2010 Elkland tournaments update

from Bill Sherman via Al's Fastball

The Elkland Softball Association officially opens its doors to the 2010 season this Saturday May 1st with its annual ESA II level early bird 5 team limit round robin.

This will start the first season that ESA will be without its founder/owner Durk Sherman as he lost his battle with diabetes on September 6th 2009. Things will be and have been a lot different around the ball park with out him here but ESA is very determined to make 2010 one of its best seasons ever.

Teams are already doing there part as we have filled with verbal commitments the early bird round robin (5 teams) the Molly Sherman Memorial held over Memorial weekend (12 teams) the 17th annual ESA II level first weekend tournament (16 teams) and the 58th annual Durk Sherman classic over Labor Day weekend has 16 verbal commitments thus far as well.

Here are the teams that will be competing this Saturday May 1st

ESA Bellys- Elkland Pa
NY Express- Rochester NY
NY Bombers- Cortland NY
Papa Johns- Bedford Pa
J.A. Transportation- Elkland Pa

Games start at 10am and ends at 5pm with concessions chicken BBQ and as always the beer tent will be open.

If anyone needs any further information please feel free to contact me at esabill30@yahoo.com.

And just for old time's sake, here they are rockin' it old school in Elkland, from an undated photo on the Friends of Elkland Fastpitch Facebook page:

2010 ISC Guide Available

from Ken Hackmeister

The 2010 edition of the ISC World Championship Guide will be available for ordering after May 3. We have unfortunately had to increase the price this year to $10 per copy. It has previously been $7.50 for the past 10+-years but the cost of paper and shipping expenses have forced us to make this modest increase.

The 2010 Guide is 144-pages of ISC activity in 2009 including full World Tournament and ISC II Tournament of Champions results, photos and stats. It includes photos of the 2009 ISC Hall of Fame inductions, Hall of Fame rules and nominating information, 8-categories of 2009 championship stats, color photos of all 2009 World Tournament teams and umpires, 15-pages of all-time ISC All-World Players going back to 1947, an all-time ISC records section for offensive, defensive and pitching stats and much much more.

There are three ways of ordering the 2010 Guide.

1. On line - Go to www.iscfastpitch.com and click on the ISC products link in left margin. Follow the links and payment is made by Visa or MasterCard.
2. Mail a $10 cheque or money order payable to ISC to: Ken Hackmeister 153 E. 200 S. - #10 Farmington, UT 84025
3. Email iscken@comcast.net and provide the following information for a credit card payment:
A. Name as it appears on credit card
B. Card number
C. Expiration month/year of card
D. 3-digit code on back of card near signature line
E. House number of your card's billing address. If your address is 15 Maple Street, we need the 15.
F. Postal or ZIP Code of your card's billing address

Please allow about 1-week from order receipt by us until you receive the Guide. We also have a limited quantity of older edition Guides. Email me with what year or years you are interested in iscken@comcast.net

Older editions are subject to availability at $7.50 each.

Fitzroy ladies league seeks players

Fitzroy Harbour Ladies Fastball
Still looking for players
Thursday nights, starting May 13

Annual General Meeting
Wed May 5th
Fitzroy Harbour Community Centre
7pm

For information, come on out or contact:
Tracy Penney
tracypenney@gmail.com
613-622-0767

FF preseason quiz

It's that time of year when a young man's fancy turns to fastball. Time to start thinking about the 2010 season and about what might happen in the GOFL this summer.

Which brings me to the Fitzroy Fastball pre-season quiz for 2010.

By now, you may have seen this video. If not, check it out, while it is a baseball game (fastball's inferior cousin), it is pretty damn amazing.

So, the FF quiz question? What player (or manager!) in the GOFL would you most like to see attempt this feat in the 2010 season? Leave a comment with your answer and the reason behind it.

Softball still alive in West Carleton

Just back from the West Carleton Minor Softball meeting tonight. Despite some struggles at older age groups, we do have good numbers this year for the area softball league with teams in Fitzroy Harbour, Carp, Kinburn and Dunrobin and a total of an estimated 370 kids or so.

