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Thank You for a Successful 2007
With the conclusion of the 2007 season just less than a week old, the Ontario Senior Baseball Association completed another successful season. For the second time in league history a team captured their second championship. Congratulations to the Brooklin Dodgers for not only winning their second title, but doing so in back to back years.
Their opponents, the Mississauga North Bengals were the only team to win a play-off game against the Dodgers, and beat some very strong ball clubs for the right to represent their conference in the championship finals.
During the regular season there were many great games played, new rivalries formed and a new modern day record for overall points established by the Burlington Bulls. In 2005, the Durham Chiefs finished the regular season with a 22-4 record (44 points). This season the Bulls went 23-5 (46 points).
OSBA opened the 2007 campaign with the most teams in league history. The expansion Mississauga Majors and Whitby Chiefs pushed the total number to 16 franchises. With expansion came an opportunity to set up two conferences and two divisions in each - while setting the association up nicely should more expansion teams come knocking in the future. The change also allowed for divisional all-star games which were played at the Rogers Centre this past June - a new venture created to give even more members of OSBA a chance to play a game at Rogers Centre.
With several teams already inquiring about applying to OSBA for the 2008 season there should be an opportunity to build on the size and success of this past year. With that said, OSBA would like to take this opportunity to thank those who helped contribute to another successful season.
To all the grounds keepers, park facilitators, minor association executives, and umpire crews – thank you for all your hard work and assistance this past year.
Jim Taylor, who accepted the job as OSBA Umpire-in Chief, did a fantastic job helping teams in the East obtain their umpire crews week in and week out. Special thanks to Chris Killoran for assisting when called upon - helping Jim and others round up umpires from outside the area – due to many umpire shortages this year.
To Gerry Ray, Sue & Gary Charters, and Rod Holinaty, thank you for doing another outstanding job running the OSBA tournament. In addition, a special thanks to OSBA coaches who helped convene as well. This event keeps growing in popularity – and that’s a true testament to the fine work you do year in and year out.
Kyle Pitman and Mike Ovsonka for stepping forward to co-chair the player’s Competition Committee. Despite their efforts this project did not take off as expected. Perhaps with some additional work in the off-season this project can re-surface and give the player’s a forum to push new ideas across to the league executive – the way it was intended this year.
Mike also devotes considerable amount of time to helping draft mock schedules each year, and helps add content to for the local newspapers and the league website – through the OSBA Standings and Play-off umbrella.
Kyle along with Greg DaCosta and Christian Ray help website administrator, Rod Holinaty, insert stats for all games during the season. Greg and Christian really stepped up in this area this year – so thanks guys for being big contributors to the OSBA website. Your help is greatly appreciated.
To all our media partners – thank you for your continued support and coverage throughout the year. OSBA hopes to continue our partnership, and will be looking to provide more content next season.
To all of our corporate sponsors – thank you for your support – both to individual teams and the league. Whether it is equipment and apparel, a favourite spot to eat, or monetary assistance to lower playing costs – all are very much appreciated.
Dr. DJ, Rich Messina – thank you for being with us at each of our four games at Rogers Centre this year. Your presence adds value to our games and helps entertain our fans who come out to cheer on their favourite OSBA players.
A special thank you to the Toronto Blue Jays and our Group Sales Representative for his continued effort ensuring OSBA gets priority tickets for out group outings and the best possible dates for our games at Rogers Centre.
To the entire OSBA Executive for their countless hours spent improving our program each off-season, and for their continued support on the field as coaches. Without your services the growth of OSBA would not be as strong as it has been over the past seven years.
To all the members of OSBA – thank you for your dedication to this fantastic program. You are the true ambassadors of this association. Whether it be showcasing your skills at various tournaments…and we had three winners this year: Burlington (Ottawa), Richmond Hill (Peterborough), Brooklin/Whitby/Scarborough (OSBA), competing against rival leagues in exhibition or league vs. league games, or just against one another during the regular season – your time, effort and commitment help attract new players and teams. Keep up the great work!!
And finally, to our fans - thank you for tremendous support over the years – it certainly has not gone unnoticed. In fact, the number of people out to cheer on their favourite teams seems to be growing each and every year. We certainly hope you enjoyed the fine calibre of baseball OSBA produces and will be back with us again next year.
On behalf of the entire OSBA, thank you to everyone for a wonderful season.
Steve Smith
President, OSBA
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Overview:
Both teams took different paths to wind up in the championship finals. The Burlington Bulls who were rewarded with a first round bye for finishing in the top two of their division sat out in round one. Then by virtue of their first place standing in the Jenkins Division drew the 4th seeded Mississauga Twins. Burlington showed no rust after almost three weeks off - eliminating the Twins in two straight. They then faced their toughest opponent thus far in the two-time OSSBA champion, Mississauga Stars. The Stars who finished 2nd in the division came out swinging - taking game one and pushed the Bulls to the limit forcing extra innings in game # 2. The Bulls dug-deep and pulled out the win which forced a third and deciding game. Mississauga wanting to eliminate the Bulls and spoil their aspirations of joining the Stars as the only club to win two league championships (done in back-to-back fashion) fell short of their goal with the Bulls winning and advancing to the finals for the second straight year.
The Brooklin Dodgers who finished third in their division unquestionably had the hardest route making it to the championship series. They opened up their play-off facing the 6th place Pickering Pirates, a club known for saving their best play for the post-season. Game one started off true to form, but in the top of the 7th inning the Dodgers busted a two-two tie exploding for 11 runs. The second game was much more intense but it was Brooklin who pulled out the brooms and advanced to the next round. Waiting in the balance were their archrivals, the Durham Chiefs. Durham had been waiting three weeks themselves after a first round bye. This match-up marked the fourth consecutive year the two clubs faced one another in the play-offs. Always a close affair, game one did not disappoint. In a contest that could have gone either way, it was Brooklin who gave up the lead in the 7th inning allowing the game to go to extra innings. Durham capitalized on a couple of errors and walked away victorious. With their backs to the wall, Brooklin came out the following day and shut down the 2005 Walker division champs in fine fashion. Brooklin bounced back and took games two and three and advanced to the Walker Division final for the fourth time in six years. Having already knocked off two very good ball clubs, the Dodgers found themselves face to face with another long-standing rival and top seed in the division – the Richmond Hill Phoenix. Another game one loss put Brooklin back into desperation mode. And the team again put together two straight wins to advance to the OSSBA championship for an unprecedented fourth time.
