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All-Stars Selected
Durham's 2004 All-Star selections have been made by Head Coach Chris Killoran and his Assistant, Steve Smith. SS/3B Derek Grieve along with rookies P/OF Mike Robertson and 2B/SS J.P. Vittorio were selected to represent Durham in Pickering on July 10th. Unfortunately, each individual will be unable to attend. Replacing the trio will be P/IF Mike Ovsonka, C/UI Adam Bickford and OF Colin Cockburn. Colin will also represent Durham in the Home Run Derby and selected Mike Ovsonak as his pitcher for the event. Congratulations to all the guys participating, not only from Durham, but from around the league.
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James Grieve Retires
February 10, 2004 --
Every good thing comes to an end. This is now true for James Grieve. After playing baseball for 18 years in Whitby Baseball Jimmy has officially retired, hanging up the cleats. An arm injury that hasn't quite been able to heal over time is the main reason for his decision. Jimmy has been a member of the former Whitby Red since its second season, will be the teams first member of its Alumni and Hall of Fame.
Jimmy has been on many teams in his career and earlier in his youth was regarded as one of Whitby's best pitchers.....yes you read that right! Always a tough out when at bat, Jimmy has been known to have a little pop in his bat as well, hitting a tonne of clutch HR's in his day. Jimmy was always one of the first guys out on the field before a game and focused a lot of time on his infielding where he was one of the best at his position up the middle.
Jimmy will be around baseball for a long time to come and possibly take on a coaching role in the not to distant future. However never really commenting on the question of what will happen when he has arm surgery and can throw the ball around again like he used to, one can only imagine he will think about his future in baseball once again.
Hats off to you Jimmy and we will all look forward to your support in the quest for this years championship.
Signed,
The Durham Chiefs Baseball Club
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Durham adds a coach
May 2, 2004 --
Speculation over the past couple of weeks has now come to a conclusion. Steve Smith a one time original coach of the Whitby Red Chiefs but most recently an assistant coach of Whitby Blue has unexpectedly joined the Durham squad. Steve brings over his vast baseball knowledge, enthusiasm and statitician skills. The Durham players are very happy with this addition, believe this is just one more piece to the championship puzzle in 2004. Steve who has been involved in one way or another in baseball for almost 20 years in Whitby and in Lindsay, says "Durham has a very strong nucleus, has the talent to win for many years to come." Good luck Steve, we hope you continue your winning ways with the Durham Chiefs.
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Chiefs Stay Hot, sweep second DH !!
May 14, 2005 --
The Durham Chiefs are already in mid-season form. After sweeping their first series of the season, Durham beat the Mississauga Tigers 5-1 in the first game of their DH Saturday. The Chiefs got another solid start from Steve Misevski (3 IP, 1 ER, 5 hits, 1 K) and 3 scoreless innings from reliever Ryan Fraser (3 IP, 0 runs, 0 hits, 5 K). The Chiefs offense was lead by another Colin Cockburn (1-3, 1HR, 2RBI) homerun, Mike Ovsonka (3-3, 2SB) and Mike Robertson(1-2, triple, RBI, BB).
In the second half of Satuday's DH, Durham hammered out a convincing 12-3 win. Paul Ovsonka made his first start of the season, allowing only 3 runs(2 earned), 3 hits, walking none and striking out 6 Tigers over 4 innings. Mike Ovsonka (2 IP, 1 K) and Mike Robertson (1 IP, 2K's) followed, providing outstanding relief work. The Chiefs offence was on a roll once again, pounding out 13 hits. Colin Cockburn (2-3, 2 runs, 2 RBI), Derek Grieve (1-2, HR, 3 RBI, BB), Mike Robertson (2-3, HR, double, 2 RBI), JP Vittorio (2-4, 2 runs, triple) and catcher Adam Bickford (2-3, RBI) lead the charge.
Durham has to wait until Saturday May 28th for their next series which will be at Kinsmen Stadium vs Oshawa Talons
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Chiefs take OSSBA Tournament
August 21, 2005 --
This past weekend, the Durham Chiefs travelled to Barrie for the 2nd annual OSSBA tournament. Durham decided to enter the tournament this year after not going last season.
Playing shorthanded for the tournament, the Chiefs knew that they had to pull together and step up their play a notch.
Durham's first opponent was the Brampton Diamondbacks. Brampton has dominated their league (BRMBL) this season and gave the Chiefs a run for their money. Brampton got some key hits, capitalized on some Durham miscues and jumped out to a 6-2 lead. With their backs to the wall, coach Chris Killoran gave his players an energetic pep-talk that fired up the squad just before the Chiefs took their at bats in the 6th inning. By this time, the Diamondbacks had increased their lead to 8-2. With the top of the order due up in the 6th, it didn't take long before something happened. Mike Ovsonka lead things off, taking a hard fastball off the right knee, hobbling him. JP Vittorio, Graig Andrew, Colin Cockburn, Mike Robertson and Paul Graham all followed with key contributions scoring several runs. Now down 8-6, Mike Dunford came up with 1 out and hit a ground ball to short who threw it away, Graham headed for 3rd, seeing this the Brampton first baseman threw the ball to 3rd, but tossed it out of play, scoring both Graham and Dunford on the play. This game was tied 8-8 with a couple of minutes to play after the inning ended, but the umpires ruled that play had to be stopped as they had a tight schedule to follow and play could not continue.
In game 2, Durham played the lowly Brampton Braves who had lost 37-1 in their opening game to Richmond Hill. Durham starter Mike Robertson had a great game at the plate, only needing a single for the cycle. Graig Andrew also had a strong game at the plate that included an inside the park home run. Durham won the game 13-4, as they did not want to rub in the score.
On Sunday morning, Durham faced Richmond Hill Phoenix in a must win game for both teams as the winner of this game went on to the semi-finals. Durham had what appeared to be a convincing 5-1 lead but the 2004 OSSBA tournament champions made things interesting scoring three runs in their half of the fifth, narrowing the gap to 5-4. Durham was able to scrap out one additional run which would be more than enough for Durham starter, Aaron Gordon, who pitched the complete game. With the win, Durham moved on to face the Oshawa Talons in the semi finals.
Before the Richmond Hill game ended, Killoran made a call to P Paul Ovsonka. Ovsonka who just few in hours earlier from a vacation in Aruba was asked to drive to Barrie to be with the club in the event the team made it to the finals. Going on less than 5 hours sleep Ovsonka assured his coach he'd be there in time to play in the championship game.
Not wanting Ovsonka to drive out for nothing, his Durham team mates wasted little time getting to Talons' starter Terry Stephenson. After the first inning the score was 1-1. However, Durham then busted out continuing to pile up runs. In the end, Durham went on to mercy the Talons by a final score of 11-1 behind a Ryan Fraser complete game 6 hitter. The Chiefs would then wait to find out who their championship final opponent would be as the Whitby Chiefs battled the Burlington Bulls just across the parking lot at Dana field.
Burlington went on to beat Whitby, setting up a championship final which was fitting as the top two teams of the OSSBA set to face one another. Having split their regular season series 1-1, neither team really knew much about the other club. Both teams had played well all weekend long so the game had all the makings of a great game. Also on site to cover the game was Rogers Cable complete with play-by-play and colour commentary by tournament convenor, Rod Holinaty. Also present was the Fan590's Summer Cruiser event staff.
The game itself was a well played game. Strong pitching, great defense and some clutch hitting all factored into a low scoring affair. Durham jumped out to an early 1-0 lead thanks to an opposite field home run by LF Graig Andrew. Late in the game with the score tied at 2, Andrew made things happen again with a weird bounce off the first base bag. This play gave Durham the break they needed capitalizing by scoring two runs in their half of the inning to take a 4-2 lead. Those two runs were all that Durham needed as starter Paul Ovsonka cruised from there shutting the Bulls down the rest of the way, allowing a total of 4 hits and striking out 5. Durham went on to win their first-ever OSSBA Tournament Championship defeating a very solid Burlington club 4-2.