There will be T-ball programs in Fitzroy (2 teams), Carp (8 teams) and for the first season in many years in Dunrobin (2 teams). Atoms (coach pitch for 6-8 year olds) will feature nine mixed teams this summer, including "Fitzroy Team 1" who was lucky enough to have drafted Fitzroy Fastball Junior in the first round. Mites (9-10) will have six mixed teams. Squirt / Peewee (11-14) will have five girls' teams and seven boys' teams. There will also be a West Carleton team in Bantam Girls that will join the Stittsville league and there is apparently a West Carleton Bantam/Midget Boys team playing in the McNab league.

The Caveman will toiling for another season in the T-ball ranks, with hopes to get a call up or two to the Atom ranks in 2010. Let's all hope that there won't be a repeat of "the incident".... but if there was, it does make for good bloggin' material.

So moral of the story - there are still lots of kids playing softball, despite what crazy soccer moms on crack might say.

GOFL 2010 Schedule now available

The 2010 GOFL schedule is now posted on the league website.

Woodstock Tournament Victoria Day Weekend

from Darryl Wharram

Looking for an early Tournament for the Long weekend in May? The Ingersoll Crush will be hosting the Annual Woodstock Victoria Day Weekend Tournament (May 22nd-24th). We are still looking to add a couple of more teams to have a full complete 16 team tournament.

Entry Fee: $350.00

Beer Gardens located on site between the 2 diamonds

Fun for the family - Midway Rides and Games in the Outfield, Victoria Day Parade, etc.

For more information contact: ingersollfastball@yahoo.ca

Woodstock is just east of London.

Blackburn Men's Fastball League - Evaluation Day

The BMFL will be holding its annual Evaluation Day, which is mandatory for all new players, this coming Saturday April 24 from 1PM till 3PM.

It will be held at the Blackburn Arena Diamond. All players must be registered and paid in full before they are able to participate in the evaluations.

Interested players should contact Derek Bergeron (bergeronderek{at}hotmail.com) for any questions you may have as well as to confirm. For further information please visit http://www.bmfl.ca/.

Stittsville Arena may be named after Johnny Leroux

A local legend on both the fastball and hockey scenes in the area, Mr. John Leroux, may have an arena named after him, as per the article below from the Stittsville News this week. Note for you SCTV fans, not the same guy as this Johnny Larue.

Over four decades of sports in Stittsville for John Leroux
by John Curry, Stittsville News

