21.

The tournament location has not changed, it will still be held in Cambridge Ontario.

I would like to thank the host chairman Brian Hood for his co-operation, in moving the tournament one week later.

Hopefully more teams will be able to enter this great tournament due to moving the tournament one week later.

 

For further information please contact tournament director Mike Goodridge at 289 389 9158

goodridgesoftball@gmail.com

Thank you,

Mike Goodridge

goodridgesoftball@gmail.com

(289) 389-9158

An offer from Pugger

The following is from Shawn "Pugger" Williams, friend of fastball in our area.

Dear Members of the Fastball Community:


Get Ahead of the Game…..NOW!
Get Your Very Own Priority Registration Number (PRN)
For CFL Football and Ottawa Fury FC NOW!

As many of you know, in 2014 the Ottawa Sports & Entertainment Group (OSEG) is returning a Canadian Football League (CFL) franchise to Ottawa and entering a new franchise in the North American Soccer League (NASL), Ottawa Fury FC.

This is a very exciting time for the sports landscape in Ottawa, Eastern Ontario and Western Quebec.

In the near future, OSEG will launch a Priority Registration Number (PRN) Campaign to encourage fans of both sports to secure a place in line to order tickets.

As a person in my network, I am able to offer you the opportunity to get in line now before the broader public campaign begins in a few weeks. In addition, if you know friends that may not be in my network but interested in CFL Football or the Ottawa Fury FC of the NASL, forward this information to them and I will be pleased to assist them in obtaining their own PRN. Your network becomes an extension of my network as a way to assist your friends, family and business associates.

For a modest non-refundable $25 per seat commitment, OSEG will issue you a PRN that will allow you in the coming months to purchase seats for either or both sports.

• Is your business looking to reward your best clients? Get your PRN now for an opportunity to purchase Club Seats with access to an amazing state of the art exclusive Club Lounge area on the South Side.

• Longing for fall football? Get several friends together each with their own PRN and cheer on the new CFL football team as it returns our city to the glory days of Ottawa’s football history.

• Get supporters together and be able to sit as a group to sing Ottawa Fury FC on to victory!

• Own a restaurant? Purchase multiple seats in different sections for either or both teams and be able to offer your loyal clients some of the best seats in the new stadium.

Contact Shawn at for your PRN Form. You will then be assigned a PRN for the CFL Team, the Ottawa Fury FC or both.

Don’t wait until the broader public campaign begins. This allows you to get in NOW! Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Let’s Go Ottawa!

Shawn Williams
Manager, Partnerships
Ottawa 67’s Hockey Club
C: 613.302.5019 / P: 613.232.6767, Ext. 258
shawn@ottawa67s.com

Please note our new address!

700 Industrial Avenue, Suite 220
Ottawa ON
K1G 0Y9

KJ at Furman University

Kyle Jamieson of the Stittsville 56ers has a new head coaching gig at Furman University, a Division I school in Greenville, SC.  Kyle has been coaching women's softball in the NCAA since 2000 and this is his first shot at a head coaching job.

Good luck to KJ. The season has already started down there. An alert blog reader sent this interview with the Paladins new coach prior to their home opener last week against Kennesaw State from Georgia.

New Zealand wins at the Worlds

New Zealand are ISF Men's World Champions - they defeated Venezuela 4-1 in the final. Al's Fastball has the story.

New Zealand in the final at ISFs

New Zealand is in the final, awaiting the winner of Australia and Venezuela at the ISF Men's Worlds in Auckland. Jeremy Manley helped get them there.

Canada lost to Argentina and were eliminated.

Williamsburg 10th Annual Tournament

from Lyle Schell

10th Annual "Caset at Bat" Fastball Tournament, we have had a great run over the previous nine years.

May 24,25,26. 2013

$375.00 entry
1st place- 1200
2nd place- 700
3rd place- 300

Prize money is based on 10 teams.

No restriction on players, unlimited defense.

Chicken BBQ Saturday, followed by a live band Saturday evening.

Refreshment gardens open ALL weekend.

Cheques made payable to:
Williamsburg Fastball
4303 Pinkus Dr
PO box 122
Williamsburg On
K0C 2H0

Lyle Schell
613-219-5367
613-535-9949

ISF Worlds field narrows to six

There are now six teams left in the ISF Men's World Tournament in New Zealand after yesterday's games. (Samoa and the USA were eliminated from the playoff round.)