Afterwards Paul Ovsonka was awarded tournament MVP by Gerry Ray. For his effort, Paul took home a $50 gift card from Jack Astor's, a $25.00 gift card from National Sports as well as a National Sports gift bag with assorted items inside.
The Durham Chiefs would like to congratulate the Burlington Bulls on a fine tournament and a great showing in the championship game. Both teams were deserving of the win, but more importantly the game was a great showcase of some of the best talent the OSSBA has to offer.
The Durham Chiefs would also like to thank Barrie Red Sox head coach, Gerry Ray for his effort helping put together the diamonds and umpiring crews, plus giving up the majority of his weekend helping run the games at the various Diamonds.
Durham would also like to thank tournament convenor Rod Holinaty for an excellent job putting together the entire event. Many countless hours were spent behind the scenes and for that our club would like to acknowledge your efforts. A very successful tournament that would not have gone as smoothly as it did without your hard work and dedication. Rod also had to spend the majority of his time driving from park to park on top of trying to spend time with his own team - on and off the field. Once again, thank you for putting together the best senior tournament the OSSBA clubs had the opportunity to participate in this summer. Last but not least, the Durham Chiefs would also like to thanks Steve Smith for organizing all of the sponsors and media coverage the tournament recieved this past weekend.
We look forward to coming back next year to hopefully defend our championship!!
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Chiefs Release May Schedule
March 26, 2006 --
The 2006 season will begin on the road for the Chiefs. The entire month of May will see them as the visitors in their quest for the OSSBA Cup.
Making the Finals for the first time in team history and falling one game short to the expansion Burlington Bulls left a bad taste in the mouths of some of its long time members. "Losing the way we did after all of the adversity this team overcame on the road to the finals hurt more than any of the times we lost to Whitby in previous playoff years" said Mike Ovsonka. "It was a tough pill to swallow watching the Bulls take the cup but everyone who is back for this season truly knows now what it takes to win this thing."
The first set of games to begin a long road back to the championship will be against the Oshawa Talons on Sunday May 7th. The second game of this twin bill will be at the Rogers Centre. It will be another exciting season and hopefully the hard work will pay off with the Chiefs first ever OSSBA Cup.
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Durham shuts out Oshawa to start the season
May 7, 2006 --
In the season opener of the 2006, veteran Chief, Mike Ovsonka started on a high note. MO pitched 5 solid innings of 2 hit ball, baffling the Oshawa batters one after another. MO finished with 2 K's and a walk before giving up to one of the newest Chiefs, Todd Van Laere. TVL pitched a solid 2 innings, K'ing 4 while giving up 1 hit for the save.
The Durham bats were not there as they have been in the past, but Derek Grieve was clutch in the first inning, scoring Jason Boccinfuso on a single to centre which landed up being the game's only run.
The 2nd half of the today's DH vs the Oshawa Talons was played at the Roger's Centre. This was accomplished when both teams sold enough tickets to a Blue jays game last season to earn the right to "Play where the Jays play".
Durham's bats were not silent as they were in the morning. The Chiefs bats pounded Oshawa starter Terry Stephenson for 8 runs in the first 3 innings.
The Durham attack was lead by:
Mike Robertson 2-2, 2 runs, 2B, 3B, 3RBI, BB
Colin Cockburn 2-3, 2 runs, 2B, RBI
Jeff Crouse 2-3, RBI
The Chiefs pitching staff was equally strong.
Paul Ovsonka started the game, was his usual dominating self. PO pitched 4 solid innings, allowing only 2 hits, no walks while K'ing 6.
The rest of the game was by committee as Colin Cockburn (1IP 1K), Dan Wilson(1IP, 2K),, Todd Van Laere(1IP) continued to shut down the Talons' bats.
Durham now travels to Mississauga Valleys Park on Sat May 13th at 3:00 and 5:30 to face the Bloor Jays.
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Durham sweeps Bloor to go to 4-0
May 13, 2006 --
The Durham Chiefs knew they had a tough weekend ahead of them facing one of the top teams in the west, Bloor and also being without some of their key players.
Todd Van Laere started his first game of the season and had a strong outing. TVL went 5 innings, allowed 2 runs (1 earned), 4 hits, 2 BB and had 6 K's. He also helped his own cause by with an RBI single, a sac bunt, and a SB. Mike Robertson came on to finish the game in the 6th. Robbie was absolutely dominating!! He faced 6 batters K'd 5 of them! Robertson didnt hurt himself at the dish either, going 3-4 with a 3 run HR, 2 RBI singles and scored 2 runs.
Final score:
Durham 13 Bloor 2
Other Chiefs batting leaders:
Mike Ovsonka 2-3, 2B, RBI, BB, SB, 2 R
Jason Boccinfuso 2-3, 2B, run, BB
Derek Grieve 1-3, 2B, 3 RBI
Game 2: Mike (MO) Ovsonka was the scheduled game 2 starter, but felt some discomfort in his pitching arm prior to game time, as a result, Mike Robertson stepped up once again, BIG TIME!
Robbie pitched a complete game just after pitching the final 2 innings in game 1. Mike finished with 7 K's, allowed 1 walk and 3 earned runs.
Bloor starter Jeff Lyons kept Durham off the score board until the 4th when the Chiefs lineup erupted for 4 runs. Graig Andrew cashed in Jason Boccinfuso and Robertson with an RBI double, Jeff Crouse hit an RBI single to score Andrew and then stole second, scored on an Adam Bickford RBI double to make it 4-3. Durham cashed in an insurance run in the top of the 7th on a Justin Bird sacrifice fly to right, socring Derek Grieve who reached after getting hit by a pitch in the thigh.
Final score:
Durham 5 Bloor 3
Batting leaders:
Mike Robertson 2-3, run
Graig Andrew 1-3, 2B, 2 RBI, run
Adam Bickford 1-2, 2B, RBI, BB
Durham travels to Barrie to face the Red Sox (3-1) on May 28th.
Game times: 1:00pm and 3:30
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2004 Walker Division rematch Sunday
This Sunday marks the first time since the 2004 divisional finals that Durham and Whitby face off. Some changes in the offseason should make what was an already heated battle, that much more intense. Durham has brought in some new talent to bolster their lineup and will be facing former Durham Chief, Lawrence Thomas. This will be the first real challenge for Durham, they will have to prove that their 6-0 start to the season is no fluke.
To add to the hype of this long-standing rivalry, there will be an Oshawa/Whitby This Week photographer on-site and a representative from Rogers Cable 10 to tape the first game of the double header. These match-ups usually draw decent-sized crowds and there is no reason to expect anything different this time around. Come out and enjoy some of the most exciting baseball the OSSBA has to offer. Game times are Sunday at 3:00 and 5:30 at Kinsmen Stadium in Oshawa.
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Mike Robertson named player of week!
Durham CF Mike Robertson was named the first ever OSSBA Walker Division National Sports player of the week. Mike had 2 solid games this past weekend. Mike went 3-5 with a towering HR, 3B, 2B, sac fly and 4 RBI. Robbie also played a stellar CF keeping the Whitby players from trying for extra bases on balls hit his way. Congratulations Mike!!!
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Welcome Aboard
December 29, 2004 --
After being eliminated by Whitby in the 3rd and decisive game of the Walker Division final, Durham knew that changes were needed for 2005. Assistant Coach/GM, Steve Smith, promised the team there would be improvements. True to his word, Smith in his first off-season with Durham, wasted little time and signed the player who ironically had the winning hit to put Durham out of the play-offs last season.
