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Members of the Ontario Senior Baseball Association have waited nearly 8 months for another chance to take the field and that time is finally here. This coming Saturday, the OSBA will start its’ 9th season. A few things changed over the winter - the most notable were the loss of two teams from Mississauga and the overwhelming adoption of the full-time use of wood bats. Having played the previous 8 years with aluminum, the OSBA officially switched to wood bat play. In an attempt to satisfy those concerned about safety, wanting more traditional play, and attracting future generations to the program – the implementation of wood should help address each area.
The 2008 season was very successful, especially when you think about the 14 clubs that remain. The parity across the association has never been stronger. Each remaining franchise has a legitimate shot of qualifying for the playoffs. Last fall, the Pickering Pirates made it to the finals for the first time in franchise history. They took the series to the maximum five games before losing to the OSBA champion Burlington Bulls. The Bulls had a tremendous season which included: defending their Ottawa tournament title, capturing their second OSBA tournament title, going 24-4 in OSBA regular season play and cruising to the championship finals where the Pirates made them earn their 2nd OSBA Championship.
A new season provides reason for optimism and an opportunity for a fresh start. Each team has that same goal in mind of being the champions. Will Burlington be the 3rd OSBA franchise to win back-to-back titles and by doing so - become the only team to win the OSBA Cup three times? Only time will tell. Best of luck to the Bulls on their title defense and to all the other clubs aspiring to be the champs of ’09.
Steve Smith President, OSBA
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The 9th season for the OSBA starts this coming weekend. Here is a brief overview of what each team did last year, some off-season activity, and an outlook for this season:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
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PICKERING PIRATES
2008 Record: 16-11-1
Regular Season Standings: 1st
Playoffs: Lost in finals to Burlington
Last season the Pirates enjoyed their most successful campaign to date – winning their division pennant, capturing first overall in the conference and advancing to the championship finals for the first time. They also took the Burlington Bulls to a final and decisive game 5 – another first as the championship series had never gone to the maximum number of games since the format was changed prior to the start of the 2006 season. This year the club hopes to once again get back to the finals and capture the OSBA Cup.
Key Losses: OF Matt D’Souza, 1B Scott Slack
Key Additions: Utility Sean Gray
Players to watch for: IF Scott Gray, 2B Ryan D’Souza, OF Sydney Saunders, SS Jeff Murdoch, P Dave McElroy 2009 Outlook: Most members of ’08 team are returning again this season. One of Pickering’s strengths has been to retain their core year in and year out. With what looks to be only minor tinkering to the roster, the Pirates look primed for another run at OSBA Cup.
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YORK DIAMOND JACKS
2008 Record: 15-12-1
Regular Season Finish: 2nd
Playoffs: Lost in semi-finals to Ajax
As one of the four original OSBA teams, the D’Jacks opened last season in unfamiliar territory. Formerly known as the Richmond Hill Pheonix, the club re-located to Newmarket - as playing costs became too high in the Hill. The ball club has become a perrenial contender for top seed in the conference at the end of regular season play, however, it is in the playoffs where this club has fallen apart in recent years. In fact, the D’Jacks have failed to make it to the league finals since they won the OSBA Cup in ’04. After a first round bye last summer, the D’Jacks were swept by Ajax leaving the team searching for answers. The club is now in midst of its first re-building process – in hope of once again contending for the league championship.
Key Losses: OF Mike Desputeaux, 3B Naser Malik
Key Additions: P Mike Barnett, 1B Marc Arsenault, Utility Mike Galloway
Players to watch for: P Craig Bessant, P Brandon Veenstra, C Brian Stefancic, 1B Jason Booth, Utility Marty Patience 2009 Outlook: With several additions to the roster, The D’Jacks will need to build some chemistry early in order to have a successful regular season and for any chance at a deep playoff run. Only time will tell if the re-vamped roster sets this club back or keeps them right in the thick of things.
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AJAX INDIANS
2008 Record: 14-12-2
Regular Season Finish: 3rd
Playoffs: Lost in Conference Finals to Pickering
The Indians made some tough decisions prior to the start of the ’08 season parting ways with some of their long-time members. In the end, the moves seemed to be the right ones as Ajax had a very respectible season overall. A strong regular season finish resulted in their first trip to the playoffs. Surpassing the team’s initial goal of doing just that and advancing to the conference finals - has raised the bar for expectations in ’09. The success experienced last season coupled with some key off-season acquisitions appears to have this ball club headed in the right direction for years to come.