A proposal has now been made to the city of Ottawa to name the Stittsville District Community Centre after John Leroux of Stittsville. But just who is this John Leroux and why is it a good idea to name this arena, which opened in 1971, after him? He is probably the most recognizable face around the Stittsville arena and has been ever since it opened. He is probably as well one of the greatest sports fans that you could ever meet – a fan who just enjoys being involved with sports, be it hockey or ball or boxing. He’s played sports, he’s organized sports, he’s supported sports for his whole life. John Leroux helped in the arena’s construction, assisting Ted Martin as he dug holes on the site for the community construction project. He also participated in fundraising walkathons which were held to raise money for the arena construction. Working as a chef at the Skyline Hotel in Ottawa at the time, John was approached by several Stittsville residents about catering two Sportsmen’s Dinners which were being held as fundraisers for the new arena. John readily agreed and in fact this is what began a 20 year career as a caterer, something which he did on a part-time basis from 1972 through to 1992. After the arena was opened, John voluntarily helped out manager Charlie Fraser at times but it was his involvement in community sports at the arena that saw him become a beloved household name in Stittsville. For years, he served as a referee for the Stittsville Minor Hockey Association, starting in 1972 and carrying on until 1999 when he stopped, not because of advancing age but because of other sporting commitments. He also referred in men’s hockey, stopping only four years ago at the age of 73. John started to coach local minor hockey teams in 1972, continuing for 14 years. Among the players whom he coached is current National Hockey League player Matt Bradley who played one season as an atom under Johnny’s tutelage. But it is really in oldtimers hockey where John has made his lasting mark. Indeed, he could rightly be called the Father of Oldtimers Hockey in Stittsville. He was founder of the Stittsville Merchant Selects who hosted numerous tournaments at the Stittsville arena in the 1980’s and 1990’s. The Merchant Selects teams also participated in national tournaments and international ones like the Can- Am Tournament in Lake Placid. In a period from 1988 to 1994, various Stittsville oldtimers’ teams won 13 gold medals as well as other silver and bronze ones in these tournaments at Lake Placid. John served as a coach for these teams. He initially played in the age 40 and over division before moving on to the age 50 and over category. Playing hockey has been a big part of his life, going back to the days when he was a stick boy for the Pembroke Senior Lumber Kings at age 10 and went on to play with the Junior Lumber Kings at age 15 before going off to the lumber camp with his father and then joining the army at the age of 18. When he fi rst moved to Stittsville in 1964, he played in the Stittsville Town Hockey League which played out of the Bell Arena. When the Stittsville arena opened in 1971, he helped re-start the Town Hockey League which had become dormant. In 1978, he started an age 30 and over league in Stittsville, playing and coaching for nine years while also doing some refereeing. He then began his involvement with the Stittsville Merchant Selects, spending nearly the next 20 years with these oldtimer hockey teams. John, a Korean War veteran, combined his love of sports with his involvement with the Royal Canadian Legion in Stittsville, spending 14 years as chair of minor sports for the Legion. While in this role, he inaugurated the annual poppy blitz of the community in which a dozen or so minor hockey teams go door-to-door in Stittsville for the Legion, distributing poppies. This exposes the young players to the concept of Remembrance, getting them involved as they wear their team jerseys on blitz day. And while John’s role in local hockey circles now in Stittsville is mainly that of a fan, he still works as a timekeeper at men’s league games. As a grandfather, he follows the elite girls’ hockey team on which his granddaughter Courtney Bradley plays. It travels to games and tournaments in Toronto and the upper United States and Johnny is always going along with his team jacket and hat. But his grandchildren don’t have to be involved for him to turn up and watch a minor hockey game. On the day of the surprise evening announcement about the move to rename the arena after him (he was lured to the gathering on the premise that it was a birthday party for a family member), John had been at the Bell Sensplex watching three games in the provincial bantam championship that was being held there. He just wanted to enjoy the action. John’s involvement with sports, of course, goes far beyond hockey. A former Canadian army champion boxer, he had started a boxing club in the community in 1975, an enterprise which continued for several years. Starting in 1970, he coached a bantam girls’ ball team, the Stittsville Roadrunners, winning two titles. He sat on the executive of the Stittsville Fringewood Ball Association and did a lot of umpiring at all levels, right up to senior ball. He was instrumental in the formation of a men’s recreational fastball league involving teams from Stittsville, Richmond, Munster and Ashton. He began umpiring in this league as well as coaching. As parks manager for Goulbourn township for 16 years until his retirement in 1990, he gained a reputation for maintaining ball diamonds. He was in charge of diamond maintenance for a midget All-Ontario Championship and for a number of All-Ontario Men’s Championships at Carlington Park in Ottawa. His career in the army saw him serve as a cook on the front lines of the Korean War for a year and nine months, from March 1952 to December 1953. He not only cooked for the troops but also fought in the trenches when the North Koreans attacked. This is why there is now the initiative to name the Stittsville arena after John Leroux. He has spent over 45 years involved in sports of all kinds in the community, always with an enthusiasm and smile on his face that makes you realize that winning is not what matters most; it is playing and having fun that is the real reason for sports of all kinds and for all ages.

Jim Bradford Tournament (Grafton)

from Steve Bedard

Grafton -Jim Bradford Classic
June 11-13
Entry $450.00
20th year of the Classic

With 20 teams
1st Prize - $3000.00
2nd $1000.00

Top 12 teams go into a single elimination
Top 4 get a bye first round.

If your team is interested please contact Steve Bedard.

