Open letter to the people of Elkland, PA

Dear People of Elkland:

It's been almost a month since we visited Elkland for the Durk Sherman Labo(u)r Day Classic, and our team had such a great time once again that I thought it appropriate to thank you in writing for your hospitality. (Sorry I didn't write sooner, but I've been busy with this sport we call "hockey". You may have heard of it? Or maybe not.)

As in previous years, the people of your town welcomed softball teams from the US and Canada with open arms, and I just wanted to let you know how much we appreciate your hosting such a great event.

Though I couldn't possibly thank everyone individually, there are some people that I'd like to single out for their part in making this memorable weekend a success.

Staff of the Moose Lodge Chapter 988: Thanks for your fine (over)service. And to that one lady bartender that has been there every time I've ever gone, sorry for the hassle. It's not my intention to irritate you when I dance as I order my Yuengling. I can't help it, OK?

Ugo: Thanks for being a great announcer for all those games on the main diamond. I'm not sure if it's the whisky or the Marlboros or both that give you your distinctive voice, but whatever it is, it's working.

The Chicken Pit Crew: No matter how much I build up the taste of the chicken to the new guys, they are never disappointed the first time they try it. Whatever it is that you put on those birds and however you cook 'em, keep it up. Best of luck staying under the radar from the Public Health Department. By the way, what the hell is a "salt potato"? We don't have those up here.

Jesse the bat boy: Thanks for all your hard work over the last four years as our official bat boy. Here's hoping that things work out for you in the Army. Sorry we didn't get you in a game this year. If you make it back safely from wherever the service sends you to make an appearance in 2011, I promise you at least one official appearance as a West Carleton Electric player in a game at the tourney.

Grant: Great job on the Memorial Building, an excellent spot to honour your dad. Sorry I didn't get around to doing the "dance" you requested - maybe next time.

Muck: Thanks for being the only guy in the States that will drink Labatt 50 with me. (FYI, not many Canadians will drink it with me either.) To see how cool we 50 drinkers are, check out these two commercials.

Local Nacho Cheese Salesman: We were wondering - how is that stuff made? Actually on second thought, don't tell us, okay. Just keep on ensuring that the park's pump cheese vat is full every long weekend in September.

Dex: Great to see you and Ange, I hope you can get up here again next year and "have a few pints with the lads, for f_ck sakes".

The Shirt Sales Guy (sorry didn't get your actual name): Great job on the swag, some really good merchandise this year you had for sale at the park. Note for next year though - bring more selection of those press on numbers so guys can get their actual correct digits instead of taking whatever is left over.

Ricky the Ump: You're probably the friendliest umpire we've ever met. If you heard us calling you "Pinball", that's a compliment. With your build and demeanour, you resemble Pinball Clemons, a Canadian Football legend, as famous for his football skill as he is for his all around niceness. Anyway, one thing - if the catcher grabs the ball on a bounce, there's no way that's a strike, OK? Nobody's drop ball is that good, not even Alfie's.

Weird Al the Ump: Your calls were actually pretty decent, good job. But honestly, think about getting rid of the blond 'fro. Even a mullet would be better. (Trust me, I know, all of us hockey players had one at one time or another.)

Elkland Police Department: Thanks for your patience. And thanks for picking up our hopelessly lost right fielder who was wondering the streets of Elkland and bringing him back to the campsite that one night after the Moose.

Elkland Public Works Department: Boys, honestly, leaving pylons on the main street in Elkland during the Labour Day tournament? And you didn't think they would get stolen? Sorry about "borrowing" that cone on Sunday night, but it really seemed like a good idea at the time to use it to make moose calls on the walk back to the campsite.

Neighbours of the Ball Park: Sorry for the all the noise. And to the lady that we borrowed the fire pit accessory from - we didn't know it was yours, we thought it was just left there. In your backyard. For anyone to use. Anyway, our bad. Won't happen again. At least we didn't whiz on your lawn.

Mo: Good to see you big guy, hope your hip surgery works out for you in Buffalo. If not, I'm sure we could get you some public health care surgery up here in Canada. Might take a year or so though.

Jess (Mrs S, not the bat boy): Thanks for all the effort you went to in getting your husband his passport so he could come up here in July. You're clearly a patient woman. Thanks as well for being the only woman in Elkland with whom I am not afraid to dance.

Porter: (Note: Not technically an Elkland resident, but he does spend a lot of time there.) Thanks for convincing us to come to this tournament back in 2007. We should have listened to you years ago. That might be the last time you hear me admit that you were right about something.

Bill: Thanks for all your hard work in getting this tournament together. The tournament was excellent as always and the effort you put in shows through. You've become a good friend in a short period of time, and you are without a doubt one of the finest US Americans I've ever met. I look forward to continuing to play in Elkland annually for the forseeable future, especially some time in a decade or so when Seth and Fitzroy Jr and the Caveman are playing against each other in the tournament. Just one thing - if you could actually be a good host for once and throw the game next time we play you.....

Durk, RIP: Thanks for starting this thing back in the 50's and thanks having the vision to create such a great venue.

Until next September, best wishes to the people of Elkland.

kind regards,
Fitzroy Fastball
West Carleton Electric Fastball Club
Fitzroy Harbour, ON, Canada

Durabuilt wins the TAMFL Championship

from Wynn Fenwick

ne of the rainiest Septembers in the history of the Trend-Arlington Men's Fastball League couldn't stop Game 3 of the 2010 finals from being played just a day later than last year's final on 29 September. With the series knotted at one game apiece, Durabuilt Construction was host to Lone Star Texas Grill. Gord Flannery started his fifth game of the playoffs against Craig MacDonald. After a 1-2-3 first , Durabuilt led off with a familiar single by Andy McAfee, who was erased by a Jim Yeldon fielder's choice. Brett Dugan, Gord Flannery and Mike Flannery tallied RBI singles and Durabuilt was up 3-0 after one inning.

In the second, Lone Star couldn't capitalize on a Jim Yeldon error as he redeemed himself by gunning out Craig MacDonald. Flannery left the next two hitters standing at the plate on strikeouts. Durabuilt lengthened the lead in the bottom of the second, when Dugan doubled home another McAfee single, and then himself scored on an error down the third base line hit by Flannery. The game was likely out of reach in the 4th as Lone Star could only push across one run after four straight hitters touched Flannery, who struck out Norm Ferris to end the threat with a 5-1 lead. Durabuilt tacked on 3 more off Mike Goodfellow in the 5th, who came on in relief of MacDonald. Flannery had a no-hitter going until the 5th when Johnny Paolozzi ripped a double the other way to lead off the inning. However, two come-backers and a K finished off the Lone Star hopes. Durabuilt's powerful lineup ended up being too much, as they claimed the Championship shortly after 9pm. A 9-1 record in elimination competition this season, Durabuilt Construction overpowered the competition to become 2010 Trend Arlington Men's Fastball League Champions.

Andy McAfee 2B
Jim Yeldon SS (Captain)
Brett Dugan CF
Gord Flannery P
Stu Kerr 3B
Mike Flannery OF
Steve Flannery OF
Buck Richer 1B/P/OF (Alt Captain)
Zeke Arthur OF (r)
Howie Abramovitch OF
Dean McDonald C (injured)
Mark Dore (injured)
Injury Substitutes:
Mike Gellner C/OF and Nick Norton C

Lone Star 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 3
Durabuilt 3 2 0 0 3 0 x 8 13 4

2B: LS Paolozzi 1; Dur Dugan 2
3B: Dur: M Flannery
HBP: Sampson by Flannery

Pitching
Durabuilt
Flannery 6IP 1R 0ER 0BB 8K
and Nick Norton

Lone Star
MacDonald 4IP 5R 4ER 2BB 2K
Goodfellow 2IP 3R 3ER 2BB 1K
and Brent Taylor

GeeGees Women's Fastball update

from Michelle Maheu

The last two weeks have been nothing short of eventful for the University of Ottawa GeeGees fastball team. Last weekend was a busy time with 6 games in a row from Friday to Sunday, but that didn’t slow them down. Friday was the ‘Support our Troops’ night that drew quite a crowd, including coach Jenny Allen’s cousin Brad, an Canadian soldier home from Afghanistan for a few weeks. The GeeGees beat Carleton quickly, showing no mercy with scores of 20-0 in 2 and ½ innings and 29-4 in 3 innings respectively for an early night.

The next morning was a busy one as the team rose early for the “Bridge to the Future” softball clinic that brought in youth from all over and past the Ottawa area. A double header against McMaster followed the clinic, and the GeeGees did not disappoint. They took down the Marauder’s in 6 innings with a score of 8-1 and then again in 5 innings 15-5. The next morning they met with Brock and woke them up with a 6-0 win, but Brock battled back and got an early lead in the second game. Despite the efforts of the GeeGees, Brock took the second game with a score of 7-5.

This past weekend the Gee Gees traveled to Toronto to take on the University of Toronto Blues and the University of Guelph Gryphons. They got off to a great start taking an early lead against Toronto, scoring multiple runs in the first inning. The Blues weren't able to answer the Gee Gees energy and intensity, and so the Gee Gees took the first game 9-0. The second game however, the Blues found their rhythm and the two teams battled until the very last inning, where the Blues overtook the Gee Gees winning 9-4. Both teams also had the opportunity to meet retired USA pitcher and softball icon Jennie Finch before the game, making it an all around great day for softball.

The University of Ottawa then traveled to Guelph on Sunday to take on the Gryphons. Despite a valiant effort by the Gee Gees they unfortunately fell short in both games, losing 5-4 and 6-3. As usual, the Gee Gees gave the University of Guelph a run for their money, playing hard until the very last plays of the last inning. Next weekend the Gee Gees will be traveling to Waterloo to take on The University of Waterloo Warriors and the Sir Wilfred Laurier University Golden Hawks.