The Durham Chiefs are pleased to welcome Adam Stokes to their ball club. Rumoured to be heading to the Whitby Canadians Senior Rep team, Stokes elected to be re-united with his former coach. Stokes played for Smith during his first two years as a junior in Lindsay, before moving on to play ball for Tottenham. From there, Stokes went south to pursue an education and continue to play ball. Scholarships with Jefferson (2000-02), Blue Field (2002-03) and Salem University (’03) provided Stokes with an opportunity of a lifetime. After finishing up his studies, Adam returned to the Durham area and played for the Oshawa Dodgers of the Intercounty Baseball League in 2003. Last season Stokes played for the arch-rival Whitby Chiefs and was an integral part of the team - both at the plate and in the field.
Stokes is a 5 tool player. He offers a great blend of speed and power. More importantly, Adam brings with him an unselfish demeanor, a team-first mentality, and a true passion for the game.
Smith hopes this will be the first of a few major signings that will help the club advance to their first OSSBA Championship.
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OSSBA turns over a new Chief
January 24, 2005 --
It is with great pleasure that the Durham Chiefs congratulate assistant coach Steve Smith on his appointment to the position of OSSBA President for the 2005 season. Steve's appointment comes admist a tumultuous time for the league. Steve brings a great worth ethic and responsible leadership to the table, that will undoubtedly result in a stronger, more prosperous league both for the players and coaches.
Joining Steve in the executive are Anthony Cole from Oshawa and Brian Booth from Richmond Hill, who will both serve as Vice-Presidents.
The Durham Chiefs wish Steve and his VP's the best of luck during the upcoming season.
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2005 Durham Chiefs Preview
May 5, 2005 --
Following a disappointing 2004 campaign, the 2005 version of the Durham Chiefs are determined to win their first OSSBA championship. After seeing the West (Jenkins Division) win all 4 previous titles, coaches Chris Killoran and Steve Smith worked hard in the off-season recruiting players to put together what they feel is a winning squad.
After going 9-2-1 in the second half of last season, but losing in the divisional finals, Killoran and Smith knew that they had to make some adjustments to advance to the next level, win the league. Durham already has solid core group of players including; catcher Adam Bickford, infielders Derek Grieve, JP Vittorio, Paul Graham, outfielders Graig Andrew, Mike Robertson, Colin Cockburn and the pitching staff of Mike (MO) Ovsonka, Steve Misevski and Mike Dunford. New to the team are; Ryan Fraser who comes to the Chiefs from the Oshawa Dodgers, is expected to provide depth in the infield, outfield, behind the plate and on the mound; OF Adam Stokes who spent his first season in the league with Durham (then known as Whitby Chiefs Red); Paul Ovsonka who is joining older brother MO, is expected to be a setup man/closer for the Chiefs as well as provide solid defense in the infield; and Dan Wilson who is the newest member of the team after taking the last couple of years away from baseball and will provide some depth behind the plate, on the mound and at the corners.
2005 also marks the dawn of a new era, as the Durham Chiefs will be playing their home games at Kinsmen Stadium in Oshawa, will be covered by the Oshawa-Whitby This Week and also on occasion by Rogers cable 10. The Durham coaching staff is very pleased with the make-up of the 2005 squad; and believe they have what it takes to win the 2005 OSSBA league championship.
Please visit
http://www.durhamregion.com/dr/sports/story/2755462p-3189783c.html
The Durham Chiefs, the other three Durham Region teams and OSSBA were profiled in the Oshawa/Whitby This Week.
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Durham splits weekend series
June 5, 2005 --
In the opener of a tough fought series Sunday between divisional rivals, Whitby beat Durham 8-7 in a see-saw game. Durham had a 4-0 lead off Whitby starter Jeff Canning, but Whitby came back in the 4th inning as they scored 6 runs off Durham starter Ryan Fraser. Durham then came back with 3 of their own in the 5th to take a 7-6 lead off Sam Grabowski. Whitby continued their comeback ways with 2 runs off Durham reliever Steve Misevski in the 5th. Durham's attack was lead by; Colin Cockburn (3-3, 1 run, 2B, 2RBI), Graig Andrew (2-3, 2 runs, RBI), Steve Misevski (2-2, HBP).
In the second half of Sunday's DH, Durham came back and beat Whitby 6-5. Durham starter Paul Ovsonka battled sun stroke and went 4 innings allowing 3 runs on 5 hits, with 5 K's. Mike Dunford came on in relief, pitched 1 1/3 and took the win, with Mike Ovsonka pitching the final 1 2/3 for the save. The Durham attack on Whitby pitcher Mitch Dunn was lead by Mike Robertson (3-3, 1 run, 2B, 3B, HR, 3RBI), Graig Andrew (2-2, 1 run, 2 2B, 2 RBI).
Durham's next series is against the Bloor Jays, game times are 11:00 and 1:30 at Kinsmen Stadium.
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Durham improves to 11-1
June 19, 2005 --
The Durham Chiefs now have an 11-1 record
Game 1: After scoring 4 runs in the top of the 1st inning, the Chiefs defense fell apart in the bottom half, allowing Pickering to put up 4 runs of their own. Durham starter Ryan Fraser (6IP, 8H, BB, 4K, 1ER) and Pickering starter Mike Minarik pitched very well on this day. The heart of the Durham lineup came up big when needed, cashing in 2 runs in the top of the 7th to seal the victory, with Paul Ovsonka coming in for the save. Colin Cockburn (2-3, 2B, run, 2RBI), Derek Grieve (3-3, 2B, RBI) and Graig Andrew (1-2, 2B, 2 runs, BB, RBI) lead the way.
Game 2: Durham came out with a vengeance, beating Pickering 19-5. Mike Robertson pitched a CG, allowing 8 hits while striking out 2. Robertson also did it at the plate (2-4, 2B, 3B, 2R, 5RBI). Graig Andrew (3-4, 3R, 3RBI), Derek Grieve (2-3, 2R, RBI, SB) and Mike Dunford (2-2, BB, Run, 2RBI) also had big games at the plate.
Durham plays the 2nd half of their home & home series against Pickering Sunday June 26th @ Kinsmen Stadium game times are 11:00 and 1:30.
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OSSBA All-Star game a success
July 17, 2005 --
The OSSBA played their scond annual All-Star game Sunday night at the Rogers Center. The game was a huge success, with everyone having a great time, including the fans, players and coaches. The Jenkins came out on top of the game for the second year in a row. The Durham Chiefs would like to thank the following people for all of their hard work:
Steve Smith who was the backbone of the event
Rich Messina who did a great job DJ'ing
Mike Ovsonka, Kyle Pitman, Chris Killoran and Rod Holinaty who put in a lot of hard work with the program
Ed Ganhao All-Star game emcee
Ryan Newport who sold 50/50 tickets and programs
Paul Rabeau from the Toronto Blue Jays
Jared Williamson - bay boy
Meghan Hurley and Brian Richardson from Rogers Cable - who taped the event and conducted player interviews
Stephanie Millman from the Fan 590's Summer Cruiser team - who went into the crowd and gave away Fan590 merchandise and tickets for an on-line draw for a trip to see an up and coming NASCAR event.
Umpires: Jim Taylor, Dave Halse, Brian Bradley, Chris Williamson
All the fans - who cheered the teams on, purchased programs and/or 50/50 tickets
All the players & coaches for working hard to sell tickets to make this event happen and for putting on such an entertaining game for everyone to enjoy
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Chiefs Add Yet Another Future Prospect
May 1, 2006 - 11:10 AM --
Ryan Smith and Braeden Ovsonka would like to welcome future little league team mate Jordan William Stokes to the Durham Chiefs family.
Adam, Megan and Jordan are all home and doing well.
Jordan was born May 1 weighing in at 7lbs 5 oz., length 21 1/2 inches full head of black hair at birth.
Congratulations Adam & Megan,
The Guys.