Players to Watch:
Burlington
Pitching – Jon Leyland, Cam McKnight, Eric Conlon and Brad Guy
Offensively - Guy, Kyle Pitman, Conlon, and rookie Jason Hogan
Defensively – Chris Lord, Guy, Bryan Blasko and Mike Mousseau
Brooklin
Pitching – Sam Grabowski, Mitch Dunn, Jeff Canning, Kyle McFarlane, Brad Hanna
Offensively – Mike Weir, Mike Elmhurst, Dan Blea, and Canning
Defensively – Hanna, Dunn, Weir and Blea
Skinny:
With this only being Burlington’s second year in the league and the two teams only facing each other five times during that span, neither club knows the other entirely. Both clubs have rode the arms of three pitchers getting to the finals and each team has added depth in that department which should serve them well in this best of five affair. From top to bottom, both teams have guys in the line-up capable of getting key hits. Defensively, both clubs are sound and that trend should continue until a winner has emerged. Look for Burlington to play off the tempo set by their catalyst, SS Brad Guy. It often seems, as he goes, the team goes. Brooklin will look to the top of their order for a similar spark, but it will be the energy generated by the pitching staff that truly motivates them. When they are rolling everything thus far has fallen into place for the Dodgers.
X-Factor:
There are a few:
Stellar defensive play behind the plate – both catchers will need to be at their best for the entire series. The longer the series, the more “small ball” will come into play. Keeping runners from stealing extra bases will be key in this match-up.
Coaching – experience leans towards Rod Holinaty and the Dodgers, but Mike Masters and his staff have been together for several years now. By OSSBA standards, the Dodgers have been to the finals more than any other team. However, the Bulls have won the OSSBA Cup and are looking for a repeat. Only time will tell which chess master makes the right moves.
Injuries – Neither club wanted to disclose anything at press time. Look for Sean Blea to be with the team but out of action for the Dodgers. Mitch Dunn does not appear to have any linger complications from his broken hand and Jeff Canning, if hurt, is hiding it well. For the Bulls, the return of Bryan Blasko should be a huge lift for his team. A steady performer at the plate excels defensively and is a rock at second base. Should he be close to 100% the Bulls infield will be filled with all-stars playing at their normal positions.
Home Field Advantage – Brooklin, the benefactors of home field via the Walker Division beating the Jenkins Division in the league annual all-star game have opted to give Burlington the first two games at home. If Burlington takes the first two it could be trouble for the Dodgers. But any other outcome heading into game # 3 would clearly give the edge to Brooklin.
Fan Support – Brooklin loves their “slow clap” and often gets the fans behind them for extra support. Burlington fans are equally loud behind super fan - Cindy Lord. Both teams have some of the greater fan support in the league. And this time around those numbers should be even greater.
In closing, the Bulls have been heavy favourites to get back to the finals ever since they took the league by storm last summer and captured their first championship in their inaugural season. They’ve been wearing a target on their back all year and the time has come to see if they have what it takes to etch another mark in league history. Brooklin has been called the “Cinderella” team since the play-offs began. However, now that they are in the finals, they’ll be hard-pressed to convince the Bulls they are underdogs and not in fact, giant killers. This series has all the making of a true classic and neither team will take the other lightly. Please continue to monitor the league website at www.leaguelineup.com/ossba for all the details surrounding this series.
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Mississauga North Bengals vs. Brooklin Dodgers
(12-15-1) (18-7-3)
5th in Jenkins Conference 3rd in Walker Conference
Overview:
Here we go. The OSBA championship finals: the Mississauga North Bengals versus the defending OSBA champion, Brooklin Dodgers. Here is a quick re-cap of how each team got to the finals (by round). The Bengals who finished fifth in their conference knocked out the fourth, first and second seeds while the Dodgers who finished third knocked out the sixth, second, and fourth seeds in their quest to make it back to the championship and defend their title. Of the two teams, clearly the Bengals had the toughest route to make it to the final best of 5 series. Of course they didn’t have the pressure of being a heavy favourite to make it to the finals or play trying to defend the title either so Brooklin’s run should not be overlooked in that regard. These two teams did not face each other during the regular season which gives this series a little bit of the “surprise” element. However, with that said, the Bengals know they are facing the defending champs and Brooklin knows who the Bengals beat to get to the finals. Translation – neither club is going to take their opponent lightly.
Players to watch for:
Brooklin – 2B Dan Blea, 3B/SS Derek Grieve, C Brad Hanna, OF Mike Weir, OF/3B Jay Jarvie
Bengals – 1B Greg DaCosta, C Garrett Nicol, P/IF Jon Menezes, P Andrew McDermid, OF Cody Ireland
The Skinny:
While the Bengals’ play-off run has been quite impressive, the champs have not lost a game yet during the 2007 play-offs. And again it’s worth noting, Brooklin continues to capitalize on their opposition’s errors – a true sign of a veteran club. The Bengals, who are in only their second year of OSBA competition, have shown during this play-off run that when their backs are against the wall they have the resiliency to fight back. For them to be successful in this series though, they will have to rely on sound defence and outstanding pitching performances out of whoever is able to take the mound for their club. Having played the role of spoiler to perfection thus far, this weekend will prove whether or not they have enough gas in the tank to go all the way.