GOFL final series update

The teams are working on a schedule to start the series next week. Watch the blog for updates.

FHMFL wraps up its 30th season

The Fitzroy Harbour Men's Fastball League wrapped up its 30th season on Tuesday night, as Team Navy Blue defeated Team Royal Blue to take the final series two games to none.

Navy Blue, led by captain Dale Aiken, won the second game of the series by a close 9-8 score over Joe Sawyer's Royal Blue. Randy Vick had the win on the slab with help from Connor Engleberts, while Todd "Willy White Shoes" Wilson took the loss for Royal Blue in relief of Andy Roper.

Randy Vick and Clay Vance hit homers for Navy Blue, while Joe Sawyer hit a shot for Royal Blue.

Navy Blue won game one of the series 18-7 over a short-staffed Royal Blue on Wednesday last week.

The recreational league expanded to six teams this season, up from from four in 2009, as many "young lads" joined in to play this year.

GOFL Finals on hold

Game one of the GOFL Final series will not be played tonight due to some other family issues taking precedence over ball.

Watch the blog for information on the updated schedule as it becomes available.

Micksburg Senior Twins champs of the UOVMFL

with info from Kerr Childerose

The Micksburg Senior Twins were the playoff champs of the Upper Ottawa Valley Men's Fastball League, defeating the Micksburg Junior Twins in the two-game total-runs final played on September 10.

Update on the Glen playoffs

from Eric Rosenquist

The GCMFL semi-finals resumed Monday at the A.Y. Jackson diamond in Kanata.

At 6:30 PM, ASAP Print Management was home to Taggart's Welding for game #2 of their series. Taggart's took game #1 last Wednesday by a score of 11-1, with Neil Cooke getting the win and helping his own cause with a home-run. Taggart's Welding was the top team in the "Cairn" division during the regular season, and got by Air1One Mechanical in the first round. ASAP was the 2nd seed in the "Glen" division and got to the semis by way of a pair of extra inning wins over Don Cherry's.

The 8:30 PM time slot featured game #1 of the semi-final between East Side Mario's and Mattamy Homes. East Side Mario's finished #1 in the "Glen" division and first overall in the league; they swept Ottawa Home Services in their first-round match-up. Mattamy Homes was #2 in the "Cairn" division (a single point behind Taggart's Welding) and defeated Laurysen Kitchens in the first round.

Both semi-final series are scheduled for Tuesday as well, with Mattamy hosting East Side Mario's at 6:30 and Taggart's home to ASAP at 8:30 (if necessary). Wednesday at 6:30 is the 3rd "if necessary" game between East Side Mario's and Mattamy Homes.

Weather permitting, the finals are scheduled to begin on Monday October 4th. All games take place at the softball diamond adjacent to A.Y. Jackson Secondary School at 150 Abbeyhill Road in Kanata; admission is free.

Cito played fastball too

According to today's Ottawa Sun, retiring Toronto Blue Jays manager City Gaston used play fastball:

Another Jays manager played fast-pitch softball for the Alamo Bank in the Bankers League and then baseball for the Cardona Welders.

Clarence “Cito” Gaston is the only Alamo Bank and Cardona Welders grad to make the majors and then manage.
“Think hitting here is tough? Try hitting fast pitch from 45 feet,” Gaston says. “They can make the ball rise and sink, or start the ball at your ankles and have it wind up around the letters.”

GOFL Finals - venue change

Just a reminder, the GOFL finals get started this week, with game 1 now moved to North Gower on Tuesday September 28 at 7:30pm where Kars will host Quyon. (The Grove is undergoing renovations by the City of Ottawa.)

Game 2 is set for Wednesday September 29 at 7:30pm in Quyon.

For those planning on travelling to the games, please note that the Carp Road between the Galetta Side Road and Kinburn Side Road will be impassable from September 29 to October 5 due to construction, so plan your route accordingly.

Elkland Durk Sherman Classic game by game results

from Bill Sherman

Finally, here are the game by game results from the 2010 Durk Sherman classic in Elkland Pa. Over all the weekend went pretty smooth and easy. The weather cooperated all weekend so the games were on time as scheduled. The Elkland Softball Association would like to thank all the teams that participated in this year's tournament and we hope that you are making plans to attend next year's 59th annual Durk Sherman classic in 2011! Please visit our web site at elklandsoftball.com all winter long for updates on the 2011 tournaments in Elkland,Pa.

GAME 1:
Knoxville/Ontario 6, Williamsport 3
WP: Bill Kozlavac
LP: Levi Tate
MVP: Chris Carroll 1-2, 2 RBI

GAME 2:
Keating’s Fitness 7, Kars Aces 1
WP: Joe Hineline
LP: Brad Porter
MVP: Justin Stock 3-4, 2RS, RBI

GAME 3:
I4C Victory 1, ESA Belly’s 0
WP: Neil Cooke
LP: Paul Algar
MVP: Al Read 1-2, Run

GAME 4:
Greenbush Gen. 10, Jersey Shore Gen. 6
WP: Cory Alkerton
LP: Tim Saar
MVP: Barron Line 2-4, 2HR, 4RBI

GAME 5:
J.A Transportation 14, Elkland Juniors 7
WP: Travis Webber
LP: Jay Graham
MVP: Ira Baker 3-4, 2HR, 4RBI

GAME 6:
West Carleton Electric 13, PA Industrial 7
WP: Jeff Barber
LP: Kris Pruzinski
MVP: Jon Daley 2-3, 3RBI

GAME 7:
Hoffman Power 13, R.F. Lineman 0 (3innings)
WP: Merlin High
LP: B. Morris
MVP: Varm Matoessian 2-2, HR, 5RBI

GAME 8:
Kar’s Aces 7, Williamsport 2
WP: Brad Porter
LP: Trevor Hall
MVP: Dan Cevette 3-4, HR, 2RBI

GAME 9
ESA Belly’s 5, Jersey Shore Generals 2
WP: Ryan Cummings
LP: Tim Saar
MVP: Tom Dexter 1-3, HR, 2RBI

GAME 10:
PA Industrial 13, Elkland Juniors 1
WP: Keith Hammerschmidt
LP: Brad Graham
MVP: Tony Jimenez 1-2, HR, 2RBI

GAME 11:
Shaggy Dog 4, Knoxville/Ontario 0
WP: Jeremy Manley
LP: Josh Lockridge
MVP: Wilson Cabrera 1-2, 2B, RBI

GAME 12:
I4C Victory 2, Keating’s Fitness 0
WP: Caleb Keeshig
LP: Dave Stokes
MVP: Kevin McGuire

GAME 13
Greenbush Generals 5, J.A Transportation 0
WP: Buck Gilbert
LP: Lucas Hahn
MVP: Barron Line 2-3, 2HR, 2RBI, 3RS

GAME 14:
Hoffman Power 7, West Carleton Electric 0
WP: Bill Hillhouse
LP: Drew Hathaway
MVP: Brad Theys 2-4, RBI

GAME 15:
Kars Aces 20, J.A Transportation 8
WP: Brad Porter
LP: Deano Van Zile
MVP: Mike Rapacioli 3-5, HR, 2RBI

GAME 16:
ESA Belly’s 3, West Carleton Electric 2
WP: Paul Algar
LP: Drew Hathaway
MVP: Bryan Miller 2-4, GWRBI

GAME 17:
Keating’s Fitness 9, PA Industrial 1
WP: Mike Crawford
LP: Kris Pruzinsky
MVP: Toby Ranck 3-4, 3HR, 6RBI

GAME 18:
Knoxville/Ontario 10, R.F. Linemen 0
WP: Josh Lockridge
LP: Dean Vanzile
MVP: Tyler Robinson 4-4. HR, 2RBI

GAME 19:
Shaggy Dog 2, I4C Victory 1
WP: Jeremy Manley
LP: Neil Cooke
MVP: Frankie Perez 1-3, HR, 2RBI

GAME 20:
Hoffman Power 9, Greenbush Generals 0
WP: Bill Hillhouse
LP: Cory Alkerton
MVP: Derrick Zechman 2-3, 2RBI

GAME 21:
ESA Belly’s 3, Kars Aces 2
WP: Paul Algar
LP: Brad Porter
MVP: Justin Cevette 2-3, HR, GWRBI

GAME 22:
Keating’s Fitness 6, Knoxville Ontario 4
WP: Joe Hineline
LP: Jordan McDonald
MVP: Toby Ranck 3-3, HR, 3RBI

GAME 23:
I4C Victory 3, ESA Belly’s 1
WP: Caleb Keeshig
LP: Ryan Cummings
MVP: Caleb Keeshig

GAME 24:
Keating’s Fitness 8, Greenbush Generals 5
WP: Dave Stokes
LP: Buck Gilbert
MVP: Bart Fenstermacher 2-4, 2RBI

GAME 25:
Shaggy Dog 7, Hoffman Power 0
WP: Jeremy Manley
LP: Bill Hillhouse
MVP: Frank DeGroat 2-2, 2RS

GAME 26:
I4C Victory 8, Keating’s Fitness 6
WP: Caleb Keeshig
LP: Mike Crawford
MVP: Kevin McGuire 1-3, HR, GWRBI

GAME 27:
I4C Victory 3, Hoffman Power 2
WP: Neil Cooke
LP: Bill Hillhouse
MVP: Al Read 2-3, GWRBI

GAME 28: CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Shaggy Dog 2, I4C Victory 0
WP: Jeremy Manley
LP: Neil Cooke
MVP: Jeremy Manley 7IP, 2H, 1BB, 19K

Trend Arlington Final - game 2

from Wynn Fenwick

The Trend Arlington Men's Fastball League championship final will go the maximum three games after Lone Star Texas Grill defeated Durabuilt Construction Inc, 2-1 in a lightning-fast one hour and sixteen minute game this evening at 50 Bellman Drive. Durabuilt was the visitor on this night and while they got things started much like game one. As the pattern this playoffs, Durabuilt 2nd basemen Andy McAfee led off and got on base. Gord Flannery sandwiched a single around Brett Dugan's walk, but a heads up double-play by Lone Star second baseman Graeme Fraser put out the bases loaded jam in which hurler Craig Macdonald found himself. In the bottom, Lone Star actually struck out four times but an error by catcher Nick Norton put his counterpart Brent Taylor on to lead off the game, and Mike Goodfellow knocked him home with a rocket RBI double. 1-0 Lone Star after 1.