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2007 Chiefs Preview
Click here to download
April 16, 2007 --
The Durham Chiefs will take to the diamond with a new look in 2007. Following an off-season that included losing starting 3B Derek Grieve, LF Graig Andrew and C/3B Jeff Crouse, C/Util Adam Bickford and assistant coach Steve Smith, Durham will look to retool with some new blood and team chemistry. The Chiefs had a moderate (by their standards) 2006 that saw them finish second in the Walker division and lose in the finals in the OSBA Annual Tournament in Barrie.
Coach Chris Killoran had to do some retooling in the off-season. The new Chiefs he has brought in for 2007 come with some high expectations and a will to win. LHP Joe McNulty will be counted on to win his fair share of games and keep the opposition at bay. OF Kael Racioppa is a 5 tool player that will be immediately plugged into the cleanup spot and be looked upon to be a spark in the middle of the order. Rob Robinson will be the new starting 3B, but will be asked to play 1B on occasion and also provide some relief on the mound. Jeff King, coming over from the SABL will be the team’s DH and should provide some pop at the bottom of the order. LHP/OF Matt Haukioja, who was supposed to join the Chiefs last season, but broke his hand just before the year will be back and has something to prove in ’07. Lastly, newest Chief, C Kerry Noel is coming off a strong season in California, will be a key component in maintaining the strong pitching staff and working with Chief veteran and fellow receiver Dan Wilson to shut down opponents running games, when Kerry is not behind the dish, he will provide some depth in the OF as well.
Durham has a core group of players returning from the 2006 season, those players will be looked upon to provide leadership, strong performances and depth in the field and on the mound. OSBA 1st team All-Stars 2B/P Mike (MO) Ovsonka and CF/P Mike Robertson will anchor the deepest Durham pitching staff it has seen in years, which also includes 2 late ’06 additions LHP Chris Aarons who has made it his mission to become an OSBA All-Star in ’07 and 2B/Util/P Kyle Griffin who will eat up innings in relief when he is not in the field. Durham’s dark horse on the mound will be P/OF Paul (PO) Ovsonka, who was the club for only part of the ’06 season, but battle a lingering blister problem. PO said he has something to prove, will look to once again get back to his dominant self which he was in ’05, in which he lead the team to some key victories including wining the ’05 OSBA tournament. The infield will once again be anchored by 2nd team All-Star 1B Paul (PG) Graham and steady (with the bat and with the glove) sophomore SS Justin Bird. 2B will be occupied by MO, but if he is on the mound, Griffin will fill in.
Durham’s outfield will be solid once again. RF Colin Cockburn, who is one of the most feared hitters in the league will look to bounce back from a sub-par ’06 season. Sure-handed Jason Boccinfuso will patrol LF and Robertson will man the middle of the OF. Racioppa, who is battling arm problems at the moment, will hopefully be able to recover and give Durham another cannon in the outfield, if he can’t, PO will be asked to play more of a role, spelling the other outfielders.
In closing, Durham is looking forward to a new beginning and a new winning attitude. This could be the year that the Chiefs live up to expectations and win the OSBA championship.
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Wood-Yi returns to New Brunswick
May 6, 2007 --
After being with the club for the first 2 weeks of the season, Dave (Wood-Yi) Yarwood has to return to New Brunswick afterall. Wood-Yi was a great help and leader for the 2 weekends he was with the club. Dave hopes he can join the team as a player coach in 2008 on a full-time basis if he can find a job once he completes his schooling. The Durham Chiefs wish Wood-Yi all the best, hope he makes his return in '08
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4th Durham Chiefs Poker Tournament
December 13, 2008 - 01:00 PM --
The Durham Chiefs would like to invite you to the next installment of their poker tournament.
Our previous 3 tournaments have been VERY successful with 78 players in our 1st tournament, 96 players in the 2nd tournament and finally 98 in our last event. This year, we hope to have 140 players players involved (maximum capacity).
Date: Saturday December 13th
Time: Registration 11:30-12:30
Tournament begins @ 1:00 SHARP!
Location: Sports Gardens Cafe located @ Iroquois Park Complex in Whitby
$ 50 Entry Fee
$ 25 (half)/ $ 50 (full) one time re-buy
(Must be done prior to 1st Break, only if player has 0 chips left)
Full or Half Add-On available at 1st Break
** You must be at least 19 years of age to gain entry **
(Pre-registration is available by contacting Chris Killoran 905-244-3021 noplayer10@yahoo.com)
** for complete set of rules, please contact Chris or click on the links on the left **
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.
Please invite as many friends as you would like that might want to play.
Thank you in advance!!
Now shuffle up and join!!
If you have facebooks and would like to sign up there, please follow the link below
Facebook Signup
We would also like to thank Adrian Calvin and the staff at Sports Garden who have once again offered to be the perfect venue for our event and providing us with terrific hospitality and great food!!!
Sports Garden Cafe
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Durham Chiefs Change name to Clarington Cubs!!
January 11, 2009 --
As it was announced at the first coaches meeting of 2009, the Durham Chiefs have changed their team name to the Clarington Cubs. Coach Chris Killoran discussed the change with all of the players and the feedback was very positive.
You can find the new Cubs website at:
Clarington Cubs homepage
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Durham Goes Through Pickering First
After finishing second in their division, Durham opened their 2004 play-off run against OSSBA's newest team, the Pickering Pirates. Pickering had a very respectful regular season. Their first at the senior level, and without a doubt, they would be looking to ride that success into the post season. With a team slogan of "Gotta Come Through Pickering First", one might anticipate they were destined for greatness. However, the Durham Chiefs saw things differently.
It was Durham who made good on Pickering's words. In the first game, starter Mike Dunford, pitched a terrific game, going 7 solid innings. The offence capitalized on Pickering's errors and pulled out a close one, winning 4-3. The game wasn't really that exciting, albeit the umpires made things interesting all game long. Nonetheless, you could feel the tension building between the two teams.
Game # 2 looked like it had all the makings of a great play-off game. Both teams went scoreless through the first 3 innings. Durham finally got to Pickering's starter and scored 2 runs in the 4th. It was in the bottom of the 4th when things started to get interesting. Durham's Colin Cockburn, got hit in the head by a wild pitch. This obviously didn't sit well with Durham. Both benches got warnings, as did both starters. This didn't seem to bother Cockburn, who on his next at-bat crushed a solo-shot over the centrefield fence. The warnings didn't rattle Durham's starter, Steve Misevski, either. Misevski pitched a great game - going 7 complete, striking out 5 and holding Pickering scoreless. The final score was Durham 6 Pickering 0.
With the win, Durham swept the Pirates and will now move on to the Walker Division finals and face the defending Eastern/Walker Division Champions ? the Whitby Chiefs.
Game times have yet to be determined. Durham hopes to finally get over the hump and into their first OSSBA Championship. Whitby will no doubt be the heavy favourites, as they head into this match-up winning the regular season series 3-0-1. With the play-offs serving as a new season, Durham hopes to win when it counts the most.
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Fraser joins the Chiefs
May 4, 2005 --
Ryan Fraser has signed on with the Chiefs after spending the last two seasons with the Oshawa Dodgers of the Intercounty League - under coach Troy May. Prior to joining the Dodgers, Ryan played 3 seasons with the Oshawa Juniors where he won the Ontario Championships in his final year and placed fifth in the Nationals in Corner Brook Newfoundland.
Ryan also played Junior in Lindsay for one year under coach, Peter Sanderson. Assistant GM Steve Smith, called Mr. Sanderson tapping into his former Lindsay contacts, after getting permission from Troy May to inquire about Ryan’s availability. Both gentlemen spoke highly of Ryan and said he would be an asset to the club. Head Coach/GM, Chris Killoran, followed up on Steve's conversation with Fraser and sealed the deal.