X Factor:
Depth. The scale appears to be tipped in Brooklin’s favour on this one. And in a best of five series who knows what could happen with regard to injuries or slumps. Some key injuries may have depleted the Bengals’ pitching rotation at the worst possible time. At press time, the Bengals have not indicated whether or not the services of pitchers Frank Pallotta and Kevin O’Toole have been lost for the championship finals. Pallotta has been injured for some time and O’Toole was struck in the face last weekend while on the mound. O’Toole was rushed to the hospital where he was diagnosed with a concussion and received 5 stitches. Heading into this series, Brooklin appears relatively healthy and has yet to use pitchers Jeff Canning or Kyle McFarlane in these play-offs. In addition, Sam Grabowski has seen fewer innings than he did last year – again illustrating Brooklin’s overall depth. Of the two teams, Brooklin has the largest roster - carrying 20 players. Something to watch for in this series, and perhaps the deeper it goes may dictate how it materializes – but it will be interesting to see how both teams manage their respective benches as they battle for the coveted OSBA championship. One would think, the longer the series goes the shorter the benches will become.
OSBA History:
Just a few points of interest:
- With Brooklin now reaching the finals it is their 5th time in 7 years that they have accomplished that feat
- Since the league adopted the best of play-off format back in 2003, Brooklin has been to the finals four of that past five years – winning their first and only championship last season
- Brooklin’s championship win last summer, marked the first time a team for the East won the league championship
- To date, only one team has won more than one OSBA championship (the Mississauga Stars)
- Only one team has ever won back-to-back championships and that was the Mississauga Stars in 2001 and 2002. Brooklin now has a chance to duplicate this feat with a series win over the Bengals.
Here is a complete run-down of game times & park locations for the 2007 OSBA Finals:
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Season's Greetings
On behalf of the entire Ontario Senior Select Baseball Association (OSSBA), I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.
2005 was a very big year for OSSBA and we fully expect ’06 to be even better. Again, we would like to thank all those who helped make this past summer such a huge success. Our association could not continue to flourish without the tremendous support we have received from the local businesses & media, corporate sponsors, umpires and dedicated fans.
Plenty of work behind the scenes has already taken place in preparation for 2006. Our Executive will meet again in late January and will continue to do so once per month until April. Our new season should begin in early May – weather permitting. For those looking for some information on what has happened already, here is a quick overview:
• Expansion: Two new teams to date: Scarborough Indians (Walker Division) & Mississauga Southwest Twins (Jenkins)
• Aluminum bats: will be in use; weight/length ratio will be -3; wood bats are still optional
• Player Eligibility: Junior and Senior Rep players will be allowed to participate in OSSBA – regular season & play-offs
• Game played: one official at bat, recording one out as a pitcher or pitching to 5 batters (without recording an out)
• Play-off Eligibility: Player must achieve league minimum (point above) and play in half of the regular season games to qualify for play-offs
• DH Rule: teams’ game by game option; not mandatory
• All-Star Game: will be played at the Rogers Centre again in ’06.
• All-Star Representation: each team will send 3 reps, down from 4 in 2005. Expansion is the main reason and should OSSBA expand beyond the current 12 teams, this format will be reviewed again.
• League Website: Executive unanimously agreed to spend money to enhance prior version. Enhancements to start in New Year.
• Topics on tap for January meeting to include: finalizing expansion, establishing new budget for ’06, preliminary schedule talks, OSSBA tournament, corporate sponsorship opportunities, league outings/functions and any other possible suggestions for improving the league.
Should anyone be interested in learning more about OSSBA (possible expansion team entry), becoming a league sponsor, advertising on our league’s website, wanting to be added to our tournament invitee contact list or wish to try out for a team in their area, please contact me at ossba@rogers.com
Current members of OSSBA are strongly encouraged to post their suggestions in the Forum section of the league website. Please remember to leave your (real) name when you post so we know who to address in our response/bring up point(s) raised in league meetings for further review.
Kindest regards,
Steve Smith
President, OSSBA
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Jenkins Division Playoff Preview
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Walker Division Playoff Preview
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1st Round Playoff Preview
With the Burlington Bulls, Mississauga Stars, Richmond Hill Phoenix and Durham Chiefs all winning their respective divisions they have earned a bye in the first round of play-offs.
Here is a look at how the rest of the teams match-up:
Forest Glen Giants vs. Mississauga Majors
(9-18-1) (15-11-2)
6th in Jenkins Conference 3rd in Jenkins Conference
Overview:
Both teams advance to the OSBA play-offs for the first time in their respective team’s history. The 2nd year Forest Glen Giants made a huge improvement over last year edging out the veteran Bloor Jays for the final play-off spot, whereas, the Mississauga Majors qualify in their inaugural season. One of the biggest reasons Forest Glen qualified was due to their overhaul of player personnel. Several players jumped from the junior ranks and the youthful injection paid dividends. Oddly enough, the core of the Majors was also in junior last season - as arch-rivals to the Giants. Needless to say, these clubs know each other well and a re-match of the SOBA Provincial Finals of 2006 is a very interesting opening round match-up in 2007.
Players to watch for:
Forest Glen – P Mike Gren, Utility/P Sean Leslie, IF Pete Nicolaichuk, P/IF Matt Klas, P Mario Mainelli
Majors – P Paul Roth, P/IF Josh Pileggi, IF Danny Taormina, IF Chris Maloney, P/IF Joey Pileggi
The Skinny:
The surprise element will be non-existent in this series. From playing each other in junior in years past to being division rivals this season – both teams know what’s in store. During the regular season the Majors won three of four contests. So in theory, they should hold a psychological edge heading into this series. But the Giants have been in this situation before, and now that the second season is upon us – look for none of that to matter as far as they are concerned. Both teams ranked pretty evenly when it came to driving in runs so it will come down to pitching and defense when deciding this series.
X Factor:
Runs against. The Majors allowed 149 runs against (2nd lowest in conference) compared to Forest Glen’s league leading worst 230 runs against. If the Giants intend to advance they will have to do a better job keeping the Majors off the board.
Mississauga North Bengals vs. Mississauga Southwest Twins
(12-15-1) (12-13-2)
5th in Jenkins Conference 4th in Jenkins Conference
Overview:
Both clubs return to the play-offs for their second straight season (since joining OSBA) and will be the first time these clubs have faced on another in the post season. Both the Twins and the Bengals finished mid-pack in their conference, and it wasn’t until the very end of the regular season that the play-off positioning became finalized. The Twins finished one point higher in the standings and for their effort – they will have home field advantage. During the regular season, the teams only played each other once. The Twins swept the double header, but it remains to be seen if that will have any barring on this series.