I watched the live stream of Australia - New Zealand double life playoff game last night. It started at 11:30pm EST and ended at 3:00am. What an incredible game - the Kiwis won 5-4 with a walk off single in the bottom of the 10th. This game had it all. It started with the "Haka" by home team in front of a crowd of 3,5000. Then the game followed with incredible pitching, clutch hitting, speed, defense, an intentionally hit batter, a near brawl, a charged catcher and a walk off single. Thanks to @Funky26 for convincing me to pay the $5US to watch it. The stream was a TV feed from New Zealand "Sky Sports" that was very high quality and had NZ legend Mark Sorenson doing colour commentary. (The Black Sox were "we" for most of the game to Sorenson.)

I missed the Canada - Venezuela game since I did need some sleep. The Canadians got two-hit and lost 3-1 to the Venezuelan team, so Canada has a do or die game tonight against Argentina at 8pm EST.

Here is the schedule for tonight (which is Saturday in New Zealand):

Today's Schedule, Day 9 with (Local Time) and time in Canada EST

C5 W-C1 Japan vs L-C3 Australia (11:30am) – 5:30pm
C6 W-C2 Argentina vs L-C4 Canada (2:00pm) – 8:00pm
C7 W-C3 New Zealand vs W-C4 Venezuela (5:00pm) – 11:00pm
C8 W-C5 vs W-C6 (7:30pm) – 1:30am

For more information on the tournament, and to learn how to sign up for the live streaming, visit Al's Fastball.

Caveman recovery and other news

Recovery

Well, the Caveman has almost completely recovered from his broken arm. It's been a long 10 weeks of recovery, with two different casts followed by a custom splint.

Last week, we went for a check up. After the x-ray, the doctor said that he didn't have to wear the splint all day, but he did need to put it back on for a couple of weeks during gym class or other activities where there was a risk he could fall. Now, the Caveman has been away from hockey since Christmas and he misses it desparately. His novice (U8) team has a tournament this weekend - I asked if it was at all possible if Caveman could play. "No, it wouldn't be a good idea to play hockey that soon."

NOT the answer the Caveman was looking for at this time. His face got very red, and tears started slowly to drip out the corners of his eyes. The young doctor felt bad, gave him a pat on the head and said "Sorry, but it's for the best."

He kept his rage bottled up until we left the examination room. Then, he could hold it no longer as we walked out to the parking lot.

"Stupid doctor, what does he know. I never fall at hockey, I'm not like the other kids, I'm good, I can stay on my feet, I won't hurt my arm, just let me play Daddy, we don't have to tell that dumb doctor, can I just play in the tournament Daddy!?"

Clearly, I shouldn't have mentioned the tournament to him. Oh well, he's over it now and looking forward to softball season.

New curse word

It may not surprise you that the Caveman has invented a new 'curse' word. Recently, he was playing ministicks hockey with his brother (using his left hand, as his right hand was in a cast) and Fitzroy Junior cheered after what he thought was a goal. Caveman, unconvinced said "That's bullshoes, no goal!"  We not sure if he misheard the actual word in the past, or if he just decided this version would be better as it wouldn't get him in trouble. In any event, "bullshoes" is the newest profanity in our house. Try saying it the next time you want to curse but don't want to offend anyone.

Birthday beverage

Caveman celebrated a birthday last month; he has now spent 8 years entertaining us. For his special day, he wanted to go out for supper, for his favourite restaurant meal, chicken 'muggets'.

Before we went, he asked if he could order a special drink. He's doesn't get to have soft drinks at home, so we were thinking maybe he wanted a Sprite or something similar. But no.....he wondered "Could I get a .5 beer at the restaurant?" Uh no, sorry, we don't need the Children's Aid making a house call. "But it's not REAL beer, Daddy, why not?"  I am figuring his high school years may be problematic.

Amazing discovery

The other morning, Caveman got out of bed late once again. He shambles into the bathroom - and I hear "Wow, this is cool!".  Turns out that the Caveman had figured out that he didn't have to completely lower his underwear down to his knees to have a pee. He discovered that there is a opening in the front of his underpants to allow 'access'.  "Did you know about this, Daddy?"  Mrs Fastball claims I am a failure as a father because I never taught him that.