Key Losses: P Brian Smith, P Gary Rose
Key Additions: P/IF Tim March, IF Justin Strachan, IF Joe Campa,
P/IF John Shade, IF Chad Stone, OF Matt Bourne
Players to watch for: P Chris Theodoru, C Jamie Tessier, 3B Mike Grieve, 1B Rob Patterson, P Jimmy Sgourkis 2009 Outlook: The Indians appear to be adding even more youth to complement their veteran core. Going younger paid dividends last season, so perhaps a trip to the finals is in the cards this year. Look for the Indians to be one of the teams that comes close, if not maximizes the full 20-man playoff roster – getting players into a minimum 9 games this season.
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OSHAWA TALONS
2008 Record: 14-12-2
Regular Season Finish: 4th
Playoffs: Lost in round 1 to Barrie
Oshawa finished fourth by way of a tie-break (Ajax awarded 3rd) and made a slight regular season improvement from their standing the season previous. Where they really improved was in the runs against category – leading the entire conference with 113 given up to the opposition. Unfortunately for the Talons another early playoff exit squashed any thoughts of a long playoff drive. This scrappy ball club continues to qualify each year, but must now win a series or two to see an improvement over their ’08 finish.
Key Losses: P/3B Shawn Scott
Key Additions: SS/2B Jeff O’Brien, P Chris Kemlo, P Mark Greenberg
Players to watch for: P Mike Arsenault, P Paul Mannella, IF Chad Reid, OF Ryan Reid, 1B Dan Rushton 2009 Outlook: The Talons have added some major depth to their pitching staff signing full-time player Mark Greenberg who has been pitching for Queen's University and part-time player Chris Kemlo - who was once pitching in AA ball for the New York Yankees. Given how well staff aces Arsenault and Mannella have performed the past couple of seasons, the Talons have the all the makings for one of the deepest pitching staffs in the conference. In addition, all of their core players have been reported as returning as well - making their additions even more significant. More depth on the mound means players asked to throw in emergency situations last year should be able to concentrate more on defense this season. The core group will also be counted on heavily to produce offensively. If successful in putting a few runs on the board each game, the Talons will have an opportunity to win their fair share this season.
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WHITBY CHIEFS
2008 Record: 13-13-2
Regular Season Finish: 6th
Playoffs: Lost in round 1 to Ajax
With several players brought in prior to the start of the ’08 season, Whitby on paper looked to be improved over the club that was put together in its inaugural ’07 campaign. However, the end result was virtually the same – while the regular season record was slightly better, the club once again failed to secure a higher playoff seed – clinching the final spot late in the season. Whitby also duplicated their playoff exit - getting swept in the opening round. During this past off-season, the Chiefs lost their innings pitched leader and will once again be faced with players trying to balance interests away from the OSBA ballparks.
Key Losses: P Steve Butterworth, C Roberto Porretta, C Andrew Midwood
Key Additions: P/SS Peter Stefanovic. C/IF Jeff Kingdon, P Adam Tedesco
C Mike Moorcroft, IF Jared Mercier, C Chris Harrington, P Marc Daneau
Players to watch for: OF Jon Binder, OF Graig Andrew,
IF/OF Paul Ovsonka, P Steve Harrington, IF Justin Bird 2009 Outlook: Whitby will be in tough trying to qualify for the playoffs again this season. While the long list of additions may signal high turnover, in reality, most of the new faces listed played as call-ups for the team last season. To be successful in ’09, the Chiefs need to minimize errors – something that has haunted this club in both 2007 and 2008 and get the most from their pitching staff.
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BROOKLIN DODGERS
2008 Record: 10-15-3
Regular Season Finish: 7th
Playoffs: Failed to qualify
Having been the champs the past two seasons, the Dodgers did a complete nose-dive in 2008. With a sub .500 record, Brooklin failed to make the playoffs for the first time in team history. When you reach the top it is hard to stay there, but the Dodgers will be the first to admit not making the playoffs wasn’t the way they wanted to try and defend their championship.
Key Losses: P Dave Hickey and full-time services of 3B Derek Grieve,
1B Ed Ganhao, P/SS Mitch Dunn and OF/P Colin Appleton
Key Additions: OF Mike Desputeaux, C/1B Jay Hansen, C Brad Hanna, OF/1B Andrew Ellsworth
Players to watch for: P Jeff Canning, P Mitch Dunn, OF Mike Weir,
P Wayne Wickens, P Sam Grabowski 2009 Outlook: The Dodgers not only have their sights set on making the playoffs, but the ball club wants to be the team to capture the championship for an unprecendeted third time. With league parity being at an all-time high in 2008, the Dodgers know better than most what it will take to achieve a long and successful playoff drive. Look for the club to improve on their ’08 record and fight for a playoff berth.