Players to watch for:
Bengals – 1B Greg DaCosta, C Garrett Nicol, P/IF Jon Menezes, P Kevin O’Toole, OF Cody Ireland
Twins – C Jay Woodford, IF/P Stu Kingston, OF Ian Moszczak, P Tom Malyk, 1B Ken Woodford
The Skinny:
Both clubs were in the top four of their conference in runs against. That statistic suggests pitching and defense are a big part of both teams’ strengths. Tom Malyk and Stu Kingston will be relied upon heavily for the Twins – especially with the apparent loss of rookie phenom, Justin Butler. The Bengals appear to have four pitchers who split innings fairly evenly this season. Workhorse Kevin O’Toole led the team in innings and Jon Menezes emerged as a leader of the staff this season. This match-up like so many others might come down to pitching. And it appears both teams are well armed.
X Factor:
Coaching. Both teams are run by player/coaches. For the Bengals, their staff is in their first year of this transition and it will be interesting to see if they have any tricks up their sleeves. Both clubs will need to play disciplined ball and minimize errors to be successful. Whichever club emerges will give the division leaders all they can handle in the second round.
Whitby Chiefs vs. Brooklin Dodgers
(9-18-1) (16-9-3)
6th in Walker Conference 3rd in Walker Conference
Overview:
It seems fitting that the defending champion Brooklin Dodgers draw an expansion team in the first round of their play-off title defense. Drill down and things even get more interesting. The Brooklin Dodgers use to be The Whitby Chiefs before a name change in 2006. Steve Smith use to be Rod Holinaty’s assistant coach, and Smith was appointed league President behind OSBA founder, Holinaty. Will this truly be a case of student vs. teacher? During the regular season, Brooklin took the series 1-0-1. The second game of the series gives Whitby some optimism they can hang with the big boys, and hope to have a similar Cinderella type play-off Brooklin enjoyed last summer.
Players to watch for:
Brooklin – P Wayne Wickens, 2B Dan Blea, 3B/SS Derek Grieve, C Brad Hanna, OF Mike Weir
Whitby – SS Sean Tremaine, OF Graig Andrew, P Steve Butterworth, Utility/P Denny Howell, C/2B Adam Bickford
The Skinny:
Brooklin has been known to have decent regular seasons but excel when it really matters. Having been to the OSBA final 4 of the previous 6 seasons, the defending champs will once again be out to prove they are one of OSBA’s top teams. Many will say Whitby limped into the play-offs, thanks in large part to help from other clubs shutting down the Scarborough Indians who looked all but certain to be in the first round against Brooklin. Both clubs will need excellent pitching performances and solid defense – as neither club racked up a lot of runs for this season.
X Factor:
Game one. Whitby needs to come out strong. The club has been notorious for playing their best games during the second half of their double headers. In a best of three series, it will be too little too late if that trends continues.
Oshawa Talons vs. Pickering Pirates
(16-11-1) (17-11)
5th in Walker Conference 4th in Walker Conference
Overview:
This series could quite possibly be the best opening round match-up of the play-offs. In past years, both clubs have always hovered around .500, made the play-offs and experienced relatively early exits. This year however, both teams made significant improvements in the off-season to their player personnel, and it showed in the standings. A very tight Eastern Conference race saw positions 3-5 separated by only two points. Both clubs have something to prove, and this series could come down to whoever runs out of pitching first.
Players to watch for:
Pickering - P Dave McElroy, OF/P Sydney Saunders, SS/P Jaymin Parmar, C Phil Lacombe, OF/IF Ryan D’Souza
Oshawa - three-time Player of the Week P Paul Mannella, C Owen Hudgins, 1B Dan Rushton, SS Chad Reid, OF/P Ryan Reid
The Skinny:
Both teams rely heavily on their ace pitchers – McElroy and Mannella. These two should be the opening game match-up unless the coaches have started their chess games early. Neither club has any significant injuries to report – which means both ball clubs should have a relatively solid line-up from top to bottom. Each ball club has some speed at the top of their order and it shouldn’t surprise anyone to see a running game implemented to help get runners into scoring position. With each team most likely going with the staff ace in game #1 look for both clubs to come out playing small ball in an effort to take the series lead.
X Factor:
Defense. Whoever can play the best defensively this entire series should come away victorious. Oshawa cooled off a little in the second half but still managed a very good season overall. Pickering played equally well. Both clubs have the tools to advance – it will come down to who wants this series the most.
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2005 OSSBA CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL
Durham Chiefs (22-4) vs Burlington Bulls (19-7)
(Burlington wins OSSBA Championship 2-1)
Game 1 - Burlington Bulls 2 Durham Chiefs 5
Game 2 - Durham Chiefs 2 Burlington Bulls 10
Game 3 - Durham Chiefs 8 Burlington Bulls 9
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2005 OSSBA DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIPS
WALKER DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
#2 Whitby Chiefs vs # 1 Durham Chiefs
(Durham wins series 2-1)
Game 1 - Durham Chiefs 3 Whitby Chiefs 7
Game 2 - Whitby Chiefs 5 Durham Chiefs 9
Game 3 - Whitby Chiefs 5 Durham Chiefs 8
JENKINS DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
#1 Richmond Hill Phoenix vs #2 Burlington Bulls
(Burlington wins series 2-0)
Game 1 - Richmond Hill Phoenix 3 Burlington Bulls 5
Game 2 - Burlington Bulls 3 Richmond Hill Phoenix 2
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2005 OSSBA Playoff Results
WALKER DIVISION
#4 Pickering Pirates vs # 1 Durham Chiefs
(Durham wins series 2-1)
Game 1 - Durham Chiefs 10 Pickering Pirates 2
Game 2 - Pickering Pirates 6 Durham Chiefs 5
Game 3 - Pickering Pirates 5 Durham Chiefs 6
#3 Oshawa Talons vs #2 Whitby Chiefs
(Whitby wins series 2-0)
Game 1 - Whitby Chiefs 9 Oshawa Talons 3
Game 2 - Oshawa Talons 0 Whitby Chiefs 1
JENKINS DIVISION
#4 Mississauga Stars vs #1 Richmond Hill Phoenix
(Richmond Hill wins series 2-0)
Game 1 - Mississauga Stars 7 Richmond Hill Phoenix 16
Game 2 - Richmond Hill Phoenix 12 Mississauga Stars 1
#3 Bloor Jays vs #2 Burlington Bulls
(Burlington wins series 2-1)
Game 1 - Burlington Bulls 0 Bloor Jays 5
Game 2 - Bloor Jays 8 Burlington Bulls 9
Game 3 - Bloor Jays 5 Burlington Bulls 7
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2005 OSSBA Tournament schedule posted
The 2005 OSSBA Tournament schedule has been posted. Several re-writes were done over the past week, in an effort to make sure the schedule was as fair as possible
All OSSBA is looking forward to a great tournament this coming weekend. We would like to wish Good Luck, to all teams involved and we hope you all have a great weekend of baseball!