Make cheques out to the "Jim Bradford Classic"
Paid by May 1st
71 Molson St.
Port Hope ON L1A 2K2
The 1st 20 teams paid are in.

Teams that have shown interest are:
1-Cobourg Force
2-Quyon Combat Flyers
3-Ottawa Easton
4-Napanee Jrs
5-Napanee North Key Express
6-Fitzroy Harbour West Carleton Electric
7-New York Bombers
8- Watedown Hammer
9-Oshawa Bombers
10-Oshawa BB's Int.
11-Oshawa BB's Jrs
12-Picton County Brewers
13-Pickering Blazers
14-Donnacona Blue Sox
15-Scarborough Impact
16-Maccabi Masters
17-Stouffville Mennoes
18-Newmarket Jrs
19-East Main ( Chisasibi Bay )
20-Quebec Jrs.

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

Ottawa U GeeGees Softball to host clinic in Kinburn

from Jayne Coady

Please be advised we have a date for a Youth Softball Instruction Clinic to be held at: Kinburn Community Centre - Rink Surface on Monday April 12th from 7:00 to 8:30 pm.

Cost : $5 cash donation per child. All proceeds to be donated to the Ottawa University GeeGees Ladies Fastball Team.

OASA Great Lakes Tournament

from Al's Fastball

OASA Great Lakes Tournament
July 30 to August 2
Waterloo Ontario- Hillside Park

The Ontario Amateur Softball Association tournament for intermediate men's teams in Canada and the United States. There will be $7000 in travel expense money (based on 16 teams). The winner of each game will receive a portion of the travel expense money. The travel expense money is open to all teams in the tournament.

All men's teams are eligible with the following exceptions:
Teams and players that played in:
2009 Softball Canada Senior Men's Championship
2009 ISC World Championship
2009 ASA Men's Major Championship
NAFA Open Championship

For eligibility questions contact Brad Thomson at thomson.brad@gmail.com or George Ryder at gyryder@kwic.com

Entry fee is $500 payable to the OASA with rosters accompanying the entry fee. The deadline is June 10 and roster changes may be made until one week before the tournament. For entry forms contact OASA Registrar Mary Myers at mjnm@sympatico.ca.

As of this posting, the following 7 teams have expressed interest;
Cobourg Force
Ingersol Crush
Waterdown Hammer
Elmira Expos
KW Cubs
Ottawa Team Easton
Napanee Intermediates

The first 16 teams will be accepted.
Gary Wren
OASA President

REMINDER: Williamsburg Tournament 2010

Reminder from Lyle Schell.

Williamsburg will be hosting its 7th Annual Fastball tourney on May 28,29,30 this year.

$350.00 entry fee, looking for 12 teams. Open to all players / pitchers.

Prize money is based on 12: 1st $1000.00 2nd $600.00 3rd $400.00.

Individual awards, top pitcher, hitter, mvp, and fan favorite.

Organizers are looking to confirm teams by April 20.

Cheques are payable to:
Williamsburg Fastball
12785 Froatburn Rd
Williamsburg On
K0C 2H0

If you have any questions email Lyle at cigars32@hotmail.com or call 613-223-3326.


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Woodstock Victoria Day Tournamnent

from Al's Fastball

Woodstock Victoria Day Tournamnent

After initially being dropped and and replaced by a Co-ed slo-pitch tournament, the Ingersoll Crush approached the city of Woodstock to allow us to carry on the tradition of this long standing tournament.

*NOTE* ISC ranked senior pitchers are NOT eligible to participate. If not sure of the eligibility, please contact the tournament organizers. We will be using the ISC II Ineligible pitchers list from 2009http://www.iscfastpitch.com/ as our guidline.

When: May 22-24, 2010
Where: Southside park, Woodstock, Ontario
Entry Fee: $350

We will be accepting the first 12 teams.

Contact
Cory Winkworth
Phone: 519-425-4292

Darryl Wharrum
Phone: 519-521-0156

ingersollfastball@yahoo.ca
d.wharram@on.aibn.com
cory_winkworth@hotmail.com