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CLARINGTON CUBS
2008 Record: 8-17-3
Regular Season Finish: 8th
Playoffs: Failed to qualify
The new-look cubs (formerly Durham Chiefs) hope that with all the work done in the off-season it will translate into a much more successful season. The old Durham Chiefs ball club once was considered one of the elite teams of the OSBA. Several players have since left or retired – forcing team management to re-build the team on the fly over the past couple of years. Last year proved to be the most difficult one, but with change comes optimism and the Cubs will once again try to rekindle some of that former Durham success – starting with bringing back some familiar faces from those past glory days.
Key Losses: P Darryl Jennings
Key Additions: P Steve Butterworth, OF Colin Cockburn, SS J.P. Vittorio, Utility Kyle Griffin, 2B James Kilpatrick, IF Chris Sereda, IF Drew Roberts
Players to watch for: OF Brandon Glover, 1B Paul Graham,
P Steve Butterworth, OF Colin Cockburn, SS J.P. Vittorio
2009 Outlook: Having missed the playoffs last season, Clarington will try to avoid a repeat this year. Based on the acquisitions made by the team it looks like there will be a re-newed level of commitment which should improve team depth on a weekly basis. If the Cubs can get solid pitching their bats should provide enough run support to keep them in most games.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
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BURLINGTON BULLS
2008 Record: 24-4
Regular Season Finish: 1st
Playoffs: 2008 OSBA Champions
Without a doubt, the 2008 season was the year of the Bulls. They represented themselves and the OSBA in fine form – participating in various tournaments which included successfully defending their title in Ottawa and capturing their second OSBA tournament championship. The Bulls beat their own previous best finishing the regular season with an amazing 24-4 record (new OSBA points record), and to top off the season the ballclub won their second OSBA championship – in just four years since joining the OSBA back in 2005.
Key Losses: OF Jeff McNair, 1B Matt Langford, P Eric Conlon (full-time)
Key Additions: 3B Cameron Kirby
Players to watch for: P Jamie Kozak, P Cam McKnight, 3B Brad Guy,
DH Chris Hayes, OF Kip Keith 2009 Outlook: The Bulls expect to defend their title and become the third team in OSBA history to win back to back championships. If successful, they’ll also be the first team to win the OSBA Cup three times. Giving up just 83 runs against while scoring 233 during the regular season illustrates how dominant the Bulls were in ’08. With the majority of their team back – including their top three pitchers, the Bulls are considered the heavy favourites to win it all (again) in ’09.
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MISSISSAUGA SOUTHWEST TWINS
2008 Record: 19-7-2
Regular Season Finish: 2nd
Playoffs: Lost in Conference Finals to Burlington
The Twins enjoyed their best season since joining the OSBA prior to the start of the 2006 season. They finished first in their division earning a first round playoff bye and made it to the Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history. With the second best runs against numbers, the Twins not only received more consistent pitching from their starters in ’08 but also kept errors to a minimum. This ball club had a nice blend of pitching and offense last season – evident by their overall standing.
Key Losses: P Tom Malyk, P Ian Moszczak
Key Additions: Nick Chisholm, Bernie Lopez, David MacKinnon
Players to watch for: C Jay Woodford, P Ben Chisholm, Pat McEnroe,
Phil Kingston, P Justin Butler 2009 Outlook: The Twins may experience a set-back if key members are away for extended periods of time this summer. However, with late commitments from Ben Chisholm and Justin Butler team management is optimistic about competing for a playoff spot. For the Twins to be successful this season consistency will be a key factor. The ball club must find a way to play competitively week in and week out. If that can be done – a playoff berth is certainly an obtainable goal.
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FOREST GLEN GIANTS
2008 Record: 17-10-1
Regular Season Finish: 3rd
Playoffs: Lost in round 1 to Majors
The Giants have steadily improved since joining the OSBA as an expansion team prior to the start of the 2006 season. The hard work by the coaching staff re-building the club - focusing on youth and higher calibre players served the team well in 2008. However, this past winter the team thought they would be losing several key members and as a result were close to merging with another team in a rival league. When the merger fell apart, the coaching staff ran a series of try-outs and found enough players to replenish their roster.
Key Losses: SS Jonathan Harrison, P Sean Leslie, 2B Carlos Martin
Key Additions: OF Triston Hackett, P/1B Jordan Wilton, OF Julian Silva,
OF Parker Green, 2B Rob Uggenti
Players to watch for: C Ryan Micallef, OF Graham Magee, P Mario Mainelli, C Chris Micolino, OF Mike Drzazga 2009 Outlook: Some of the players thought to be lost this past off-season returned giving the team a higher sense of optimism heading into opening weekend. With a very disappointing end to the ’08 campaign look for the Giants to once again be a solid club – with hopes of a much longer playoff run.