Sincerely,
Rod Holinaty
2005 OSSBA Tournament Convenor
and
Steve Smith
President, OSSBA
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2005 SPONSORS
Thank You 2005 OSSBA Sponsors
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2007 OSBA Championship Series - Schedule
Mississauga North Bengals vs Brooklin Dodgers
Game #1 - Friday September 28th at 7:30pm - Kinsmen Stadium
Game #2 - Saturday September 29th at 11:00am - Fallingbrook Park
Game #3 - Saturday September 29th at 1:30pm - Fallingbrook Park
Game #4 - Sunday September 30th at 2:00pm - Kinsmen Stadium
Game #5 - Sunday September 30th at 4:30pm - Kinsmen Stadium (if necessary)
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2007 OSBA Conference Finals - Schedules
Jenkins Conference:
Mississauga North Bengals (5) vs Mississauga Stars (2)
Game #1 - Saturday September 22nd - 1:00 pm at Fallingbrook
Game #2 - Sunday September 23rd - 1:00 pm at 9th Line South
Game #3 - Sunday September 23rd - 3:30pm at 9th Line South (if necessary)
Walker Conference:
Pickering Pirates (4) vs Brooklin Dodgers (3)
Game #1: Saturday September 22nd - 1:00pm at Woodsmere Park
Game #2 - Sunday September 23rd - 2:00pm at Kinsmen Stadium
Game #3 - Sunday September 23rd - 4:30pm at Kinsmen Stadium (if necessary)
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2007 SEASON PREVIEW
During the off-season the Ontario Senior Select Baseball Association (OSSBA) made some rather significant changes. To start with, the word "select" was dropped from the association’s name - to properly reflect the calibre in the association. OSBA continues to attract players from many different levels of baseball from Select to Representative to College/University to Intercounty.
With a new name came a new logo. The new OSBA design neatly encompasses roots to both Ontario (Trillium) and Canada (Maple Leaf) – which was unanimously supported by all teams during the off-season when reviewing all the logo submissions.
OSBA will be even larger than in 2006. Two new teams joined the association this past winter pushing the total to 16 teams. The Mississauga Majors and Whitby Chiefs are OSBA’s newest expansion cousins. With the additions, OSBA decided to develop two conferences of 8 teams and within each conference - two divisions with four teams apiece. The new conferences and divisions will hopefully create new rivalries across the league.
OSBA will also play four games at Rogers Centre this summer. June 3 will pit OSBA against a rival league from Scarborough in a re-match of last year’s event. June 23 will see OSBA host back to back divisional all-star games (new for 2007) where approximately 100 members will have an opportunity to play where the Jays play. August 19th will be the association’s annual all-star game where it is East vs. West for home field advantage in the championship finals.
OSBA tends to not play on long weekends allowing players and coaches to enjoy non-baseball activities or participate in various tournaments. OSBA will once again host their annual 16 team tournament in Barrie, ON with the event this year being on the Canada Day long weekend.
The regular season starts May 5th with the majority of teams playing May 6th. May’s schedule has been posted on the OSBA website and the remainder of the schedule will follow shortly. The regular season will conclude in late August with play-offs taking the entire season to mid-October. Here is an overview of each team as OSBA prepares to open its 7th season:
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2007 Year-End OSBA Banquet
Date: Fri. Nov. 16th
Time: Doors open at 7:00pm with dinner at 8:00pm
Cost: $35
Dinner: Buffet Style http://www.oasisconvention.com/menus_stag1.php
There will be Door Prizes.
Individual awards will be handed out for players in both Conferences.
Please contact your coach to purchase tickets.
Wives and girlfriends are welcome. We hope to have as many of you as possible out at this first time event for OSBA, in the hopes it will be a great success.
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A true friend of baseball passes away.
This past Wednesday July 19th, a true friend to baseball, Troy May, passed away due to a heart attack, three days after he, his wife and two young sons were in a serious car accident in Cambridge.
Troy May was an integral part of many peoples lives both in and out of baseball in the Durham Region and the rest of Ontario, for the past 20 years. He was the current EOBA President, Oshawa Dodgers Owner and of course a loving husband & father.
At the recent OSSBA All-Star game at the Rogers Centre a short speech in his honour was prepared and read to all in attendance before a moment of silence was held in his honour.
The OSSBA Executive along with all it's teams, coaches & players would like to let the May family know that our thoughts & prayers remain with the them, and we hope for a speedy recovery for Troy & Lori's boys, Jamie & Connor.
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Barrie Red Sox 5th (12-13-1) vs. Oshawa Talons 4th (14-9-3)
Overview:
These two clubs have more in common than one may think. First, both teams started the season with something to prove. For the Red Sox, it was showing the rest of the league that their team was a legitimate contender within their division. The Sox have been on the outside looking in for the past three years. For the Talons, it was more about silencing the critics and showing that their team has the talent to get by the first round of the play-offs. Oshawa has been a play-off team each and every year they have been in OSSBA but have not had any success since the league went to a “best of” series format. Both teams experienced personnel issues this year, but amazingly, each went on to improve upon their winning totals of a year ago.