In the third McAfee scored another run on a heads up baserunning play after an Johnny Paolozzi couldn't come up with a tough catch.

Despite striking out 7 of the first 11 batters faced, Flannery found himself in a 3rd inning jam with the bases drunk after Fraser reached on an error, a single by Goodfellow, and walk to heavy hitting Chris Jelley. Bob Sampson tried to punch it the other way but Durabuilt secondbaseman McAfee ranged behind first and got him to end the rally with the tie game intact. MacDonald got himself out of a jam in the 4th created when Stu Kerr reached third on a 3-base error to lead off the inning, but 3 straight K's doused the Durabuilt hopes.

With two out in the 5th inning, controversy arrived when Durabuilt SS Jim Yeldon was ejected at the plate, as a high-and-tight pitch (which he felt hit him) led to a second and final disagreement this inning. While controversial, this was the most gentlemanly ejection this writer has ever seen. Not a voice was raised despite the obvious opposing views. Uncommonly demonstrated was the professionalism by the EOUA umpire and exemplary acceptance by one of the leagues' most respected members. If only our Members of Parliament could be so civil. The incident was unfortunate for Durabuilt in that it wasted Norton's one-out triple. In TAMFL, all players hit in the batting order without a bench or pinch hitters. Due to the lack of a substitute hitter on the bench to assume the count, an ejection at-bat is an automatic out, thus ending the rally.

By the bottom of the sixth Flannery had retired 9 straight starting with McAfee's play in the 5th. Jelly came to the plate and tatooed a 1-1 pitch halfway to Canfield Dive to put LoneStar up 2-1. MacDonald tossed a one-two-three 7th with first basemen Johnny Paolozzi redeeming an earlier error with a dig-out scoop along the way.

The teams clash for a final time Monday September 27 at 7:30pm at Trend-Arlington Field.

Durabuilt 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 6 2
Lone Star 1 0 0 0 0 1 x 2 4 2

2B: Lone Star: Mike Goodfellow 1
3B: Durabuilt: Nick Norton 1
HR: Lone Star: Chris Jelley 1

RBI: Lone Star: Goodfellow 1, Jelley 1

Pitching
Durabuilt Flannery 6IP 4H 2R 1ER 1BB 9SO and Norton
Lone Star MacDonald 7IP 6H 1R 0ER 2BB 6SO and Brent Taylor

Fall ball week #1 results

from Derek Martin

Week 1 in the third Fall Ball season went off without a hitch. We had a beautiful Sunday afternoon for ball. There was a huge buzz around the diamonds while the parking lot at Garneau High School filled with cars of players who were eager to play some ball.

The 1pm games had Blue squaring off against Black on field #1 and Green facing White on field #2. Both fields were quiet to start out the games however there was noise made by Black as their starting pitcher Craig Macdonald belted 3 bombs off of Blue's pitcher Jon Grimes. However, Macdonald was unable to hold off the the hot bats of the Blue team as they went on to take the game 6-4. Field #2 was a pitchers' battle which ended in a Green win over White with the score being 3-0, with Jeff Barber getting the shutout win over his younger brother Andy.


The 3pm games were as follows:
Green (3) vs Black (7)
HR's: Ryan Naylor (green) and Dan Frayne (black)
WP: Will Lowe
LP: Derek Barber

Blue (4) vs White (5)
HR's: Chad Hargrove (Blue) and Scott Adams (White)
WP: Andy Barber
LP: Chad Hargrove

Player of the week honours go to: Craig Macdonald (Black).

Be sure to check out the league website at http://fallfastball.webs.com/.

Fall ball highlights

from Ivan Taylor

One of the highlights of the first day of Fall Ball in Orleans on Sunday was the performance of Craig MacDonald who pitched 7 innings in the first game with 9 strikeouts and hit 3 home runs in his 3 at bats knocking in 4 runs. Too bad his team lost the game 6-4.

Trend Arlington finals update

from Wynn Fenwick

September 20th at Trend Arlington Field was the site of Game One of the 22nd annual competition for the Nepean Trophy as Champion of the Trend Arlington Men’s Fastball League. Durabuilt Construction hosted Lone Star Texas Grill, and abrupt hosts they were. Durabuilt leadoff hitter Andy McAfee touched off a homer on the 3rd pitch of the game, and Gord Flannery knocked home Brett Dugan on a two-run shot, to take a 3-0 lead in the opening set. Another 3-spot was hung up spurred by some unfortunate errors in the 3rd and capped by Dugan’s delayed steal of home. But those and the final 3 runs were about 8 more than Durabuilt pitcher Flannery needed, as his scorecard was pretty much diagonal. He struck out 12 and allowed just five baserunners over six innings for a 1-0 win. McAfee was 3 for 3 with 3 RBI with each of he, Dugan and catcher Nick Norton scoring two runs apiece. Norton backstopped as an injury substitute after the second catching casualty for Durabuilt this season, this time with Dean McDonald.

Game two goes Wednesday 22 September at 7:30 at Trend-Arlington Field, 50 Bellman Drive, Ottawa ON. Lone Star came from behind to get to the finals, so they'll need to repeat to take home the championship.

Lone Star 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 6
Durabuilt 3 0 3 0 1 2 x 9 8 2

2B: McAfee 1
HR: Flannery 1 and McAfee 1, off Goodfellow
RBI: McAfee 3, Flannery 2, Jim Yeldon 1
SB: Dugan 1, Richer 1 off Taylor & Goodfellow, Lubin off Flannery and Norton
CS: Johnny Paolozzi by Norton
Pitching
Lone Star: Mike Goodfellow (L, 1-1), Colin Pretty (6th) and Brent Taylor.
Durabuilt: Flannery (W, 3-0), Richer (7th) and Nick Norton.

Trend-Arlington League finals set

from Wynn Fenwick

Wednesday’s semi-final games saw two teams advance to the championship finals with Durabuilt Construction Inc and Lone Star Texas Grill advancing to the finals.

In the early game, Durabuilt eliminated PJ Quigley’s Bar and Grill with a two-game to zero series win, after scoring five in the opening frame and Gord Flannery pitching a 15-1 victory to Dean McDonald. Steve Vukic took the loss with Kevin Wilson relieving him received by catcher Nick Norton.

The contrast in contests was evident in the air the minute Lone Star Texas Grill and Goodfellow Cleaners took the field. The rain had abbreviated an excellent Monday affair, which had to be completed Wednesday thanks the skies opening up on a 4-4 tie at the end of six and a half innings. The situation had Lone Star taking their last swats in the bottom of the seventh, down one-game-to-none in the best of three semifinal.

With two out Andy Sampson singled off Art Henry and advanced to second on a passed ball. Brent Taylor rifled a single in the gap between Dave Stokes and Mike Sharp. Stokes took the ball on a hop and threw out Sampson with a perfect throw to Super Dave Simmonds and the Goodfellows’ got another bat.

In the 8th the International tie-breaker rule was in effect and Goodfellow leadoff hitter Andy Ivol started the inning at second base. Craig Macdonald had come on in relief of Mike Goodfellow on this night, and he got the next three hitters on ground balls leaving Ivol standing at third.

In the bottom of the 8th, Taylor started the inning at second and Mike Goodfellow singled him to second. Johnny Paolozzi hit a ground ball deep to second base which Roger Cousineau stabbed with a nice play and attempting to both hold Taylor at third and double up Paolozzi threw the ball low. Taylor took off for the plate and scored, giving rise to game three.

Game 3

In game three the teams traded deuces in the first inning with a thundering two-run shot by MacDonald off Art Henry. Goodfellow’s took back two with Ivol and Cousineau scoring off MacDonald in the bottom of the frame. In the second Lone Star’s Mike Goodfellow doubled home Brent Taylor to go ahead 3-2.

MacDonald settled down with 5 straight K’s and the teams traded runs in the 4th with Chris Jelley homering to left and Chris Golden scoring on an error for Goodfellow’s to put them down only 4-3. The gamebreaker was the 6th. . Henry struck out Graeme Fraser to lead off, and MacDonald singled. He was thrown out at the plate on a bases loaded fielders choice by Andy Sampson. Brent Taylor came to the plate with two out and the bases drunk holding both Bob and Andy Sampson with Jelley standing on second between them. Taylor drilled a line drive into left-centre toward Stokes, who was forced to dive for the final out, hoping to save at least two runs. Stokes couldn’t quite reach it, the ball skipped under his glove to the fence and the merry-go-round ended with Taylor at third and a 7-4 Lone-Star lead. MacDonald and reliever Mike Goodfellow didn’t need that much help, striking out a combined 12 Goodfellow hitters for the win and the come-from-behind ticket to the finals.

The TAMFL best two-of-three finals, beginning Monday September 20th at 7:30 pm at Trend Arlington Field, 50 Bellman Drive in west end Ottawa. Game two is slated for Wednesday September 22nd at 7:30, with game three start time to be determined, if necessary.

Lone Star Texas Grill will take the field first against home team Durabuilt Construction, by virtue of Durabuilt’s 4-0 play-in round record.

GOFL Final series - updated

Game one of the best-of-five GOFL Finals will be see the Quyon COMBAT Flyers face the Kars Aces at the Grove in Stittsville on Tuesday September 28 at 7:30pm.

Game two has been confirmed for Wednesday September 29 at 7:30 in Quyon.