During his days in Junior, Ryan caught, played right field and pitched. With this versatility, Ryan will add depth to the outfield and provide needed support to starting catcher Adam Bickford. Primarily, the Chiefs look to Fraser to be a leader on the mound and solidify an already impressive pitching staff.
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Durham sweep the Talons, record now 6-0
May 28, 2005 --
Durham continued it's torrid pace to the top of the early 2005 standings with another sweep to keep their perfect record. This time it was at the expense of the Oshawa Talons.
In Game 1 Steve Misevski took to the hill looking to improve to 3-0 on the season. Steve had command of all his pitches not allowing a hit until the 4th inning and only throwing 49 pitches in 7 innings (only 8 of which were balls). Steve finished the day with 7 K's and allowing 7 hits. The Chiefs scored 5 runs in the game and had 8 hits of their own. JP Vittorio(1-3,2R,BB,2B),Paul Ovsonka(1-2,2B,R,RBI). Final score Oshawa 2 Durham 5
Game 2 saw Ryan Fraser go 5 sparkling innings throwing nasty pitches all day allowing only 2 hits while striking out 6. Ryan also kept his ERA to 0.00 with the only Oshawa run coming unearned in the 4th inning. Durham scored 11 runs in the game but the damage was really only done in the 6th inning where it seemed Oshawa decided to mail it in as the Chiefs scored 6 runs to finish the mercy. This game was highlighted by a mammoth 2 run shot to deep left centrefield by Paul Ovsonka(2-2,HR,3RBI,2B,2R,HBP) that traveled into the tree tops over 400ft. Colin Cockburn(2-2,2B,RBI,2R). Final score Oshawa 1 Durham 11
Durham's next action is on Sunday June 5th against the teams ARCH RIVAL Whitby Chiefs. Game 1 is 3:00pm at Kinsmen Stadium in Oshawa.
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Durham improves to 9-1 on season
June 12, 2005 --
In the first game of Sunday's DH, Durham beat Bloor 9-1. Mike Ovsonka pitched a 4 hit complete game, with 7 K's. the Durham offense was on this game, lead by last week's player of the week Mike Robertson (1-2, 2R, BB, RBI), Graig Andrew (2-2, BB, 2RBI), Paul Graham (2-3, run, 2B), Derek Grieve (1-3, HR, RBI).
In the second half of the DH, Durham pounded out 17 hits in a 15-6 victory. Durham's attack was throughout the entire lineup, all but one Chief scored a run in the game. The attack was lead by Colin Cockburn (3-3, 2 runs, HR, 3RBI), Paul Graham (2-3, 2 runs, 2B, 4RBI), Dan Wilson (2-2, 2 runs, HR, 4RBI) and Adam Bickford (2-3, 2RBI).
Durham travels to Pickering next Sunday to face divisional rivals Pickering who will try to avenge being ousted in the first round of last years playoffs by Durham. Game times are 3:30pm and 6:00pm at Kirkey Field in Pickering.
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Chiefs sign 2nd player
February 4, 2007 --
Rob Robinson, who most recently played in 2005 for the Whitby Chiefs (now known as the Brooklin Dodgers) signed this past weekend. Rob played his rep minor ball in Oshawa rep from Mosquito up until Junior. Robinson quit
playing at the start of his Junior season, decided to take a year off, played Senior Rep for Oshawa the following season.
Rob will be counted on to provide some depth at numerous positions and also to give the Chiefs another colid bat in the middle of their order.
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Griffin got hitched on Saturday!!
March 10, 2007 --
INF/P Kyle Griffin who joined the Chiefs at the end of 2006 was married to Amy Cannon on Saturday, well at least we think so. Kyle's best man for the wedding was fellow Chief Jason Boccinfuso, Bocc accidently signed his name on the wrong line (the one reserved for Griff) on the register. The wedding was great, all went very smooth. Coach Chris Killoran also attended the wedding. On behalf of the Durham Chiefs Baseball Club, we wish Kyle and Amy all the best wishes and have fun on your honeymoon in Cuba!!
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2004 OSSBA Playoffs Round 1
(3)Pickering Pirates vs (2)Durham Chiefs
The slogan for the 2004 Pickering Pirates season has been "Gotta come through Pickering first" and that is what the Durham Chiefs intend to do. BEAT Pickering first!!!
Pickering, the new team to the league, had an excellent season and finished the regular season 15-10-1. Their record against the Chiefs however was 1-2-1 and the Chiefs let one of the games get away from them when they tied.
The two teams are evenly matched and this should be the marquee series of the first round as one of these teams will be sent packing early. Durham finished off the regular season hot going 9-1-2 down the stretch after a disappointing 6-7 start.
The Chiefs will be missing Dave Yarwood as he is going to law school in NB and Greg Andrew will miss at least the first round as he is having minor wrist surgery.
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Durham adds final piece
May 5, 2005 --
Durham has added what they hope is the final piece of their puzzle. Dan Wilson was brought on board by LF Graig Andrew after some discussions and some prying. Dan is primarily a catcher/pitcher but can also can play the corners. Dan attended Tiffin University(Ohio) where he was a 2 sport scholarship for baseball and football. He played for the Scarborough Cardinal and then for the Oshawa Legionaires in his minor ball days. In 1998-99 Wilson was a member of the Toronto all-star team that won the prestigous Cannon Cup. The Chiefs look for Dan to provide some depth, some great defence behind the plate when asked, some quality innings when needed and add another big bat to their already potent offence.
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Chiefs keep playoff hopes alive with sweep
July 28, 2008 --
Knowing their season was on the line Sunday, the Durham Chiefs gave it everything they had and pulled out a sweep of the defending OSBA champions Brooklin Dodgers.
Game 1 saw Dan Wilson who is still recovering from his broken ankle vs Dodger workhorse Sam Grabowski. Wilson was terrific after the 1st inning when he got out of a 1 out bases loaded jam with a K and a pop out. The only run Dan allowed was in the 7th when Grabowski helped his own cause with a single to CF, but was misplayed and Sam took 2nd on the error. Grabowski moved to 3rd on a single by Sean Blea and scored on a Rod Holinaty bloop single just over the stretched out arm of SS Geoff Van Toen. The Chiefs batting order was primarily held in check by Graboski but capitalized on a couple of errors and timely hits.
Game 1 key contributers:
Dan Wilson 1-3, RBI, R (CG, W, 6H, 3BB, 6K)
Brandon Glover 2-3, 2B, RBI, SB
Chris Killoran 1-3, 2R
Tim Smith 1-2, 2B, BB, R
Game 2 featured a matchup of 2 tall lanky righties, Durham's Tim Smith VS Brooklin's Mitch Dunn. Both pitchers were on the top of their game in this contest. The score remained scoreless until the bottom of the 5th when C Shawn Hubbard led off with a single, moved to 2nd on a wild pitch and was cashed in by a 1B Paul Graham single to CF. Smith kept the Dodgers bats in check and helped himself in the bottom of the 6th with and a 2 out RBI triple cashing in LF Rob Thorne who had walked. Smith was masterful in the game, allowing only a bunt single in the 2nd inning to former Chief Lawrence Thomas.
Game 2 key contributers:
Tim Smith 1-2, 3B, RBI (CG, W, 1H, 5BB, 6K)
Shawn Hubbard 1-3, R
Paul Graham 1-2, RBI
Next up:
Saturday August 9th
VS Mississauga Majors
1:00 and 3:30pm
Clarington Fileds
Sunday August 10th
VS Pickering Pirates
4:00 and 6:30pm
Clarington Fields
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Chiefs Sweep Home Opener DH!!
May 8, 2005 - 11:00 AM --
The Durham Chiefs opened their 2005 season with a bang.