Players to watch for:
Barrie – veterans P Sheldon Gowen, 2B/SS Bob Charters, Utility Andrew Cook, 1B Christian Ray and OF Sean Abram
Oshawa – veterans 1B Dan Ruston, P/OF Ryan Reid, P Terry Stephenson, 3B Chad Reid and rookie utility player Scott Pollard
The Skinny:
Both teams will rely heavily on their pitching in hopes of making it to the second round. Barrie looks to be short-handed with a potential injury to free agent pick-up A.J. Martin - who may have been unavailable anyway (up coming marriage). Look for staff ace Sheldon Gowen to throw as much as he can. Offensively and overall depth-wise, Barrie should be much stronger with players like Jeff Faulkner and Marty Giles back in the mix. Both players split time with another club this season. Oshawa who had the best record of all OSSBA clubs in the second half (8-1-1) appears to have a huge advantage in pitching depth. In fact, the Talons have three left-handers. However, only time will tell if youngster Mike Arsenault will be with the club as he prepares to head back to school. Another player who might not be around is OF Chad Ricketts (school). Overall depth has to be a concern for the Talons.
X Factor:
Game one in Barrie. Playing calm will be key and the club must quickly get rid of any play-off jitters. Oshawa needs their leadoff hitter and head coach Anthony Cole to step up in this series. He’s the team’s catalyst. Always a base stealing threat, and when he gets on base it sets the table for the run producers in the middle of the line-up. Oshawa has shown they can hit but its Cole who has to lead by example in this series.
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Bloor Jays 6th (8-18) vs Mississauga North Bengals 3rd (13-12-1)
Overview:
This series sees a meeting between two teams who have taken drastically different directions to reach the postseason. The Bengals were firmly entrenched in second place until the Mississauga Stars recorded an 8 game win streak to catch them. However, the Bengals were still in contention for a first round by right up until the last week of the season. The Jays struggled to be consistent all season long and did not clinch a playoff spot until the final weekend of the season with a victory against the Burlington Bulls. These two clubs met twice during the regular season, splitting those two meetings. Both were close games with the Jays winning in extra innings, and the Bengals pulling out a one run victory in the second game. The expansion Bengals have extensive playoff success in their days prior to OSSBA and have been competitive in this, there first year in the league. The Jays have an experienced core of players who have been with the team for multiple years but have lacked consistent pitching to aid their potent bats.
Players to watch for:
Bengals – rookies P/3B Frank Pallotta, 2B/OF Cody Ireland, 1B Greg DaCosta, P Adam Lesniewski, and SS Ryan Rattos.
Bloor – P Jeff Lyons, 2B Adam Hand, C Paolo Discipio, SS Phil Messina, and 3B Adam Messina
The Skinny:
This will be a battle of different strengths. The Bengals are a well-rounded team with a solid pitching staff and a consistent offence while the Jays possess a staff that lacks depth but an offense that can wipe out opposing teams in any given game. The Bengals will likely start Frank Pallotta, Adam Lesniewski, and Kris Kibsey in this 3 game set, going with their best arms in order to attempt to make this a short series. They will have to pitch well against the powerful bats of Paolo Discipio, Adam Hand, and the Messina brothers, all of who have very high power potential.
X Factor:
Game One. If Lyons can pitch the Jays to victory in Game 1, then Bloor will have a very good chance at pulling off an upset. Their bats have the ability to steal a game for them in either game 2 or 3 of this series, especially with the small dimensions at Q-Park, so it is vital for the Bengals to assert themselves in the first game of this series. The winner of the first game will likely be the victor.
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Brooklin Dodgers (3rd) (15-9-2) vs. Durham Chiefs (2nd) (18-8)
Overview:
For an unprecedented fourth consecutive season, the Brooklin Dodgers and Durham Chiefs will face-off in a Walker division play-off series. This will however be the first time the two clubs have played each other in a semi final series. All other match-ups have been in the Walker division championship. Heading into this series, the Dodgers hold the overall edge having won two of the past three play-off meetings. Durham finally got past their arch-rivals last summer on route to the club’s first berth into the league championship. Regular season play this year was a split – with each club winning one game apiece. Neither team should be considered heavy favourites over the other. Both clubs know their opponents very well and this series will most likely come down to who commits the fewest errors and can come up with the best pitching performances from their respective staffs.
Players to watch for:
Brooklin – veterans 1B/P Jeff Canning, OF Jason Jarvie and C/P/Utility Brad Hanna, P/OF Sam Grabowski, and sophomore Dan Blea
Durham – veterans 3B/SS Derek Grieve, P/2B Mike Ovsonka, OF/P Mike Robertson, OF Graig Andrew, and rookie Justin Bird
Who’s Hot:
Veterans C/1B Mike Elmhurst (3-4; triple, 2 R, 4 RBI)) and 1B/2B Ed Ganhao (2-3; 1 RBI) were key contributors at the plate. Pitcher Sam Grabowski picked up the win in game # 1 and the save in game # 2 - as the Dodgers made short work of the Pickering Pirates in round 1 sweeping the series 2-0.