GeeGees Softball update

from Michelle Maheu

The University of Ottawa GeeGees’ Softball team started off their season this week with a long drive to London, Ontario to meet the University of Western Ontario Mustangs for two games on Saturday. Though hard fought by the GeeGees, Western took both games with scores 5-2 and 10-3. The next day was a double header in Windsor against the University of Windsor. GeeGees won the first game 6-5, and though they nearly came back in the 6th and 7th innings, lost the second 12-8. Highlights include a 3-run homer by SFU alumni Shaela Wlodarczyk, Laura Skiperis' pitching premiere with several strike outs and rookie Taylor Rogalski's triple in the season opener.

This weekend is a busy one for the University of Ottawa GeeGee’s softball team. We are doing a “Support our Troops” Game night with a double header against rivals Carleton on Friday at 7pm and 9pm at Pierre Rocque Park in Orleans. As a part of National Sports Day on Saturday we’re hosting a clinic for young softball players at Pierre Rocque from 9:00-11:30. The OAFA is then hosting a BBQ for the athletes, and a cake to celebrate the 40th anniversary. That is followed by double-header against McMaster University at 2:00pm and 4:00pm. We wrap up the weekend on Sunday with games against Brock at Pierre Rocque at 12pm and 2pm.

Kars to face Quyon in GOFL final - with DEETS

txt msg from Cory Morrison

The Kars Aces defeated the Stittsville 56ers 4-1 in the third and deciding game of their GOFL semi-final on Wednesday night at the Grove.

Brad Porter got the win allowing 1 run on 7 hits while striking out 15. Darren Featherstone took the loss allowing 4 runs (3 earned) on 6 hits while striking out 7.

The game was scoreless until the 4th when Kevin Chevrier reached on error, Chad Costello singled then Cory Morrison doubled to the gap to score 2. Morrison would later score on a wild pitch to put Kars up 3-0.

Matt Alkerton added some insurance in the 5th as he led off with a solo shot.

The 56ers scored their lone run in the 7th courtesy of 3 singles by Ryan Bond, Dan Jessiman, and Darren Featherstone.

Kars
Matt Alkerton 2/3 HR Rbi
Cory Morrison 2/3 2B 2Rbi

Stittsville
Darren Featherston 2/4 Rbi
Ryan Bond 2/4

Kars moves on to face Quyon in the GOFL finals. Kars finished first in the regular season while Quyon was just behind in second place.

The Aces won the season series two games to one. Kars won 4-1 on May 31 in North Gower and 7-1 in Quyon on July 22. Quyon defeated Kars 8-1 on June 18 in Quyon.

One game times for the final are confirmed they will be posted to the blog.

Past winners

Once again time for your annual fastball history lesson. The GOFL and its predecessor, the Kemptville Men's Fastball League have been around since 2000.

Here are the past winners/finalists, as well as the league teams.

2000 Dolco defeated Macton (3-0)
2001 Macton defeated D.T.I. (3-1)
2002 Lomor defeated Macton (3-0)
2003 Team Easton defeated Macton (1 game final, 8 innings)
2004 Team Easton defeated West Carleton Electric (3-1)
2005 Team Easton defeated Stittsville (3-1)
2006 Team Easton defeated Stittsville (3-1)
2007 Team Easton defeated West Carleton Electric (3-0)
2008 Stittsville defeated Team Easton (3-1)
2009 Stittsville defeated Quyon (3-2)

2000 - 6 teams
Kemptville Macton Muckdogs
Kemptville D.T.I.
Stittsville 56ers
Kemptville Dolco Printing
Kemptville Thunder Juniors
Kanata Pirates Juniors

2001 - 5 teams
Kemptville Macton Muckdogs
Kemptville D.T.I.
Stittsville 56ers
Kemptville Dolco Printing
Kanata Pirates Juniors

2002 - 4 teams
Kemptville Macton Muckdogs
Kemptville Team Easton (formerly D.T.I.)
Stittsville 56ers
Kemptville Lomor Printers (formerly Dolco Printing)

2003 - 4 teams
Kemptville Macton Muckdogs
Kemptville Team Easton
Stittsville 56ers
Kemptville Lomor Printers

2004 - 5 teams
Kemptville Macton Muckdogs
Kanata Team Easton
Stittsville 56ers
Manotick Lomor Printers
Fitzroy Harbour West Carleton Electric

2005 - 4 teams
Kanata Team Easton
Stittsville 56ers
Manotick Lomor Printers
Fitzroy Harbour West Carleton Electric

2006 - 6 teams
Kanata Team Easton
Stittsville 56ers
Manotick Lomor Printers
Fitzroy Harbour West Carleton Electric
Carp I4C Victory
Ottawa Blitz

2007 - 8 teams
Ottawa Team Easton
Stittsville 56ers
Manotick Lomor Printers
Fitzroy Harbour West Carleton Electric
Carp I4C Victory
Ottawa Blitz
Quyon Combat Flyers
Orleans Gators

2008 - 9 teams
Ottawa Team Easton
Stittsville 56ers
Manotick Lomor Printers
Fitzroy Harbour West Carleton Electric
Carp I4C Victory
Ottawa Blitz
Quyon Combat Flyers
Orleans Gators
Greely DNTW Eagles

2009 - 9 teams
Ottawa Team Easton
Stittsville 56ers
Manotick Lomor Printers
Fitzroy Harbour West Carleton Electric
Carp I4C Victory
Ottawa Blitz
Quyon Combat Flyers
Orleans Gators
Greely DNTW Eagles

2010 - 8 teams
Kars Aces (formerly Team Easton)
Stittsville 56ers
Barrhaven Broadway Blues (formerly Lomor Printers)
Fitzroy Harbour West Carleton Electric
Carp I4C Victory
Ottawa Blitz
Quyon Combat Flyers
North Gower Marlboroughs (formerly Greely Eagles)

Kingston Fastball area champions - KFL & LFL

The Kingston Whig-Standard reports that North Fred won the Loughborough Fastball League and RJB Photography won the Kingston Fastball League.

The North Fred Kings defeated the Kingston Cowboys 4-1 in the Loughborough League fastball championship on Saturday in Sydenham.

Bryan Brooks recorded the win on the mound, going all seven innings and giving up just three hits while striking out 11. Kings teammate Mike Finn cranked a solo home run.

Cowboys pitcher Chris Switzer took the loss. Jeff Hannah had a double and scored a run for Kingston.

The final was a rematch of the undefeated game in the eight-team tournament, won 4-0 by North Fred.

The Cowboys edged Sunbury 7-6 in nine innings to earn another shot at North Fred.

Meanwhile, Jamie Thompson did the damage on the mound and at the plate as RJB Photography won the Kingston Fastball League title with a 1-0 victory over the Jakk Tuesday A's on Monday at Garrigan Park.

Thompson hit a home run in the first inning and pitched a stellar game, allowing just two hits while striking out 10.

RJB won the best-of-five series 3-1.

For the A's, Barry Van Hooser gave up only three hits and struck out 10 in Game 4.

Fall Ball

from Derek Martin

Fall Ball Year 3 gets underway this Sunday afternoon @ 1pm at Garneau High School in Orleans. This season will once again have 4 teams participating for the Fall Ball glory, with players from the GOFL, BMFL, GCMFL and Trend-Arlington. All four corners of Ottawa will join together Sunday afternoons in Orleans for the next 5 weeks to compete in a friendly league brought together by 3 guys who just wanted to play ball as long into the season as they could. Derek Martin, Ryan Naylor and Jeremy Grimes, all of which play in the BMFL decided to take it upon themselves to start up "Fall Ball" in 2008 due to the fact that their league was always finished by the start of September. With usually 2 more months without snow on the ground to play some ball the three of them got together one night at Boston Pizza in Orleans and discussed a way to make up a league that would last about 4 weeks or so to just play some ball. Sure enough the interest for their idea was outstanding. The inaugural season (2008) was comprised of players from the OAFA in Orleans and the BMFL and now in its third season Fall Ball has erupted into a city wide craze. With players coming from as far west as Stittsville to play every Sunday this league sure has bloomed into something special that alot of ball players in the Ottawa area look forward to this time of year.

GHFL award for Joel Langford

Congrats to Joel Langford for winning "Defensive player of the year" in the Greater Horseshoe Fastball League.

Softball Ontario seeks a chairman for its coaching committee

from Softball Ontario
NORTH YORK, ONTARIO – Softball Ontario is now accepting applications for the position of its Coaching Committee Chairman. The successful candidate will be an active part in Softball Ontario’s National Coaching Certification Program, which is an education opportunity for Coaches across Ontario to enhance their coach education.

To help Softball Ontario run a successful Coaching Program, we are looking for a Chairman who will take on the task of attending and governing all the Coaching Committee meetings and overseeing operations in conjunction with committee members and the Softball Ontario staff member to ensure assigned tasks are completed by their deadlines. Knowledge and experience in Coach is a requirement.

Highlights of the qualifications and responsibilities of the Softball Ontario’s Coaches Committee Chairman include:

• To schedule, establish an agenda and chair committee meetings
• To delegate duties as required to committee members and follow up on the completion of these duties
• To communicate closely with Softball Ontario Program Coordinator, Softball Ontario o Board of Directors
• To determine the 2010 Softball Ontario’s Coaching Committee budget (with assistance of committee members)
• To prepare and present the Coaching Program report to Softball Ontario Board of Directors at their January and October meetings
• To organize and ensure the smooth running of Coach Instructor Training Clinic
• To ensure the delivery of the National Coaching Certification Program
• To oversee Coaches Symposium
  

How to Apply
All interested candidates are asked to apply in writing, expressing their interest along with a detailed resume outlining your softball, Coaching, Facilitating and professional background and qualifications for this position. Applications should be sent no later than October 1, 2010.