Hockey season

While the Caveman has been sidelined, Fitzroy Junior has been playing hockey (or as my US American friends sometimes refer to it, "soccer on skates") with his atom (U10) team.  They have had a very good season, including a tournament win in Barry's Bay - a town which is not the end of the world, but you can see it from there.

Fitzroy Junior has been working hard, practicing on the outdoor rink and really seeing some success on the ice. This year, he's scored 20+ goals in league, tournament, and playoff play - a far cry from three years ago when he led the league in "almost goals".

His team is in the division final vs their arch rivals from Carleton Place. Hopefully he will take home the crown, then ease right into softball season full of confidence!

Canada finishes first in their pool at ISF Worlds UPDATED with link

Team Canada finished pool play at the ISF Men's Worlds in New Zealand with a 7-0 win in five innings over the Netherlands.

Their first place finish has them facing off against Venezuela at 2am EST tomorrow Friday morning.

UPDATED: Here is the game story from Softball Canada.

Canada mercies Colombia

Team Canada won 8-0 in five innings over Colombia at the ISF Men's Worlds in New Zealand in Day 6 action. Sean Cleary, who made an appearance in 2011 at the Gil Read Memorial Tournament in Carp with I4C Victory, was perfect facing the minimum 15 batters.

As per the Softball Canada site: "Team Canada (5-1) will play its last round robin game against the Netherlands (1-4) at 10:00pm EST Wednesday night on Diamond 2, and would clinch first place in Pool B with a win."

Japan beats Canada at ISF Worlds

Japan defeated Canada 4-1 in Day 5 of the ISF Men's Worlds in New Zealand. Canada was held to only two hits, both by Mathieu Roy, who also drew two walks.

Next up in Day 6 action is Colombia (3-2) vs Canada (4-1) at 10pm EST. 

6th Annual Gil Read Memorial Tournament

The 6th Annual Gil Read Memorial Men’s Fastpitch tournament will be held once again at the Carp Fair Grounds in Carp, Ontario the weekend of July 26th, 27th and 28th, 2013.

The first 12 teams will be accepted with entry fee set at $450. This is an Open class tournament without restriction.

Prize money will be handed out as follows (Based on a 12 team format):
1st Place $1,800.00
2nd Place $700.00
3rd place tie - $250 each

Last year’s winners were the Toronto Gators.

Fantastic beer garden with the best burgers around, all in support of the Gil Read Memorial Foundation. www.gilreadmemorial.com.

Contact Info
Al Read
aread@solowaywright.com
wk 613-782-3204
hm 613-435-3199

Canada 4-0 at ISF Men's Worlds

Team Canada pulled off a big win at Day 4 of the ISF Men's Worlds, defeating the host New Zealand team 9-7 in 8 innings to go to 4-0 win/loss record.

Today, Canada plays Japan, with Kyle Smith doing the Twitter "play by play" at 11pm Eastern tonight.

Glen Cairn League looking for two pitchers

from T-Mac

The GCMFL which was established in 1971 and is one of Ottawa's longest running sports league is in need of two starting pitchers. We are looking to the greater Ottawa fastball community or beyond to try and find two pitchers for Glen Cairn Men's Fastball League. Also if interested of course we are always looking for new position players and sign up can be done online at http://www.gcmfl.pointstreaksites.com.

So if you are a starting pitcher and can commit for the 2013 season we look forward to hearing from you.

Please contact us at executive@gcmfl.com or Tony Macdonald by email at macton17@hotmail.com

Thank you
GCMFL Executive

Jeremy Manley at the ISF Worlds

Jeremy Manley, the New Zealand 30-year old ace, is throwing for the Kiwis at the ISF Worlds. Attendees at the Elkland Labour Day tournament will be familiar with the hard throwing Manley for his performances at the ESA ballpark. Here is a story on Manley from Al's Fastball.

Team Canada wins first game at ISF Worlds

Team Canada won their first game at the ISF Men's Worlds in New Zealand with a nine inning 2-1 win over Argentina. Mathieu Roy, familiar to local fans as a member of the Donnacona Blue Sox / Team Quebec scored the winning run.