Steve Misevski picked up where he finished last season by pitching 3 scoreless innings allowing only 1 run (unearned) on 2 hits while striking out 5. Chiefs newcomer Ryan Fraser followed with 2 perfect innings of his own.
The Durham offence scored 11 runs on 8 hits with Graig Andrew leading the attack with a 2 run homerun and an RBI double while also scoring 2 runs. Other key contributors were Colin Cockburn (1-2, double, HBP), Mike Robertson (1-2, triple, BB)and Mike Ovsonka (1-2, BB, 2 SB's) each scored 2 runs apiece.
In game #2, Durham kept attacking Barrie, winning 14-4.
Durham pounded Barrie from the get-go, scoring 7 runs in the 1st inning. This was followed by 7 more in the 4th. The Durham attack was lead by Colin Cockburn (1-2, HR, 2RBI) with what should have been a 3 run homer in the 1st, but some miscommunication by coach Killoran and Graig Andrew cost Durham a run. Another Chiefs rookie, Paul Ovsonka (1-1, HR, 4RBI, HBP) also got into the swing of things with a grand slam homer in the 1st inning. JP Vittorio (2-3, triple, 3RBI) narrowly missed his own grand slam in the 4th with a 3-run triple off the wall in right.
Mike Ovsonka pitched 3 strong innings allowing 4 hits, 2 runs while striking out 2. Mike Dunford came in to pitch the final 2 innings allowing 2 runs (1 earned), keeping the Red Sox at bay.
Durham next travels to Mississauga on Saturday May 14th to face the Mississauga Tigers at Fallingbrook Park at 12:00 and 2:30.
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7 Chiefs named to OSSBA All-Star team
July 1, 2005 --
After many discussions, the Durham Chiefs coaching staff has named its 2005 All-Star selections. Coaches Chris Killoran and Steve Smith have chosen RF Colin Cockburn (.618 BA, 18 RUNS, 5 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 19 RBI, 6 BB, 1 IBB, .683 OBA, 1.176 SLG%), CF Mike Robertson (.471 BA, 18 RUNS, 3 2B, 4 3B, 2 HR, 18 RBI, 6 BB, 3SB, .548 OBA, .971 SLG%) and LF Graig Andrew (.543 BA, 17 RUNS, 4 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 15 RBI, .619 OBA, .800 SLG%) to represent the Chiefs as positional players. P/2B Mike (MO) Ovsonka (2-0, 1SV, 16 K, 7 BB, 1 CG, 2.38 ERA) has been picked as the Chiefs pitcher in the July 17th contest. The selections were not an easy process as the 2005 edition of the Chiefs has been a powerhouse. 3B Derek Grieve, (.417 BA, 12 RUNS, 1 2B, 2 HR, 11 RBI, .462 OBA, .611 SLG%, great defence at his new 3B position) who was one of the players who was in contention to be selected to play in the game has been added to the All-Star game roster by the OSSBA as top ticket seller.
The OSSBA has also announced that 2 other Durham players have been added to the All-Star festivities. P/3B Paul Ovsonka, (.423 BA, 11 RUNS, 2 2B, 2 HR, 17 RBI, 6 BB, .543 OBA, .731 SLG%) and SS/2B JP Vittorio, (.361 BA, 17 RUNS, 3 2B, 2 3B, 7 RBI, 6 BB, 4 SB, .452 OBA, .556 SLG%) were added to complement the other 5 Durham Chiefs playing.
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Durham improves to 13-1
June 26, 2005 --
In the 1st game of the second half of a home and home series, Durham beat Pickering 14-3. Starter Steve Misevski pitched 5 solid innings allowing only 3 runs while giving up only 3 hits. The Chiefs offence was huge again, pounding out 10 hits. The attack was lead by Colin Cockburn (3-3, 3R, HR, 3RBI), Mike Ovsonka (3BB, 2R, SB), Mike Robertson (1-1, 2R, 2BB), Derek Grieve (1-2, 3RBI, Dan Wilson (1-2, HR).
In game 2, Durham won a tough game 6-5, scoring the winning run in the 7th on a bases loaded fielder's choice by Mike Ovsonka. Pickering starter, Mike Minarik pitched a great game, keeping the Durham batters at bay. Mike and Paul Ovsonka combined to help Durham pick up their 13 win this season. The Chiefs offence was lead by Paul Graham (2-3), Paul Ovsonka (1-2, BB, 2RBI).
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Durham signs 3
April 30, 2006 --
After an offseason full of ups and downs, Durham's coaches, Chris Killoran and Steve Smith have announced that they have signed 3 new additions for the 2006 season, with more still to come.
Matt Haukioja (Hauk)(pictured left), was approached by Killer in the winter after he had heard that Hauk's team, the Northumberland Whiskey Jacks was no longer. Hauk was hesitant to accept a spot on the squad, as he was not sure what path he was going to take, but after some cohersion and many phone calls, Hauk decided to join the Chiefs. Matt will add a terrific left handed arm to the already talented Durham pitching staff. Hauk will also see some time in the OF in 2006.
Jeff Crouse (pictured centre), was contacted by several teams in the offseason, but decided to join Durham after befriending coach Killoran and attending the Chiefs poker tournament. Crouse brings another potent bat to the middle of Durham's batting order. In 2005 Crouse won the CIBA catcher of the year after tearing up the league, finishing in the top 6 in every offensive category in the Country. Jeff will spend time behind the plate as well as at 1B and 3B.
Jason Boccinfuso (Bosco)(pictured left), joined the Chiefs after former Chief, Steve Butterworth told him he was looking to play this year after taking a couple of seasons off from baseball. Bosco is a vacuum in the outfield with speed to burn and a great passion for the game. Jay will be looked upon to provide some leadership and is willing to do anything to help the team succeed and win.
Coaches Steve Smith and Chris Killoran would like to welcome the new additions to the squad and hope they bring the Chiefs their first OSSBA title. The remaining Chiefs signings will be announced shortly, stay tuned!!!
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July 1, 2005 --
For the second week in a row, Durham Chiefs RF Colin Cockburn was named the OSSBA "National Sports Player of the Week" and will recieve another $25 gift certificate from National Sports. Colin had a unbelievable weekend series vs Mississauga Stars. Colin went 5-5 with 6 runs scored, BB, 7 RBI and 3HR! Graig Andrew recieved honorable mention, going 3-5 also with 3HR, BB, had 6 RBI and 5 runs scored.
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Stokes Set to Return for 2006
April 29, 2006 --
Assistant Coach/GM Steve Smith spoke to Adam Stokes this afternoon regarding his status with the team. Stokes confirmed he will be back with the club, most likely as a part-time player. Adam along with his wife Megan is expecting their first child sometime within the next week or so.
Here was Smith's take on the news: "Adam is a great ball player and despite playing in the league minimum last year helped us finally get past Whitby and advance to the league championship. I am very pleased that Adam will be back with the club this summer. We've lost quite a few key members (of last year's team) and thankfully we will not have to add Adam to that list. Now all I have to do is make sure he plays in at least 13 games - to qualify for our play-offs!!" One of the new rule changes for 2006 - players must play in at least 13 of the 26 regular season games to qualify for play-offs. That number was bumped up significantly from 8 the previous year.
Additional team news will start to filter in after the club makes its final cuts this Sunday. Durham travels to Richmond Hill to take on the Phoenix in an exhibition game. Both clubs will be using the game to finalize their rosters as the regular season opens next weekend (May 6 and 7).
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Durham sweeps Stars
July 10, 2005 --
The only meeting this season between the Mississauga Stars and the Durham Chiefs was a wild one. Durham knocked out 6 homers in total, 5 in a row in the 4th inning in a 16-1 win! Graig Andrew started things off with a 3 run shot, followed by solo homers by: Colin Cockburn, Adam Stokes, Derek Grieve and Paul Graham. Mike Ovsonka lead off the game with his own solo shot to RF. Not to be out done, Ryan Fraser (3-0) pitched a complete game 4 hitter, while striking out 9.