In the coming weeks the Softball Ontario Umpires Committees will collect and evaluate all applications, and choose a candidate for approval by the Softball Ontario Board of Directors. Softball Ontario is confident that the Coaches Program will be a huge success and will produce future Coaches of tomorrow.

Email your resume to Steph Sutton at ssutton@softballontario.ca or fax it to (416) 426- 7368, for consideration.
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Softball Ontario is the governing body for the sport of softball in Ontario. Our goal is to promote and develop the sport of softball for its athletes, officials and volunteers by providing programs and services at all levels of competitions.

How to win your NFL pool

Generally, the Caveman and Fitzroy Junior are the primary sources of unintentional humour at my place and I'm happy to share the stories with blog readers.

This week Mrs Fitzroy Fastball and I recently had what I consider to be a blogworthy conversation.

*REMINDER* - Mrs Fastball knows I have "this stupid website" as she refer to it, but she doesn't read this thing or really know too much of what goes on here.....for those of you who know her, let's keep it that way OK? :)

HER: So, I guess we'll have to watch the NFL games this Sunday.

ME: What?! (She has less than zero interest in football. She wouldn't be able to name you more than 3 players in the NFL, and those would be the ones married to actresses and making frequent appearances in People.)

HER: Yeah, the season starts this week, so we should watch.

ME: Are you kidding me? How all of a sudden do you know the NFL schedule?

HER: Well I entered a football pool at work so I want to know who wins.

ME: What? You entered an NFL pool? How much does this cost?

HER: Two bucks.

ME: (Small sigh of relief that she's not betting the grocery money.) You're serious? How did you pick the winners?

HER: I picked the cities that I preferred to visit. You know, New Orleans against Minnesota, I'd much rather go to New Orleans. That sort of thing.

I'll let you know how she does.....

I4C Victory at the Elkland Labour Day tourney

from Eric Rosenquist

The Carp I4C Victory fastball team attended the Elkland Pennsylvania Labour Day tournament for the 6th straight year in 2010. The boys were hoping to improve upon their fourth-place finishes in the previous two years, but like past years, the concern going into the tournament was whether the team had enough pitching to survive if they dropped into the loser bracket of the double-elimination tourney and had to play a number of back-to-back games. With most of the top Canadian pitchers in PEI at the senior men's championship and consequently unavailable, the Victory turned to 19 year old Caleb Keeshig from the Owen Sound area to complement I4C Victory stalwart Neil Cooke. Caleb was an unknown quantity to the Victory but came highly recommended by Owen Sound junior coach Lee Jacques.

Game #1
The Victory's first game was Saturday at noon, and it was not an easy one - going against the hometown Elkland team with senior pitcher Paul Algar on the mound. Neil Cooke countered for I4C, and the game was a harbinger of things to come for the Victory - low scoring with great pitching, solid defence, and opportunistic offence. The only run of the game came in the top of the 3rd when Victory catcher Al Read hit a double to left field and was able to score when the throw from the outfield to second skipped into shallow right field. Algar permitted only two other base-runners in the game and struck out 10, while Cooke was equally impressive, striking out 14 of the 25 batters he faced.Final score 1-0 Victory.

Game #2
The game #1 win meant playing at 8PM on Saturday against Keating's Fitness who had beaten the Kars Aces earlier in the day. Dave Stokes toed the rubber for Keating's while Caleb Keeshig got his first start of the tournament for I4C Victory. The Victory hitters got off to a quick start in this game, cashing in two runs in the top of the 1st courtesy of hits by Al Read, Kevin McGuire, and Cory Morrison. From the second inning on however, Stokes limited the Victory to just four base runners, none of whom were able to score even with three stolen bases mixed in. Keating's also got off to a quick start in the game, with lead-off hitter Dan Loney ripping the first pitch from Keeshig to deep left for a triple. Keeshig however was able to settle in - retiring the side with a strike-out, walk, and two more strike-outs to leave Loney stranded at third.

The turning point of the game came in the bottom of the third inning when Keating's first hitter reached on a walk, stole second, and then appeared to have scored on a one-out flare to shallow left to reduce the Carp lead to one run. It turned out however that the runner bumped into Carp short-stop Kevin McGuire as he was running back to play the ball, and after an umpire's conference, the runner was called out for interference. After that play, Keeshig and Carp catcher Terry Redden got into a groove and scattered two hits and two walks over the final four innings. Final score 2-0 Victory.

Game #3
Winning their first two games earned the Victory a showdown Sunday at noon with the top-ranked Shaggy Dog team out of Erie, Pennsylvania. With New Zealander Jeremy Manley on the mound and some former and current USA national team members such as Frank DeGroat and Frankie Perez on the squad, Shaggy Dog were the clear tournament favourites.

Neil Cooke got the start for Carp and kept the Shaggy hitters in check until the bottom of the fourth inning. A single to the lead-off hitter was followed by a strike-out of DeGroat, but the next batter - Perez - hit a change-up over the left-field fence to give Shaggy a 2-0 lead. Cooke closed out the inning giving up another single and then getting out of the jam by inducing a textbook 6-4-3 double-play. Fearing that the experienced Shaggy hitters had picked something up from Carp catcher Al Read or Cooke, the Victory made a pitching change and brought Caleb Keeshig in to start the fifth inning. Keeshig did his job, striking out the side in the fifth and stranding a base hit in the sixth to keep the game within reach for Carp. RF Cory Morrison gave the Victory some hope when he hit a solo home run to start the seventh inning, but in the end it was not enough as the Carp hitters couldn't muster any further offence. Manley ended the game with 18Ks while Cooke/Keeshig countered with 8. Final score 2-1 Shaggy Dog.

Game #4
A quirk of the schedule meant that Carp didn't play their first loser-bracket game until 10AM on Monday morning. As is typical on the last day of a double-elimination tournament, teams in the loser-bracket keep playing back-to-back as long as they keep winning. First up for Carp was a rematch with the Elkland team, although this time both teams went to a pitcher the opposition hadn't already faced, with Elkland sending Ryan Cummings to the mound and Caleb Keeshig getting the ball for Carp.

The Victory hitters looked to be off to another quick start in this game as lead-off hitter Joel Langford singled, but then was doubled-off at 1st when a slap-bunt attempt by Kevin McGuire ended up being caught by the Elkland third baseman. Number three hitter Cory Morrison then stepped to the plate and hit a no-doubt solo home-run off Cummings to stake the Victory to an early 1-0 lead. That lead held up until the top of the sixth when Elkland tied the game with a solo home-run of their own. The Victory answered back promptly however, with McGuire reaching on a walk, stealing second, and then scoring as Carp hitters Tim Power, Al Read, and Matt McNish hit three straight singles. Tim Power came in to score the insurance run when Shawn Simzer followed those singles with a sacrifice fly to right field.

Keeshig then shut down the Elkland hitters in the top of the seventh to preserve the win, stranding a lead-off double and bloop single off the Elkland bats. Final score 3-1 Victory.

Game #5
The win over Elkland earned the Victory a noon game on the far diamond against Keating's Fitness. Neil Cooke got the start for I4C with veteran Mike Crawford countering for Keating's - both teams once again going with pitchers the opposition hadn't seen already that weekend. The Keating's hitters jumped on Cooke early, who later admitted he was having trouble hitting his spots, touching him up for 6 runs over the first two+ innings on the strength of 9 hits and 3 walks. With things looking glum for the Victory, Keeshig replaced Cooke on the mound after a lead-off double in the top of the third, hoping to keep the Keating hitters from adding to the lead long enough for the Carp hitters to figure out Crawford. Keeshig did just that, scattering three hits over the last five innings and surrendering no further runs.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Carp bats came to life, plating 4 runs on 6 hits and a walk to make the score 6-4 Keating's at the end of four. Keating's replaced Crawford with Joe Hineline to start the fifth, but the Carp hitters got to him as well, scoring a pair of runs on a trio of hard-hit balls by Cory Morrison, Al Read, and Matt McNish. In the bottom of the sixth, the Victory went ahead to stay, adding two more runs courtesy of a Kevin McGuire home run that scored McGuire and 2B Joel Langford. Final score 8-6 Victory.

Game #6
With no time to savour the emotional high of the come-from-behind win over Keating's, the Victory lugged their gear back to the main diamond to immediately play the loser of the noon undefeated game: the PA Power. Caleb Keeshig got the nod for Carp, going against Bill Hillhouse for the PA Power. Both pitchers kept the opposition hitters at bay through two innings, surrendering only one base runner apiece.

The third inning was the turning point of the game, and perhaps one of the longest innings ever played in Elkland. In the top of the third, the PA Power lead-off hitter smashed a home-run to centre field, but as he rounded the bases, Carp catcher Terry Redden picked up the Synergy-2 bat the hitter had used and handed it to the plate umpire, stating that it was an illegal bat since it wasn't ASA-2004 certified as required by the Elkland tournament rules. After a lengthy delay, where it was determined that the bat was not approved for use, and then another delay to ensure that the appropriate penalty was assessed, the batter was declared out and the game resumed with the score still 0-0.

Keeshig then induced fly balls from the next two hitters to retire the side and send the Victory hitters to the plate. The delay did not affect Carp's hitting however, as 1B John Peters led off the inning with a hit and was promptly moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from the Carp pitcher Keeshig. Joel Langford then followed with a shallow single that put Carp runners at the corners with just one out. Next up for Carp was shortstop Kevin McGuire, who hit a ground ball right at the first baseman and moved Langford to second but held Peters at third. Cory Morrison then hit a slow roller between home plate and the pitching rubber that pitcher Bill Hillhouse had trouble fielding, and by the time the dust had settled, both Peters and Langford had crossed the plate, giving Carp a 2-0 lead after three.