Al's Fastball has the round up.

Softball Canada Launches New Triple Play Website

TORONTO, ON- Softball Canada along with the Player Development Working Group is pleased to announce the launch of its new Triple Play website, targeting softball players aged 10 to 18 years old. The website can be accessed by visiting www.tripleplaysoftball.ca.


'Our Triple Play Program is now a reality and its excellent website is now launched' said Softball Canada President Kevin Quinn. 'This website is a very exciting tool which has sections for players, coaches and parents. This will eventually provide young athletes the opportunity to see how they match up against other athletes across Canada and will provide some very useful information for coaches and parents as well. Congratulations to Mary Cahill and her hard-working committee for an excellent job on this program and the website.'

The Triple Play website aims to engage athletes in the Learning to Train, Training to Train and Training to Compete stages of Softball Canada's Long Term Player Development model, as well as their coaches and parents. The website contains information for each of these three user groups and softball fans in general. Players can read softball stories, access performance tips, play games and enter contests. Another major feature for players is the Profile and Rewards Program, which allows players to collect online reward badges and build an online softball resume.

Coaches will have access to Softball Canada's new Skills Improvement Program. They will also be able to recognize their player's achievements throughout the season with the Triple Play Rewards program. The coaching section will offer resources including weekly drills and dynamic warm ups.

The website also offers articles for softball parents.

For more information about the Triple Play program, please contact:
Mary Cahill
Manager - Domestic Programs
Softball Canada
(613) 523-3386 ext. 3107
mcahill@softball.ca

Minor Softball Registration time

Local minor softball organizations are in the process of ramping up for the 2013 season. See below for a list of local organizations offering fastpitch softball for kids. Many of these have in person registration days in the next few weeks.

If I have missed any, let me know.

West Carleton Minor Softball Association (home of Fitzroy Junior and the Caveman!)

Stittsville Minor Softball Association

Richmond / Munster Minor Softball Association

Orleans Amateur Fastball Association

Athens Minor Softball

Augusta Minor Softball

Barrhaven Children's Softball

Cornwall Kinsmen Minor Girls Recreational Softball

Gloucester South Youth Softball Association

Kenmore Softball Association

Rideau Osgoode Minor Softball Association

Greely Softball Association

Vars Softball

There are some other organizations (McNab/Braeside Minor Ball, Upper Ottawa Valley Minor Softball) for which I can't find websites.

Also check out the listing on the Softball Ontario site for our zone.

Blackburn Men's League Registration

The 2013 BMFL registration will be held on March 4 and 19 at the Blackburn Arms (2586 Innes Road) from 7 to 9 pm. Games will once again be held on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday nights in Blackburn. For more information visit the league website.

Trend Arlington Registration

Registration Night for the Trend Arlington Men's Fastball Leauge is March 4 from 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm, at PJ Quigley's, 250 Greenbank Road in Nepean. See their website for more information on this recreational men's fastball league.

Death of Jake Rouleau

John "Jake" Rouleau, 62, of Arnprior died yesterday. Jake was a former teammate of mine on the Arnprior Arrows fastball team back in the 90s. Jake's brothers Chris, Paul, Tim and Jeff all played fastball as well in the Arnprior league and Fitzroy leagues, and his brother Steve umpired fastball, as did Jake after he quit playing ball. Jake was also a minor and men's hockey referee in Arnprior for almost 30 years. Just a few weeks ago, Jake officiated some fast-paced 40+ hockey action in the league in which I play.

Jake leaves a widow and four sons, and plenty of extended family and friends. My condolences to the Rouleau family - Jake was a "good lad" as we say in the Ottawa Valley and will be missed.

GOFL Winter Meeting 2013

The Greater Ottawa Fastball League met on February 6 to discuss the upcoming season. Few new things, but a few points of interest:

- Fitzroy Harbour will host the Final Weekend Showdown tournament to determine the playoff champion.
- Pitching regulations will be more strictly enforced.
- The league will introduce the "Tim Craig Utility Player of the Year" award to be determined by team representatives at the conclusion of each season.