As for Durham, the team has been on hiatus for nearly three weeks – earning a first round bye. However, head coach/GM Chris Killoran did make the paper recently. For those who missed the picture (and a good laugh), one Paris Hilton would probably give a “that’s hot” to please visit: http://www.photosdurhamregion.com/gallery/picture.php?gallery=2&pic=13104&of
The Skinny:
You can throw out all the scouting reports. Both teams know each other extremely well and what to expect in this series. Neither team will give up, evident of the second game in the regular season when Brooklin held on to win a slugfest 14-13 back on August 13. Both teams are capable of bouncing back after a tough loss and if this series does not go three games it will probably shock most involved. Brooklin received a huge boost last weekend when veteran P/1B Mitch Dunn returned to action. In fact, Dunn played shortstop quite admirably filling the huge void left by the departure of Mark Cairns. And should Dunn and Jeff Canning be able to throw in this series, Brooklin should have a slight advantage in overall pitching depth. Also having IF/P Kyle McFarlane and rookie utility player Braden Novak in the fold this series would be a huge boost to the Dodgers’ defence. Overall the club is very solid and is a legitimate threat to advance all the way to the finals. On the other side of the field, Durham will need for their 2005 co-MVP Colin Cockburn to bust out and regain his 2005 form. Cockburn had a fantastic season last summer but has been average to date this year. Durham will also look to get some secondary pitching help from veteran Paul Graham, sophomore Paul Ovsonka and rookies Chris Aarons and Kyle Griffin should regulars Mike Ovsonka or Mike Robertson falter. Offensively, Durham looks to have an edge heading into this series out-scoring Brooklin during the regular season 29-16. But neither club will hold much stock in regular season stats. These are the play-offs and the only thing that matters now is winning two games in this best of three affair.
X-Factor:
Rookies: A rivalry that has been strong since league inception back in 2001 has seen several faces come and go. And it could very well be the rookies who help put their team into the next round. Brooklin will have two (play-off) rookies – Novak and OF Mike Weir competing in this series. Weir played for the Dodgers last season but did not qualify for the play-offs failing to meet the minimum 8 game requirement. Durham on the other hand will have 5 of their 6 rookies in action. Newcomers Aarons, Griffin, Bird, C/Utility Jeff Crouse, OF Jason Boccinfuso will suit up for their first OSSBA play-off action. Pitcher Todd Van Laere is unavailable due to injury and work commitments.
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Burlington Bulls (19-6-1) - 1st in division = 1st round bye
Overview:
The defending champs have continued the success they enjoyed in their inaugural season and have built upon it substantially. The Bulls enter the playoffs having won their first ever Jenkins Division title, their first OSSBA Tournament Championship, and have set a club record for points in a season with 39. Their pitching staff has been dominant all season long and is the only staff in the OSSBA to allow less than 100 runs on the season, having given up only 97 runs in 26 games. Their offense can be inconsistent but sees contributions from top to bottom in the batting order. Defensively, Brad Guy and Bryan Blasko (if healthy) form one of the top middle infields in the OSSBA. The Bulls have significant “big game” experience, thanks to their deep run in last year’s playoffs, and their appearance in the finals of the last two OSSBA tournaments.
Players to watch for: sophomores P Jon Leyland, P Eric Conlon, P/1B Cam McKnight, LF Michael Mousseau, and ’06 free agent pick-up 3B Kyle Pitman (coming over from Oshawa).
Outlook:
The Bulls finished with a 10-2 record against the Jenkins Division and have swept each of the 4 teams directly below them. They will be very difficult to beat in a 3 game series as they will send Leyland, McKnight, and Conlon to the hill. For the Bulls, the old adage of Pitching and Defense winning ballgames holds true, as these facets are the backbone of the team. The bye week will only serve to strengthen the Bulls’ “arms” giving the pitching staff an additional week’s rest. The Bulls hope to see Bryan Blasko return from injury as they have missed him defensively and have had to shuffle the defense to make up for his absence.
X Factor:
Offensive Production. The Bulls have a very gifted offense but it is also very inconsistent. Burlington has seen the offense go through various peaks and valleys during the course of the season and it is imperative that the offense produces come playoff time. Playoff games tend to be of a much lower scoring variety, so the Bulls will need to show that they can put some runs on the board to support their hardworking pitching staff. Look for increased contributions from the bottom of the order, which has been hitting well in recent weeks.
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Conference Finals - Previews
JENKINS CONFERENCE
Mississauga North Bengals vs. Mississauga Stars
(12-15-1) (19-9)
5th in Jenkins Conference 2nd in Jenkins Conference
Overview:
No one other than those who play for the Bengals would have predicted this Jenkins Conference match-up. The Bengals did the unthinkable. Not only did they sweep the very deep and talented Burlington Bulls – they gave them a taste of their own medicine and shut them out….not once, but twice!! Can the Cinderella team of the West keep it going? Not if the Stars have a say in the matter. After a conference final berth last summer, the Stars are back in the final four again for the second straight year. After sitting in round one having earned a bye, the Stars fell to the Majors in game #1 of their semi-final match-up. The loss woke the club up and they came back to win the final two games of the best of three contest.
Players to watch for:
Bengals – 1B Greg DaCosta, C Garrett Nicol, P/IF Jon Menezes, P Kevin O’Toole, OF Cody Ireland
Stars – Utility Johnny DeWolfe, C/P Brad Kozak, OF Alex Perez, OF Andrew Wood, P Greg Clarence
The Skinny:
These two clubs only met once during the regular season and split their series. It would be unfair to expect the Bengals to shut the Stars out the way they did against the Bulls, but in order to advance to the championship finals – that’s exactly how the club will have to play. The Bengals will have to continue to limit their opposition’s runs for while counting on sound defense and exceptional pitching. Reason being, the Stars are hungry to get back to the championship as they have a chance to become the only three time winner of the OSBA Cup and distance themselves from the other 15 teams who covet the prize year in and year out.
X Factor:
Coaching. With how both teams have played so far during this 2007 play-off run, it’s hard to predict exactly what each team brings to the table. Dominating pitching, one-sided offensive games or back and forth see-saw battles could all make an appearance in this series. Each team’s coaching staff will have to play their parts to ensure when things get close they’ve got plans B, C, and D in their playbooks. Both clubs want the right to represent their conference and hoist the cup – so expect everything (except John Harvey playing) in this series. It’s going to be an all out battle.