The Power responded right away with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth to make it 2-2. Caleb Keeshig, working his 16th inning over a 6 hour span, experienced a muscle cramp in his pitching forearm and had to come out of the game with nobody out and a runner on first. Neil Cooke subbed in for the catcher Terry Redden, and designated player Al Read went behind the plate to catch so that Keeshig remained in the batting order in the #9 slot. The first batter faced by Cooke/Read promptly hit a triple to cash the first Power run and put a runner on third, still with no outs. After a strike-out to Power DP Gregg Garrity, the runner on third was plated via a sac fly, tying the game.

The second contentious moment of the game came in the bottom of the fourth inning when Carp batter Todd Storms went to the plate to hit for Keeshig, whose forearm was not feeling any better and decided against trying to hit. Storms had been in the original line-up as the DP, but a last-second catching change by Carp coaches Eric Rosenquist and Trevor Wood had Al Read changed to the DP with Terry Redden inserted as the catcher for Keeshig. In their haste, Storms' name wasn't written on the list of available substitutes for the game when the line-up card was handed in, so when he stepped to the plate the PA Power challenged him as an illegal substitution and the umpires ruled him out. Carp argued that eligible substitute players can be added to a game roster at any time during the game, and pointed to Storms' crossed out name in the starting line-up to highlight his status as an eligible player, but the umpires stood by their ruling which they said was according to the "ISA" rule book. In hindsight and for what little it's worth, it would appear that Carp's interpretation was correct, as the Independent Softball Association rule book (http://www.isasoftball.com/files/2010RULEBOOKPDF.pdf) is aligned with most other associations and allows eligible subs to be added during the game.

Carp recovered quickly from the frustration of the fourth inning and broke the tie for good in the bottom of the fifth. Joel Langford started the inning with a single, was bunted to second by McGuire, moved to third on a deep fly ball off the bat of Cory Morrison, and then came home on an infield hit by Al Read.

The PA Power threatened to take over the game in the sixth as Cooke worked himself into and out of a bases-loaded jam, getting a much-needed strike out to end the inning and the threat. Cooke then followed that up with a 1-2-3 seventh inning to seal the win and send the Victory on to the finals. Final score 3-2 Victory.

Game #7 - Tournament Final
The final game against Shaggy Dog of Erie PA started shortly after the PA Power game; by then it was past 5PM and the final had been scheduled to start at 4PM. The Carp players got a brief rest during the pre-game ceremonies, which included player introductions, a touching poem about Durk Sherman (the tournament's namesake who passed away during the 2009 tournament) read by his daughter, and a pre-game anthem played by the local school band. Carp continued their Monday coin-toss luck and won home team for the game, sending Neil Cooke to the pitching rubber to face the experienced and well rested Shaggy Dog players. Shaggy Dog was only on their 4th game of the weekend compared to the 4th consecutive game of the day and 7th of the weekend for Carp.

Shaggy's lead-off hitter got them off to a quick start by hitting a single, advancing to second on a sac bunt, and then scoring all the way from second on a deep fly ball to centre field when the throw from the outfield came in just over the head of Carp SS Kevin McGuire. Cooke had better luck in the second, retiring the side in order on a pair of ground balls and a pop-up to second. In the third, Shaggy Dog had a string of singles that saw them add another run and still have the bases loaded with just one out. They looked to be set to take control of the game, but Cooke struck out the #4 hitter and then got the #5 hitter to pop-up to second and cap Shaggy's scoring for the game at two runs. Cooke was nearly perfect over the remaining four innings, allowing just two runners to reach base.

Jeremy Manley was equally impressive on the mound, allowing just three base runners over seven innings on a single, double, and walk. Unfortunately for Carp, those three runners were all in separate innings and ended up stranded on the bases. Manley finished the game with 18 strike outs on his way to earning the tournament's top pitcher award.

Carp's Caleb Keeshig was presented with the MVP award for his role in the Victory's run to the finals. Final score 2-0 Shaggy Dog.

North Fred wins the LFL title

info from TC and Jeff Hannah

The North Fred Kings beat the Kingston Cowboys 4-1 in the final game of the Loughborough Fastball League playoff tournament. Brian Brooks was the winning pitcher and Chris Switzer took the loss.

Friday night results are below, more information to follow:

North Fred 4
Sunbury 0
WP Brian Brooks
LP Craig Hollingsworth

Sydenham 7
Sydenham Midgets 3
WP Chris Bowes

Cowboys 12
Napanee Juniors 0
WP Chris Switzer
LP Craig McGarvey

Newburgh 3
Enterprise 2
WP Jordan MacDonald
LP Dale Dowdall

Note as well an article from the Kingston Whig-Standard on the LFL.

Game 3 in Stittsville / Kars set for September 15

Game 3 of the best-of-three semi-final between Stittsville and Kars will be played on Wednesday September 15 at 9:30pm at the Grove. (Not a typo - NINE-thirty.)

The winner of the game will move on to face the Quyon Combat Flyers in the GOFL Finals.

Stittsville evens semi-final winning 7-0 over Kars - UPDATED

txt msg from Cory Morrison

The Stittsville 56ers evened their best-of-three GOFL semi-final series at one game apiece with a 7-0 win in five innings over the Kars Aces at the Grove on Wednesday night.

Darren Featherstone had the win while Brad Porter took the loss.

Game three to determine which team will move on to face the Quyon COMBAT Flyers in the GOFL final series will be determined shortly and posted as soon as confirmed.

Story now available from John Craig

Game 2 of the Kars Aces vs. Stittsville 56ers went last night the Grove.

The 56er bats finally awoke after a sleepy game one and they got on the board in the first. John Craig reached first and moved to second on a Dan Jessiman walk. Keeping the bats going Darren Featherstone then hit a line drive to left scoring Craig, and leaving himself and Jessiman at second and third. Dan Bradley followed that up with a 3 run home run to opposite field giving the 56ers a 4-0 nothing lead.

Dave Tubman hit a double in the top of the second and moved to third on wild pitch, but that was as far as he got.

Kars threatened again in the third when Scott Marion singled, moved to second on a wild pitch and Kristian Knapp drew a walk giving the Aces runners at 1st and 2nd with only one out. Fortunately for Stittsville Kevin Chevrier then hit a ground ball to third, Craig picked it up, touched third and fired to first for the double play ending the inning.

Kars kept coming though in the 4th when Chad Milne drew a walk and moved to third with nobody out. Tubman also drew a walk but Featherstone was throwing well and struck out two to get out of the inning unscathed.

In the top of the 5th Knapp hit a 2 out triple and Chevrier drew a walk as the Aces once again put runners in scoring position but Featherstone was able to get the third out without any damage.

The 56ers had been pretty quiet through 2nd and 3rd despite a D. Jessiman double until the 4th inning. Dan Bradley and Tyler Nystedt both singled but that was it as Brad Porter struck out two of the next three.

In the 5th Craig lead off with a double and was cashed in on D. Jessiman's second double of the game. Featherstone then singled scoring D. Jessiman and Scott Jessiman reached first on an error. Bradley then singled bringing in Featherstone to end the game 7-0.

Featherstone gets the win and Porter gets the loss.

Loughborough Fastball League playoff tournament

from Jeff Hannah

The Loughborough league playoff tournament is this Friday and Saturday at the Keeley Road diamonds (out Sydenham Road to Keeley road, where the Kingston Cowboys tournament used to be).

The top 4 teams from the regular season get 2 lives and the bottom 4 get only one life in the tournament. There are 4 games on Friday night starting at 6:30pm. Games continue Saturday starting at 10:00am, with the final scheduled for 4:00pm Saturday.

Friday night games:
6:30 North Fred vs Sunbury
6:30 Sydenham vs Sydenham Midgets (elimination game)
8:30 Cowboys vs Napanee Juniors
8:30 Enterprise vs Newburgh (elimination game)

There will be a canteen open all weekend, and some good ball so come out and enjoy a weekend of fastball.

Quyon earns spot in GOFL final with 2-0 win over I4C

with info from Moe Laframboise

The Quyon COMBAT Flyers moved on to the Greater Ottawa Fastball League final with a 2-0 win over Carp I4C Victory in the third game of the semi-final series on Wednesday night in Quyon. A total of six runs were scored in the three games (Carp 1 Quyon 0; Quyon 3 Carp 0; Quyon 2 Carp 0).

Drew Hathway had a win, throwing a one-hitter and striking out 17. Hathway did not allow an earned run in 21 innings of play in the semi-final series. Neil Cooke took the loss for I4C with a four-hitter.

The only runs of the game came in the sixth inning. Shawn Laframboise walked and Nick Armitage's sacrifice bunt was misplayed. Then with one out, Joe McCleary's fly ball moved the runners to second and third. A ground ball resulted in an error by I4C scoring Laframboise and what proved to be the winning run. The subsequent RBI single by Tim Craig plated Armitage as an insurance run.

Quyon will move on to face the winner of the Kars - Stittsville series in the GOFL best of five final.

Quyon pitching
Drew Hathway WIN 7IP 0R 1H 0BB 17K

Carp pitching
Neil Cooke LOSS 6IP 2R 0ER 1BB 8K

Quyon hitting
Curtis Daley - 1/2, 2B, RoE
Tim Craig - 2/3, RBI
Nick Armitage - 1/3, R, RoE
Shawn Laframboise - 0/2, BB, R

Carp hitting
Al Read - 1/3

UOVMFL Finals set - Twins vs Twins

thanks to Kerr Childerose for sending on the info

The finals for the Upper Ottawa Valley Men's Fastball League have been set. The Micksburg Senior Twins, who are the defending champions, will face the Micksburg Junior Twins in a rematch of the UOVMFL final from 2008.

The first game of the finals is Friday, September 10 at 7:30 in Micksburg. Though the Upper Valley loop is not quite as strong as it once was in the past, the final will feature Corey Costello vs Joran Graham on the pitching slab which is a pretty good match up in any league!

Harbour Ball highlight

A very unusual play in Fitzroy Harbour Men's Fastball League playoff action as the Green Team faced the Navy Blue Team on Wednesday night.