Attendees:
Adam Brown (WC Electric)
Steve Edgerton (Barrhaven)
Lindsay Medynski (Barrhaven)
John Craig (Stittsville)
Marcel Mondoux (Blitz)
Eric Rosenquist (I4C Victory)
Cory Morrison (Kars)
Joe McCleary (Quyon)
Steve McCord (Quyon)
Ted Mecalfe (EOUA)

- The seven teams (and their home diamonds) confirming their participation for 2013 are as follows:
o WC Electric: Fitzroy Harbour - Tuesdays, potentially a Friday or two
o Barrhaven Broadway Blues: Manotick on Wednesday
o Ottawa Blitz: Manotick on Wednesday
o Stittsville 56ers: Stittsville on Wednesday
o Kars Aces: North Gower on Tuesdays
o I4C Victory: Carp on Thursday
o Quyon: Quyon on Thursday
- Another team expressed interest previously in entering a team in the GOFL. It was determined that the league would welcome a team and the schedule could be 'creative' to permit them to play in the league. There was a decision to give them until March 15 to make a decision.
- Ted Metcalfe is the umpire in chief for the league.
- Ted reviewed the new rules and forwarded a summary to Adam who distributed to all teams
- Adam has volunteered again to create the schedule. Teams were asked to forward any special scheduling requests to Adam.
- Doubleheaders will be scheduled whenever practical. Manotick will continue to host a doubleheader every Wednesday. Other locations could also be able to host some double dips.
- Regular season will start the second week of May, with the regular season schedule running for 11 weeks. Rainout make ups and playoffs to follow.
- Teams will play a balanced schedule of 18 games (9 home, 9 away), with three games against each team. (Subject to change if additional team does enter)
- Each team will continue submit a line up card at the plate meeting to the umpire & their opponent. Joe contacted Mike Branchaud at Softball Canada about ordering line up cards for the league teams.
- Game cancellation: as per before if a team needs to cancel a game (for any reason other than weather), 24 hours notice should be given to the opposing team’s representative. If a visiting team fails to show up with enough players or cancels too late to notify the umpires, then the visiting team will pay for the officials’ fees. If diamond fees are going to be charged to the home team, the offending team will have to pay for the make up diamond rental fee.
- In case of weather-related cancellations, the umpires and opposing team must be given two hours notice. This is the home team's call.
- Rain shortened games: for games to count in the standings for regular season four (or three and half) innings are completed. Games not "official" will need to be replayed at a later date. For playoffs, same as before, the game will resume at a later date from the point at which the game was delayed.
- Game stories can be sent as soon as possible so the blog can be updated. Report should at a minimum include the score, the winning and losing pitcher and any home runs hit.
- Statistics should be updated by team representatives as soon as possible on GOFL.ca. Jon Ferguson of the Blitz will manage GOFL.ca.
- For the regular season, each team is responsible for their own expenses, including by not limited to diamond fees, umpire costs, balls, etc. (see exceptions below re: playoffs).
- Regular season tie-breaking: 1) points (2 for a win, 1 for a tie) 2) wins 3) head-to-head 4) run differential in head to head 5) coin flip
- Playoff format continues:
o 1st place team to be awarded bye to final weekend showdown. Team may decline the bye, and it would go to the next team down the standings and could be waived down to the next team, etc.
o Play off series: best of five, 2nd vs. 7th, 3rd vs. 6th, 4th vs. 5th. To be completed during August.
o Final Weekend Showdown: four team double knockout tournament, with top seed playing lowest seed in one of the first round games. Two games on Friday September 6, remainder of the tournament on Saturday September 7, Sunday September 9 and/or the following weekend will be the rain date. Fitzroy Harbour will host the FWS.
- Playoff extra innings: if a playoff game is tied, the ‘international rule’ shall being in the 8th inning.
- To be eligible for playoffs, a player must have participated in six league games for his team. In addition, if this player wants to pitch in the playoffs, he must have thrown 18 innings during the regular season. To have this rule waived due to injury or other reasons, the requesting team can ask for a vote of the other team captains to allow playoff participation.
- The cost sharing formula for playoffs will continue. For the playoffs series, if there are an odd number of games (3 or 5), teams shall split umpiring and diamond costs for the final game.
- For the FWS, all teams shall share equally in the umpiring costs; the host team will pay for the diamonds and retain all profits from such things as Pepsi sales; each team will supply one new ball for each FWS game.
- Playoff winner fund: $500 to the FWS winner and $200 to the FWS finalist. The I4C Trophy will be awarded to the playoff champion.
- Edgy will look into ordering softballs through Softball Canada for the league and advise.
- “8 man rule”: in order to continue to ensure minimal defaults, teams will be permitted to start games with 8 players. There will be no “auto-out”. If the ninth player shows up late (or a lucky fan is found), then the team can insert this player in the ninth position in the line-up. However, if a team has only 9 players and one is ejected, the team will then forfeit the game. If a team has 9 players, and there is an injury and the player cannot continue, the team may still play with 8, but then the auto-out will apply.
- “Mercy rule”: will continue as 7 after 5, 5.5, or 6
- “2 out catcher rule”: optional.
- “Discipline”: Same as previous years: first ejection player at a minimum receives a “yellow card” - next ejection automatically results in one game suspension, minimum. Each ejection will result in an umpire’s report and a team’s report. Suspension could be given for any ejection depending on severity. In the past few years this has not been a problem with the GOFL and hopefully that will continue.
- “Bat rule”: The GOFL will continue with the ISF / ISC bat rule. Any bat with the ISF stamp or ASA 2004 or 2008 stamp would be legal. As per Ted, the 2013 stamp is for slow pitch only.
- NEW: “Pitching rule”: It was determined that the league will ask the umpires to be more stringent in enforcing the pitching rule. Pitchers need to ensure front foot stays on the pitching rubber during windup. Pitchers must also stay "in the chute". Each team manager will discuss with their pitching staff so they are not surprised if called by the umpire.
- "Injury substitution" rule: If a team has used all substitutes on the bench, and a player in the lineup cannot continue due to injury, one of the previously substituted players can return to the game in his place, even if he is not "re-entering" as per the rules. This applies in an injury situation only.
- Other Softball Canada rules apply. Note new rules as forwarded by Ted.
- There are no restrictions on team rosters (any player, junior, senior, etc. can play). Once a player participates in the league for one team, he cannot play for another team that season.
- Eric will obtain insurance coverage through the OASA for all interested teams.
- NEW: The GOFL will honour the late Tim Craig with the "Tim Craig Utility Player of the Year" award, to be determined through the league All-Star voting at the end of the season. Joe will look into getting a plaque or trophy made.