The offensive stars were::
Mike Ovsonka (2-2, HR, 2 RBI, BB, 2 R)
Graig Andrew (1-2, HR 3 RBI, BB, 2 R)
Colin Cockburn (2-2, HR, 3 RBI, BB, 3 R)
Adam Stokes (1-2, HR, BB)
Derek Grieve (1-2, HR, Sac)
Paul Graham (2-3, 3B, HR, 3 RBI)
In the second half of the double header, Durham kept the bats booming winning 11-5. Graig Andrew and Colin Cockburn each hit 2 HR's, JP Vittorio had one of his own. Durham, being short on pitching this weekend, called up Steve Butterworth out of retirement. Steve went 4 solid innings, giving up 7 hits, struck out 5. Colin Cockburn came in to shut the door for the final 2 innings.
The offensive stars were:
JP Vittorio (3-3, 3B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R)
Graig Andrew (2-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R)
Colin Cockburn (3-3, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3 R)
Paul Graham (3-3, RBI)
Chris Killoran (1-2, 2 R)
Durham head off to Burlington next weekend for a much anticipated match-up with the Jenkins division leading Burlington Bulls.
Game times: 1:00pm and 3:30 @ Ireland Park
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Durham splits with Burlington
June 16, 2005 --
In the first ever matchup between the 2 OSSBA division leaders, Burlington Bulls came out on top 8-3. Chris Hayes pitched a strong game for Burlington, while Steve Misevski (4-2) was unfortunately at the hands of a poor defensive showing in the 3rd innings, allowing 4 unearned runs. Durham fought back, but ran out of time.
Offensive stars:
Mike Robertson (1-1, HR, RBI, 2 BB)
Paul Ovsonka (2-2, BB)
Mike Dunford (1-2, 2 RBI)
In the second half of Sunday's DH, Durham and Burlington played only 4 innings. Durham came out on top 6-0 behind a Paul Ovsonka complete game 3 hitter. The Chiefs players had something to prove, did so, jumping all over Burlington starter, Cam McKnight.
Offensive Stars:
Colin Cockburn (1-1, HR, 2RBI, HBP)
Graig Andrew (1-1, HR, 2RBI, BB, 2R)
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Durham sweeps Talons
July 24, 2005 --
The Durham Chiefs picked up their second straight shutout on Sunday over Oshawa 7-0 behind a solid 1-2 combination of starter Mike Ovsonka (3-0) and reliever Steve Butterworth. Ovsonka went 4 innings, allowing only 3 hits and striking out 5. Butterworth pitched the final 3 innings, allowing only 1 hit.
Offensive stars:
Colin Cockburn (2-2, 2HR, 3RBI, BB, 2R)
JP Vittorio (1-2, BB, 2R)
In the last meeting between Oshawa and Durham in regular season play, Durham came out with a 7-4 victory. Starter Ryan Fraser pitched 4 solid innings with Steve Butterworth (2-0) picking up the win in relief. The Durham bats were somewhat silent this game, not being able to figure out Oshawa starter Ted Gendron, but came up big when needed.
Offensive star:
Mike Ovsonka (3-3, 2B, 3R)
The Chiefs now travel to the annual Peterborough tournament, which they won last year in dominating fashion.
First game: Saturday 9:30am Port Hope- Town Park
2nd game: Sunday 1:00pm Peterborough-Riverside Park
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Durham wins tough series
September 11, 2005 --
After finishing with a league record 22-4 regular season, the Durham Chiefs once again faced the Pickering Pirates in the first round of the Walker Division playoffs. Last season, Durham swept Pickering in 2 games, but this season it was a different story with Durham winning the series in dramatic fashion.
Game 1 was a lopsided affair with Durham coming out with a 10-2 win over Pickering. Durham starter Paul Ovsonka pitched a gem, didn't allow a hit until the 4th inning. PO finished with 7 K's, allowed only 3 hits in the victory. Paul Graham lead the offence by going 2-3 with 2 runs scored, Adam Bickford was 3-3 with a run scored and an RBI, and Mike Robertson was 2-2 with a BB, 2 R and an RBI.
Game 2 was a completely different story. Durham went up 3-1 in the third inning after a towering Dan Wilson HR to right-centre. In the 5th, Pickering capitalized on several mental and physical errors by the Chiefs and lead 6-3. Durham fought back with an RBI double by Adam Bickford in the 6th and a massive Colin Cockburn HR in the 7th, but it wasn't enough as Pickering won 6-5 to even the series at 1 a piece.
Game 3 was a wild one. Pickering, carrying over momentum from game 2, jumped out to a 5-0 lead after 3 1/2 innings, once again cashing in on some mental breakdowns. In the home half of the 4th, Paul Graham cashed in Graig Andrew with a 2-out RBI single. The Chiefs gained another one back in the 5th by an RBI double by Ryan Fraser who entered the game in the 4th, relieving starter Mike Ovsonka, who pitched well, but got no defensive support. In the 6th inning, Mike Robertson had an important RBI single, followed by a key 2 run single by Paul Graham to tie the game at 5-5. Durham with the momentum, scored the winning run on a JP Vittorio RBI single cashing Adam Bickford who started the inning off with a bunt single, followed by a misplayed sac bunt by Mike Ovsonka, allowing them to move to 3rd and 2nd respectively.
Durham now faces arch-rival Whitby for the 3rd year in a row in the Walker Division finals.
Game 1: Saturday Sept 17th Kinsmend Stadium 7:00pm
Game 2: Sunday Sept 18th Kinsmen Stadium 1:00pm
Game 3 (if necessary): Sunday Sept 18th Kinsmen 3:30pm
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Mike Ovsonka OSSBA POTW
Durham's Mike Ovsonka had 2 great games at the plate, in the field and on the vs the Oshawa Talons July 24th. Mo went a combined 4-6 with 2 doubles, 4 runs scored and a SB. In the field, he was in on 2 double plays and on the mound in game 1, he pitched 4 scoreless innings, allowing only 3 hits and struck out 5 to get the win.
Congratulations MO.
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Durham Clinches First Walker Title!!
August 7, 2005 --
In the first game of Sunday's DH, Durham clinched first place with a 2-1 win over Richmond Hill Phoenix. Steve Butterworth pitched a complete game, allowing only 1 run on 6 hits and also chipped in with a double himself. Durham's bats were silent, but they were lead by Chris Killoran who went 2-3 with both RBI's.
Offensive Stars:
Mike Ovsonka (2-3, BB, SB)
Chris Killoran (2-3, 2 RBI)
Paul Graham (2-3)
After clinching first place in the Walker division, the Chiefs didn't seem up for the second half of the twin bill. Durham's offense wasted a strong outing by starter Ryan Fraser, who went the distance allowing 8 hits, 4 runs and K'ing 10. Richmond Hill starter Andrew Samonas baffled the Durham hitters all day. The Chiefs could only muster 5 hits off him.
Durham plays their final home series of the season this coming week VS the long-time rival Whitby Chiefs.
Game times are: 11:00am and 1:30pm at Kinsmen Stadium
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Durham gets flushed away...
May 29, 2007 --
After playing consistent ball to start the season, Durham looked to step up their play against the rival Pickering Pirates. These teams have shared some classic ballgames over the past few seasons, including a playoff series that came down to the final inning of the tie-breaking game. The Durham bats were quiet for the most part, with all of the offense (1 run) coming with 2 outs.
This game looked to be a low-scoring classic until the floodgates opened (literally) in the 4th inning. Paul Ovsonka had looked strong heading into what would be the worst inning in Chiefs history, when 9 runs crossed the plate for Pickering amidst a sea of walks, errors, hit batsmen, and dandylions. The score could have very likely ended up worse than the 10-1 final (4 complete innings) had the skies not mercifully opened up to send the Chiefs home with their fist loss. Game two was rained out, for those still reading this.