WC Electric player and FH Green Team catcher Dave Bahm hit a soft fly to centre with runners on first and second and one out. The centrefielder for the Navy Blue Team misplayed the fly and booted the ball - not uncommon in Harbour League. The runner on second had tagged up, but the runner on first had started running. So when the ball was booted, there was approximately 4 feet between the runners and they kept going.

When the centrefielder came up with the ball, he whipped it into the shortstop, who turned around and saw BOTH runners going for home. A perfect throw to the catcher resulted in both runners being tagged out in quick succession as seasoned ump Bill "BK" Kirby made the double pump call at the plate.

Et voila - a 8-6-2-2 double play! Fairly uncommon I would think.....though a Google search found one in the majors from 1985.

Memories of Elkland, the 2010 edition

The pressure is on as this is my most anticipated post of the fastball season - the fourth annual "Memories of Elkland", 2010 version. As always, names withheld to protect the guilty.

The competition: There were 15 teams, once again with a mix of locals, intermediate and senior teams that you just don't get anywhere else. I guess they were up to around 20 at one point but a bunch dropped out. With the great prize money, the reasonable entry fee ($250 US American dollars) and the excellent venue it's damn near shocking to me that more teams don't go.

Some teams had a bit of a tough first round draw, but what can you do? Shaggy Dog got the bye, and I can't see anyone seriously arguing with that. The Sunday night game under the lights once again featured the ESA host team, this year versus Kars Aces. To call the crowd 'vocal' would be an understatement - 'raucous' might be a better word - and it was lots of fun for players and spectators alike to be part of. The cackling laugh of one specific area player could be heard far and wide across Field 1 on that night.

As far as teams that weren't there, one surprise this year - no Keeneyville! Guys, c'mon. You're 10 miles from Elkland - get back there in 2011 in those fancy uniforms that you now have!

The venue: I know I sound like a broken record, but it really is a special place to play ball, with Molly's Red Barn, the grandstand, the painted up sponsorship logos on the outfield fences, the well maintained fields, the fans, the $2 pints, the chicken dinner.

All the little (and big) things they do right - the clean facilities, the free camping, the friendly volunteers, having the draw available as a handout for fans, the announcers, the reasonable prices and so on.

A special addition this year is the Durk Sherman Memorial Building built along the left field line. Chock full of memorabilia, it's a great spot to spend some time to get a feel of the history of the place.

If you don't like the weather, wait 10 minutes: The weather was decent, not as perfect as last year but still good. Saturday was especially interesting as I think it went from sunny to windy to rainy and back through the cycle about 4 times.

It's cool at nights in them thar hills so if you go - check that WHEN you go - bring your woolies!

Rookies: This year's crop of Elkland rookies were once again impressive.

One rookie was not only was one for one at the plate in his first game, but according to reports also went "two for two", if you will, at the Moose based on his performance on Friday and Saturday night.

Another rookie had trouble finding his way home from the Moose to the campground - and ended up spending the night in a school bus parked in someone's driveway!

Accommodations and antics: In the spirit of continuous improvement our team upgraded to three camper trailers onsite at the ball diamond. We've learned our lessons well, and brought new and improved supplies, coordinated our grocery purchases and had a pretty sweet site on the go. We also proved that yes indeed it is possible for one man to smoke an entire carton of duty free cigarettes on his own during one long weekend ball tournament.

Given the proximity to all the important things - ball diamonds, the Moose, the Acorn - what more could you want? Plenty of other folks agree as the site was plugged with campers. With no fee to camp, power hook ups and water, the ESA looks after its patrons.

As in other years, the antics of our crew and others was amusing (well amusing at least to other campers, maybe not to the grumpy neighbour). I think the highlight for us was the Elkland Ironman Triathlon which consists of three critical components. 1) Marathon drinking, which consists of sitting around on lawnchairs slamming beer and depositing the cans onto the grass. 2) Placing the cans into a large carton, then playing rapid fire batting practice tossing said empty cans to a willing batter. For maximum effect put in a mystery full beer unbeknownst to the batter in the middle of the lot. 3) Finally, take all empty cans and place into a large pile known as the "pool". Jump bellyflop style into the cans and simulate swimming. Ladies and gentlemen, somebody call the Redneck Games, we have a new sport on our hands!

Good ol' Jesse: Faithful blog readers will recall that West Carleton Electric has employed the services of the same Elkland bat boy since 2007. Good old Jesse had his previously acquired WC ballcap firmly stuck on his head and welcomed us warmly on Friday night with a series of high fives and hugs, remembering everyone's name. I'm thinking that this is a serious highlight in Jesse's year which is kind of cool since it's a highlight in ours too. We caught up on all his news and he seemed to take our advice from last year - he's joining the Army and he didn't get his girlfriend pregnant which were our two main suggestions for him to succeed in life in 2009!

Language lessons: You might not think that you could heard different languages spoken other than standard US English in northern rural Pennsylvania and for 51 weekends a year you'd probably be correct. However, for one weekend, Elkland turns into a melting pot of cultures. You might hear locals like Dex greeting each other with "Yo, dude!". Or, if near a few Canadians from up our way "How's she goin' lads!". The Kiwis there greet familiar faces with a "G'day mate!". And the Dominican players on Shaggy Dog can be heard to say "Ola amigo, que pasa?". The Newfie Lowland Gorilla will often come out with a "Hey buddy, how's the missus?" But one phrase that's common to all - "Gimme a chicken!" at the pit once they're ready.

The Moose: If you've been to Elkland, you know about the Moose. If you haven't, let me reiterate it's pretty much worth the trip on it's own. Legendary is not too mild a term for this place. There's something about the vibe there - everyone's having fun on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. No need for security because there is never any trouble despite the seriously intoxicated patrons. $2 beer, $25 pitchers of rye and Coke, and people from uh....21 because they wouldn't let anyone underage in, no sirree, all the way up to folks in their 70s. All in the house smiling, laughing, catching up with old friends, and making new ones. What a spot.

It's so different from our bars in Ontario. They'd be shut down by the liquor inspector in about 14 seconds if they allowed half the things that go on at the Moose.

One piece of advice though for at least one of the local Moose patrons: if you have limited funds and it's a choice between a new tattoo or looking after your oral hygiene, honestly go for the dental work. I insist!

The conclusion: If you haven't been, you really have to go. Anyone that loves fastball needs to make the trip. Let's get Billy 24 teams next year!

One more Elkland item to follow.....

West Carleton Electric goes 1-2 at Elkland Labour Day tournament

West Carleton Electric ventured down to Elkland, PA for the Durk Sherman Labour Day tournament for the fourth year in a row and finished with a 1-2 record.

WC Electric 13 Allentown, PA Industrial 7

First game of the tournament was Saturday morning at noon against PA Industrial from Allentown. The Electric came back twice to take the game by a score of 13-7. PA Industrial touched up starter Bud Hanlon for 4 runs in two innings, before WC Electric came back with four runs of their own to tie the game. With reliever Jeff Barber into throw, the PA team scored three more runs to take another lead. However, the Electric's bats woke up and they scored 9 unanswered runs for the win. Barber had the win in relief. Tourney pick up Drew Hathway had a three run homer for WC, while Trevor Barton was 3 for 3 with a walk. Tourney rookie Shawn Ryan had a triple in his Elkland debut at bat.

Harrisburg, PA Hoffman Power 7 WC Electric 0

Game two on Saturday evening was less successful for the Electric as they fell 7-0 to PA Power, who recently finished sixth at the ISC World Tournament. Former USA national team member Bill Hillhouse had the win for the Power, while Hathway took the loss. The Electric made some errors in this one to give away three runs and only managed four hits against the veteran Hillhouse. Shawn Rebertz, in a WC uniform for the first time in two years, had two hits in a losing cause.

Elkland, PA Thunderbellys 3 WC Electric 2

The loss meant a "rest" until 4pm on Sunday when the Electric faced the host Thunderbellys for the second year in a row. And for the second year in a row, it was an excellent game with the local team coming out on top in front of a good crowd. Former New Zealand and USA national team member Paul Algar earned the complete game win, while Hathway pitched very well in taking the loss. Elkland scored the first run in the third after a triple that just tipped off the glove of the WC left fielder, followed by a squeeze bunt. The Electric tied things in the sixth after Hathway walked and was driven in by a Beef Johnson triple. In the top of the seventh, the Bellys pushed two across the plate on three hits. The bottom of the inning saw Fitzroy respond with one run after Neil Murphy tripled and scored on Jeff Cavanagh's pinch hit sacrifice fly, but that was all WC could manage as Algar shut the door for the remainder of the seventh.

GOFL playoffs continue Wednesday

The GOFL playoffs continue with two games on Wednesday night.

Carp will travel to Quyon for the deciding Game 3 of that series. First pitch is 7:30pm.

Stittsville and Kars will meet at the Grove for Game 2 of that series. Kars leads 1-0. That one gets underway at 8:30pm.

Shaggy Dog wins Elkland Durk Sherman Labour Day tournament

Shaggy Dog from Erie, PA won the fifteen-team Durk Sherman Labour Day tournament in Elkland, PA over the weekend, running the table with a 4-0 record. Pitcher Jeremy Manley was named top pitcher for the event.

Carp I4C Victory came up the backside to make it to the finals, finishing with a 5-2 record. Their only losses were to Shaggy Dog (2-1 and 2-0). Midget-aged pitcher Caleb Keeshig who played for Victory for the weekend was named MVP.

Kars Aces finished 2-2, while West Carleton Electric were 1-2.

More to follow.....MUCH more to follow

Trend-Arlington League playoff update

from Wynn Fenwick

Local Men's Fastball League Begins 35th Annual Playoffs

The 2010 Trend-Arlington Men's Fastball League semi-finals are set to begin September 8th.