Pickering Invitational Tournament

Pickering, ON

Men's Fastball Tournament
Thursday June 13 to Saturday June 15

(Father's Day Weekend - no Sunday games)
$350
3 game guarantee
Looking for 12 teams, top 4 to earn prize money
Contact: Dave Northern dave.northern@sympatico.ca

Cobourg Tournament

Cobourg Jim Bradford - Neil Cane Invitational
June 7-9, 2013


Two men's tournaments at the same venue:
- Masters, Intermediate and Junior tournament
- Open tournament / Major Men's tournament
Cobourg Legion Fields.
Entry is $400 - guaranteed 4 games
Entry must be in by May 1st

Steve Bedard
905-885-0821
sjbgolf@hotmail.com
sjbgolf@sympatico.ca

May long weekend tournament in Woodstock

Crush Victoria Weekend May 2-4 Tournament in Woodstock


The Crush Men's Fastball team will again be hosting the Annual Woodstock Victoria Weekend Fastball Tournament for 2013. This tournament runs: May 18th, 19th, 20th (Possibly to have games start on Friday, May 17th)

Entry Fee : $400.00
Cheques to be made out to: "Crush Mens Fastball Club"
Prize Money: TBD based on a pending # of teams
Format : TBD based on a pending # of teams
We would like to again have Pool Play with "A", "B", "C" Finals
3 or 4 game guarantee depending # of teams participating

Tournament Eligibility - (same Rule as 2012 tournament)
This tournament will be open to all positional players who have and have not played at the Senior level in the past. However, we will not allow any Senior pitchers who have current ISC PRAWN status (as a pitcher) to pitch in the tournament. This restricted list will be posted shortly.

There will be a licensed beer garden, with food.
There is again a Midway with rides for the kids of all ages.
Victoria Day Parade will be on route by the ballpark on the Monday Morning.

Info:
Darryl Wharram

519-521-0156
d.wharram(at)on.aibn.com