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MISSISSAUGA STARS
2008 Record: 16-10-2
Regular Season Finish: 4th
Playoffs: Lost in semi finals to the Twins
The Stars had a relatively successful season last year. While they did not win their division, they still managed to post a solid record and advance to the second round of the playoffs. From a statistical standpoint, the Stars ranked 4th in runs for and 3rd in runs against during the regular season and should be able to post similar numbers again this summer. With a few changes in the off-season, the Stars will once again rely on their veteran core to guide the team into the post season.
Key Losses: C Andrew Kocukov, P Lee Parisani
Key Additions: C Mike Gallant, P Carson Shirley
Players to watch for: SS Johnny DeWolfe, OF Andrew Wood, C Brad Kozak, P Steve Gallant, P Carson Shirley 2009 Outlook: The Stars know that if they want to minimize the number of teams who share their back to back championship honours - they’ll have to raise their game. Team management is confident their new additions will help the club adjust to wood bat play - as they are already accustomed to doing so coming from a different program. Free agent acquisition P Carson Shirley is being counted on to log a lot of innings for the club while the veterans will be challenged to improve upon last year’s offensive output.
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MISSISSAUGA NORTH BENGALS
2008 Record: 15-11-2
Regular Season Finish: 5th
Playoffs: Lost in round 1 to the Stars
The Bengals were Conference Champions in ’07, but did not have similar success last year. Their regular season standing saw the club finish four games above .500, but they quickly fizzled-out in the playoffs – being swept in the opening round. This young club will need to establish some sort of consistency if it wants to be an elite team and hang with the big boys of the West. The off-season proved to be a busy one for the coaching staff where some changes were made to replenish overall team depth and hopefully improve overall team chemistry.
Key Losses: P Kevin O’Toole, Andy St. Denis, Jeff St. Denis, P Frank Pallotta, P Jonathan Amendola
Key Additions: OF Mark Skrela, P Jason Silverberg, IF/OF Jason Ireland, P/OF Craig Rattos
Players to watch for: OF Cody Ireland, C Garrett Nicol, Utility Rob Phair, P Jonathan Menezes, and C Rob Phair 2009 Outlook: Now having tasted some success in the OSBA and stewing all winter on what went wrong in ‘08, the Bengals will need their core players to step-up and play to their potential. Expectations heading into this season from team management is simple – put ’08 in the past and work towards regaining their form of 2007.
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BARRIE BREWERS
2008 Record: 14-13-1
Regular Season Finish: 5th in Eastern Conference
Playoffs: Lost in the semi-finals to Pickering
The Brewers are coming off their most successful season in franchise history and hope to keep moving in that same direction this year. The Brewers finished just two points out of 1st place, and advanced to the semi-finals before being swept by the Pirates. One of the keys to Barrie’s success last year had to do with being in each series - taking points away almost every single weekend. Clearly the off-season acquisition of rookie phenom P Jon Harbridge played a huge factor in this area, but so did the emergence of Dave Williamson as the #2 starter and some improved offensive output from several of the Brewers’ players.
Key Losses: P Jon Harbridge, OF Mike Walton
Key Additions: 1B/DH Korie Assivero, 1B/DH Tim Coburn, P Ben Perry,
P Bryan MacLeod, C/OF Justin Tamane, C Tyler Bly, IF Brett Binning, P/OF Rich Messina, Utility Mark Letham
Players to watch for: P Dave Williamson, IF Sean McPherson, 1B/DH Korie Assivero, P Ben Perry, C/3B Kyle MacKinnon 2009 Outlook: The loss of Harbridge will be a huge void for the club – while the other 13 teams reading this can all now take a collective sigh of relief. Nevertheless, the Brewers are excited about some of their offensive pick-ups and hope to get quality pitching from those on the staff this season. If everything goes to plan, the Brewers are optimistic they’ll be in the thick of things – challenging for the Western Conference pennant
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MISSISSAUGA MAJORS
2008 Record: 14-13-1
Regular Season Finish: 6th
Playoffs: Lost in the semi-finals to Burlington
The Majors did not have the type of regular season they would have liked last year. Their runs against total was the 3rd worse in the conference and their runs for were the worst – this has to be looked at as an area of concern, especially with the association adopting wood bat play this season. The Majors salvaged their season somewhat advancing to the second round of the playoffs before being swept, but overall, hardly a year to remember.
Key Losses: 1B Matt Maclaren; C Jimmy McNeil; OF Anthony Pileggi
Key Additions: P Chris Lee, IF Bobby Chapman
Players to watch for: P/IF Joey Pileggi, P/IF Josh Pileggi, IF Danny Taormina, P/1B Paul Roth, OF J.P. Anderson 2009 Outlook: The team will rely heavily on starting pitching to keep them in games. Again, where the team must drastically improve upon is putting runs on the board. The club is relatively young still so that is something working in their favour. However, the Majors to have any sort of success in `09 will have to over-rely on the Pileggi brothers and hope their supporting cast all stay relatively healthy.
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