Playing out of west Ottawa since 1974, this senior fastball league is about to begin its 35th annual competitive championship playoff series. The TAMFL boasts five father-son combinations, an equal-play policy and is a unique link between recreational fastball's past and future in Ottawa.

Regular Season Summary
After starting out the season with six teams, the difficult decision was made by the Convenor's Committee to reduce to a five-team alignment for the regular season. Beech Street DiRienzo Foods and Lone Star Texas Grill teams were merged to ensure continuity through the summer season. Despite this the league accepted several new members.

Outgoing Committee Chair Wynn Fenwick hopes the league will return to six or more teams in 2011. "We thought we had a good shot at seven teams again early in 2010, but we lost some players to retirement and to other leagues and other sports. The new membership headcount didn't make up the difference." said Fenwick. "We have a tradition of welcoming new players through the season, but the dramatic increase in field costs is starting to make it difficult to attract new members. We are paying almost three times as much for fields as we were in 2005."

The five teams include Ed Taylor Shamrocks (green) captained by area fastball fixture Ivan Taylor, PJ Quigley's Bar and Grill (red), Lone Star Texas Grill (royal blue), Goodfellow Cleaners (yellow), and Durabuilt Construction (navy blue). The official blues are supplied by our friends George Findley and Gary Callaghan at the Eastern Ontario Umpire's Association, thanks to the diligent coordination of TAMFL's rookie Umpire-in-Chief Casey O'Sullivan.

The five-team format had each team get an additional 20 games from June to late August before the a final "play-in" round of 10 games determined which teams would advance to the semi-finals.

Throughout the regular season, Goodfellow Cleaners have been steadied by pitchers Art Henry and Rene Roncali, and a cohesive roster of excellent fielders and hitters that include backstop "Super" Dave Simmonds and fleet-footed shortstop Andy Ivol. Captain Roger Cousineau hopes to see the killer bees follow up 2009's championship with a third straight run to the TAMFL championship final.

Semi-Final Series Set
After a consistent and strong regular season and run to the 2009 finals, Taylor Shamrocks ran upon tough times and failed to qualify for the semi-finals. This result was despite strong play by father/son catchers Jack and Mike Gellner, outfielder Jim Bisset, infielder Brad Whiteduck and pitcher Elton Cryderman.

Goodfellows will face Lone Star Texas Grill in semifinal series "B", the latter team boasting an attack worthy of a 1970s Earl Weaver team featuring pitching, keen eyes and big hitters. Long-time T-A'er Bob Sampson is experiencing a Mattingly-esque renaissance at first base, and sets the table for heavy swinging 3B/SS Chris Jelley. Former Napaneer Mike Goodfellow and downeaster Craig Macdonald anchor the pitching staff, with co-captains Brent Taylor and Norm Ferriss catching and centering the Lone Stars fielders respectively.

In series "A", PJ Quigley's Bar and Grill squeaked into fourth place. Consistent hitting has been a challenge for the team in support of pitchers Kevin Wilson and Steve Vukic. Rookie catcher Nick Norton and sophomore Kris Hunt have grown into the defensive position this season, and provide two key bats in the lineup for team captain Graham Stewart. They have their work cut out against captain Jim Yeldon's Durabuilt Construction, which features the dangerous Andy McAfee leading off at shortstop, and venerable fireballers Gord Flannery and Paul "Buck" Richer delivering to catcher Dean MacDonald. Durabuilt was undefeated in the four-game "play-in" elimination round which ended Wednesday September 1.

Where to Watch
All games take place at Trend-Arlington Field located at 50 Bellman Drive, off Greenbank Road near West Hunt Club in Ottawa. The playoff schedule can be found at http://tafastball.ca/schedule.htm and all fastball fans are welcome to enjoy the late summer nights at the park starting Wednesday September 8th, 2010.

If I had a million dollars.....

Check out this story about a family that won the lottery sponsoring fastball in their community. (The story refers to "baseball" but we are talkin' fastball here!)

Thanks to TC for the tip on this one.

Elkland calling....

The Elkland Durk Sherman Tourmanent starts tonight and runs through until Monday. To say I'm looking forward to it would be an understatement.

As in past years, I'll do my best to recount the activities of the weekend. As always names will be withheld to protect the guilty.

Kars wins game 1 over Stittsville

Kars Aces won 9-0 over Stittsville 56ers in game 1 of their semi-final GOFL series on Thursday night at the Grove.

Brad Porter earned the win while Darren Featherstone took the loss.

Cory Alkerton had a three run homer and Kevin Chevrier had a grand slam for the Aces.

Game two is Wednesday night, September 8 at 8:30pm at the Grove in Stittsville.

Team Quebec now finished at Nationals

Team Quebec is now done at the Senior Men's Nationals in PEI, finishing with a 2-8 record.

They lost a close one to the defending champions from Kitchener by a score of 5-4. Luc Thibault had the loss while Dan Martin was the winner.

Team PQ then had a late night "tiebreaker" game against the Brookfield, NS Elks for the eighth spot to get into the playoff round of eight - however they lost that 6-1. No details available on that game that I can find.

Quebeckers get a win over Glace Bay, NS

Team Quebec won 3-2 over Glace Bay, NS this morning at the Men's Nationals in PEI.

Greg Garrity had the win. Nick Armitage and Matt Greer both had hits for the PQ. Jeff Farion took the loss.

Next up is a game against the first place defending champs from Kitchener.

With a record of 2-6, it appears that Team Quebec is at least assured of a tie-breaker game to move on to the playoff round.

Elkland first round games announced

from Bill Sherman, US American

The 58th annul Durk Sherman classic in Elkland Pa gets under way this weekend September 3 -6 2010. 15 teams will be fighting for not only the championship but $5,200.00 in prizes! The "futures" game kicks off the tourney Friday night at 6:30 followed by the opening game at 8:00pm.

Games will be played on 2 fields all day Saturday and Sunday with 6 games scheduled for championship Monday. Here are the opening round games.

Friday
800pm
J.A. Transportation VS Elkland juniors

Saturday
10am
Knoxville /Ontario VS Williamsport
Hoffmans Power VS R.F. Linemen

1200
ESA Bellys VS I4C Victory
P.A. Industrial VS West Carleton Electric

2pm
Greenbush Generals VS Jersey Shore
Kars Aces VS Keatings Fitness

4pm
Shaggy Dog VS WG-1
LG-5 VS LG 6

Thanks and I am looking forward to another great weekend of ball in Elkland!

Bill Sherman
esabill30@yahoo.com

No teams from the west, but lots of players from there

The Charlottetown paper has an article about the lack of western teams at the Nationals but the fact that lots of players from the four provinces are there playing.

Team Quebec has must win situation

Team Quebec dropped two games at the Senior Men's Canadians in PEI on Wednesday.

First game was a loss 6-2 to the host PEI team. Gregg Garrity took the loss while Mitch Hardy was the winner.

In the nightcap Team QC lost to 9-2 in six innings to Owen Sound. Francis Leclair had the loss, Andrew Phibbs was the winner. Matt Greer had a hit in this game.

Les Quebecois need to get a win today against Glace Bay, NS or Kitchener to move on the top 8 playoff round.

Greenbush goes undefeated, wins Leeds League

from Terry McCann

Greenbush swept through the North Leeds Men's Fastball League playoffs with 4 straight wins after an undefeated regular season.

In game 2 of the finals Tuesday night Greenbush defeated Newboro 7-3 to win the best-of-three series.

Greenbush jumped out to a 5-0 lead with 3 in first and 2 in the second. Newboro came back with 3 in the 2nd, 2 of them unearned. Greenbush scored 1 in the 4th and 1 in the 6th.

Kevin Phillips had the complete game win and Troy MacLean took the loss.

Mark Blanchard led Greenbush with 3 hits. Shane Foley, Ryan MacGregor, and Terry McCann had 2 each. Ryan Richmond was an emergency centre fielder and made numerous good catches to go along with 2 highlight of the night catches in the same inning.

13 days per punch

Gary Callaghan sent this on. Not fastball, but interesting reading nonetheless.......


Kingston man jailed for punching baseball ump
By SUE YANAGISAWA, QMI Agency

KINGSTON - A 20-year-old Kingston man has been jailed 26 days and sentenced to 12 months of probation for assaulting a baseball umpire.

Kyle Pyke pleaded guilty Monday in Kingston's Ontario Court of Justice to assaulting Brandon Cross on June 23, 2009, during a game between his Kingston Thunder and the visiting Prince Edward County Lynx. Pyke, who was 19 at the time, was suspended indefinitely from the team after he was charged with assaulting the then 16-year-old umpire.

Assistant Crown attorney Megan Williams told Justice Rommel Masse the trouble began when Pyke hit a ground ball and Cross called him out on a tag near first base. Pyke disagreed, according to Williams, and became very vocal and demonstrative, throwing his batting helmet on the ground.

Williams said Cross then ejected Pyke, subsequently ordering him to leave the ballpark. Instead, Masse was told, the older teen punched Cross in the head and face -- twice.

The game was then suspended, and Kingston police arrived to find Cross sporting a swelling above one eye. Pyke was arrested later that night.

In recommending a 30-day sentence -- minus pretrial custody -- to the judge, defence lawyer David Crowe counter claimed those punches didn't just come out of the blue.

He told Masse "there was some lead-up," to Pyke's loss of control and suggested the young umpire provoked his client during an exchange involving "strong language" and mutual pushing -- a claim Cross has previously denied. Williams didn't challenge the defence lawyer's assertions in court.

Masse accepted what amounted to a joint submission, noting that 30 days was a reasonable sentence under the circumstances. He gave Pyke double credit for two days he'd spent in pretrial custody.

"I know sports can become pretty emotional," the judge told Pyke in pronouncing his decision, "but the umpires are there for a reason."

The judge told him the bottom line is that "umpires have to be protected."