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.
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.
posted by fitzroyfastball | 9/07/2010 09:49:00 am
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