Up next are the expansion Whitby Chiefs, with the return of Graig Andrew, Ryan Fraser and Adam Bickford. Should be a good weekend filled with emotion.
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Opening Day 2008!!!
May 4, 2008 - 02:00 PM --
Well, after a long and interesting winter, Durham returns to the field Sunday VS Pickering Pirates. The 2 teams have had some memorable battles over the past few seasons, but this is a new era for the Chiefs and they will look forward to making some new rivalries.
This weekend Durham will unveil some new faces and hopefully keep the same positive attitude they have had throughout the past couple of months while working out indoors and at the exhibition games.
Starting game 1 will be Chief vetran Chris Aarons. Aarons has matured as a pitcher and has become a leader in the clubhouse. Dan Wilson, coming off a perfect game last season in Barrie will start game 2. Dan will be seeing more time on the hill and will hope to carry his success over to this year. Ace Darryl Jennings (still getting arm strength up to start), Paul Graham, Tim Smith, newcomers Geoff Van Toen and Brenan McNeely will also get some work on the hill at some point Sunday.
The Durham batting lineup will also have some changes in it. Youngsters Brandon Glover and Chad Jennings will be the table setters in '08 with Van Toen, Graham, Wilson, newcomer Adam Dupont and brothers Dave Eymann and Shawn Hubbard providing some pop behind them. Rounding out the order will be a mixture of veterans Jason Boccinfuso, Chase Hadden, Chris Killoran, Smith and rookies McNeely, Rob Thorne, and Jody Foote.
With all of the changes that occured in the offseason, Durham will be looking to surprise some people who have underestimated them.
See you on the field in 2008!!!
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Cockburn named Walker Division POTW
OF/3B Colin Cockburn was named the Walker Division POTW as voted on by the OSBA competition committee. Colin had a terrific start in his first week of action after missing week 1. "Cobes" went 4/5 with 2 doubles, 5 RBI, 2 runs scored, BB. Durham is glad to see Colin back to his form of 2005, look forward to seeing more Chiefs as POTW.
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Butterworth named OSSBA POTW
August 7, 2005 --
Durham pitcher, Steve Butterworth was named the OSSBA player of the week for the games played August 7th. Steve pitched a complete game in a 2-1 win, scattering 6 hits over 7 innings. Steve also contributed at the plate, he went 2-5 on the day, with a 2B.
Congratulations Steve.
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Durham improves to 21-3
August 14, 2005 --
Durham's bats came alive in the first game of Sunday's DH, getting 13 hits off Whitby starter Jeff Canning. With the game tied 5-5 in the 6th, Dan Wilson came through with a clutch 2 run homer to right center to seal the win. Durham starter, Steve Misevski showed some signs of rust, but had a solid outing, going 5+ innings. Misevski allowed 5 runs (3 earned), 5 hits and struck out 3 before giving way to Colin Cockburn who went the final 2 and picked up the win.
Offensive Stars:
Graig Andrew (3-3, run, RBI)
Colin Cockburn (2-3, 2B)
Mike Robertson (2-3, run, 2RBI)
Adam Bickford (1-1, sac, run, HBP)
Dan Wilson (1-3, HR, 2RBI)
In the final regular season matchup between the arch-rivals, Durham pounded Whitby starter Sam Grabowski from the get-go, scoring runs in each of the first 4 innings. Durham starter Steve Butterworth had another strong outing, allowing 7 hits, 4 runs (2 earned) and striking out 3. Mike Ovsonka came in to close the game off, pitching a perfect 1-2-3 7th. Durham's bats were once again the difference as they have been all season, pounding out 14 hits in the attack.
Offensive stars:
Mike Ovsonka (3-3)
Graig Andrew (2-3, HR, RBI)
Derek Grieve (2-3, 2B, 2RBI)
Ryan Fraser (2-3, 2B)
Durham plays in the OSSBA tournament in Barrie next weekend, then must travel to Barrie the following week for its final 2 games of the regular season.
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Durham vs Brooklin - Part IV
The Chiefs sat back this weekend and watched the 2006 OSSBA First Round unfold. The result.....another date with their arch rivals the Brooklin Dodgers. This will be the 4th time in the last four years that the leagues most storied rivalry will face off in the Walker Division playoffs. The only difference this time is that it isn't for the right to play in the OSSBA Championship and be crowned Walker Division Champion. This year the two meet with the winner advancing to the Walker Division Championship Series.
Brooklin has the edge in the series between the two teams winning 2 of the 3 playoff series. However, last season Durham beat Brooklin (formerly Whitby Chiefs) two games to one. The key so far has been home field advantage and Durham hopes that trend will continue for the 2006 match up.
Stay posted this week for further updates
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Confirmed for 2007
December 3, 2006 --
With the 2007 off-season in full swing the Durham Chiefs are pleased to announce the following re-signings
#2 SS - Justin Bird
#3 DH - Jeff King
#5 P/2B - Mike Ovsonka
#9 P/IF - Kyle Griffin
#10 Coach/DH - Chris Killoran
#11 1B/DH - Paul Graham
#12 OF - Jason Boccinfusco
#13 P - Joe McNulty
#14 CF/P - Mike Robertson
#19 OF - Kael Racioppa
#22 C/DH - Dan Wilson
#24 OF/P/3B - Colin Cockburn
#27 P/OF - Matt Haukioja
#43 P/OF - Paul Ovsonka
#45 P - Chris Aarons
#49 P/3B/1B - Rob Robinson
#83 C/OF - Kerry Noel
Durham is also in the works on signing a few key additions and remain committed to re-signing others from last years team. Stay tuned for more happenings this off-season as the Chiefs will try to get back to the OSSBA Championship in 2007.
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Hard to Imagine
No matter what happens in the first round of the Walker Division play-offs, one thing has already been determined...for the first time in four years it will not be Durham and Brooklin facing one another for a berth in the OSSBA Championship. Arguably OSSBA's best rivalry will see the teams (at best) face one another in the semi finals of divisonal play - if the Dodgers can get by the 6th place Pickering Pirates. This also marks the first time in 3 years Durham and Pickering will not be facing each other in the opening round. So perhaps it is only fitting that the two teams Durham has had to battle these past few years square off with one another to open the first round.
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Durham Earns Bye in First Round of Play-offs
Despite setting a regular season record for wins (22) last summer, Durham could not duplicate (or better) that mark this time around. In fact, the team lost 4 more games than in '05 and basically rode a hot first half to their 2nd place standing in the Walker Division. After the all-star break, Durham was flat-out ordinary going 5-5 down the stretch. With a chance to capture their second straight Walker Division pennant in the final weekend of regular season play, the Chiefs blew their opportunity by getting swept by the Burlington Bulls. Regardless, the ball club held on to a top-two spot in their division and for their effort - secured a bye in the first round. So for now, both Richmond Hill and Durham will sit and wait to see how the first round unfolds.
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Congratulations
The Durham Chiefs Baseball Club would like to congratulate team manager Brian Booth and his Richmond Hill Phoenix on capturing their first Walker Division pennant. Richmond Hill has been a bit of a wondering club the past few years bouncing from the East to the West and back to the East for the 2006 season. The Phoenix played great baseball from the start of May to the end of August and their achievement is most deserved.
Durham would also like to congratulate Mike Masters and his Burlington Bulls on their tremendous regular season. They too captured their first pennant (Jenkins Division). The Bulls also won the OSSBA tournament earlier this month and overall tied Richmond Hill for the most points in league play. Durham would like to wish the defending OSSBA champs all the best in their quest to become only the second team in league history to capture back to back OSSBA championships.
Best of luck to all those who made the play-offs.
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