WALKER CONFERENCE
Pickering Pirates vs. Brooklin Dodgers
(17-11) (18-7-3)
4th in Walker Conference 2nd in Walker Conference
Overview:
Pickering comes into this series having just knocked off the Richmond Hill Phoenix – who had the best regular season record in the conference. So far the Pirates have lost just one game in the play-offs and hope to be the giant killers again in the conference finals. Oddly enough, the team standing in their way - the defending champions, who were the Cinderella team of 2006. Each and every year Brooklin seems to fall somewhere around mid pack or below in play-off predictions yet four of 6 years they’ve been to the finals. No mistaking it this year though, with being the defending champs, it’s Pickering who is on a Cinderella run, and they are the underdogs of this conference final. During the regular season these two teams met twice, and Brooklin won both double headers. Go back to last year’s semi-finals and Brooklin swept Pickering. However, this is 2007, and for the first time since joining OSBA, Pickering can finally say the road to the league championship has to go through Pickering first.
Players to watch for:
Brooklin – P Wayne Wickens, 2B Dan Blea, 3B/SS Derek Grieve, C Brad Hanna, OF Mike Weir
Pickering – P Dave McElroy, OF/P Sydney Saunders, SS/P Jaymin Parmar, C Phil Lacombe, OF/IF Ryan D’Souza
The Skinny:
Pickering showed a lot of heart after dropping game #1 to Richmond Hill last weekend. In fact, Richmond Hill beat the Pirates while only fielding 8 players. The Pirates are a scrappy club, and much improved over last season. They will need to keep errors to a minimum and have short hooks on pitchers who look to be faltering. If one thing Brooklin has displayed again this play-off is that they really don’t out-hit their opposition, but rely on timely hitting and capitalize on other teams’ errors.
X Factor:
Confidence. Ask both teams who they would have rather faced in the conference finals – Brooklin would have said the Pirates and the Pirates would have said Durham. Their respective records against both of those choices make it very clear to see why. Brooklin is undefeated thus far in their quest to become back-to-back champs, and they know their record against Pickering is superb. The Pirates must forget the past and play the best ball they have played all season. These games should be close, but it will come down to simply who wants them more.
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Durham Chiefs (18-8) - 2nd in Division = 1st round bye
Overview:
After setting a league record for most wins in the regular season last year with 22, Durham appears to have taken a step backwards in 2006. The club lost four more games this summer than last, was unsuccessful in defending their tournament championship title in Barrie last month (despite making it back to the finals), and during the last weekend of regular season blew an opportunity to win back-to-back division pennants. The Chiefs started the year off with 6 straight wins, but was merely a .500 team after the all-star break going 5-5 in their last 10 games. And at times the ball club appeared to be coasting off their first half success down the stretch. Despite all the setbacks, Durham is still one of the most dangerous teams offensively in the league. Second only to first place Richmond Hill in runs for, runs against and total overall points in their division, the Chiefs still put together enough wins to successfully secure a first round bye. The club will wait until the second round to see their first action in the play-offs - where the goal will be to get back to the league championship finals for the second straight year and capture the franchise’s first OSSBA Cup.
Players to watch for: veterans 3B/SS Derek Grieve, OF Graig Andrew, OF/P Mike Robertson, P/2B Mike Ovsonka, and rookie SS/2B Justin Bird
Outlook:
Having lost three pitchers, a regular middle infielder and an outfielder that played part-time with the club last year left the team a little thin on depth. Head coach/GM Chris Killoran was able to find some quality replacements, but the team has yet to bat all their regulars in a single game this season. In fact, Durham had 22 players play for them over the course of the regular season and have some injuries that will carry over into the play-offs. C Dan Wilson is still nursing a sprained knee, and P Todd Van Laere hurt his shoulder in the final weekend of the regular season and will be sidelined for the duration of the ’06 campaign. Durham will once again be forced to over-rely on ace pitcher Mike Ovsonka to carry the team and hope that the veteran core will turn it up a notch defensively behind him.
X Factor:
In one word…rest. Will the break of almost three weeks be what the doctor ordered or hurt the club in a short best of three series.? The bye week could expose some rust on all of the top four clubs (2 per division) and Durham will have to avoid this from happening if they plan on advancing to the Walker division finals for a 4th consecutive year. Only time will tell how the lengthy lay-off will affect the Chiefs.
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Florida team Preliminary Coaching staff announced
GM and Head Coach Rod Holinaty has had a few coaches express interest in joining his coaching staff for the Florida tournament that he is putting a team together for.
While all the coaches have not committed 100%, as they figure out exactly what their own personal schedules will be, Rod has decided on the following should they be able to attend:
Mike Masters - Burlington Bulls
Steve Atkinson - Burlington Bulls
James Crawford - Burlington Bulls
Also Rod is happy to announce that Steve Smith will be the Assistant GM and has already started tohelp Rod start to plan out the trip and get things organized.
Rod looks forward to more announcement in the weeks to come.
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Jenkins and Walker starters named
The head coaches for botht he Jenkins Division and the Walker Division are happy to announce their 12 starters for the OSSBA All-Star Game on Sunday July 23rd at the Rogers Centre.
Jenkins Division (no DH) Walker Division
Cam McKnight (Bulls) - 1B Jamie Tessier (Indians) - 1B
Brian Blasko (Bulls) - 2B Dan Blea (Dodgers) - 2B
Brad Guy (Bulls) - SS Mark Cairns (Dodgers) - SS
Kyle Pitman (Bulls) - 3B Shawn Loughlin (Pirates) - 3B
Chris Lord (Bulls) - C Brad Hanna (Dodgers) - C
Chris Boisseneault (Tigers) - LF Jay Jarvie (Dodgers) - LF
Cody Ireland (Bengals) - CF Mike Desputeaux (Phoenix) - CF
Dan Taormina (Giants) - RF Cam Stewart (Phoenix) - RF
Jon Leyland (Bulls) - P Brian Stefancic (Phoenix) - DH
Phil Messina (Jays) - EH Graig Andrew (Chiefs) - EH
Ryan Newton (Twins) - EH Jeff Crouse (Chiefs) - EH
Gregg Clarence (Stars) - EH Jeff Canning (Dodgers) - EH
Please free to comment on these starting lineups in the OSSBA forum.
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Mississauga North Bengals (3rd) (13-12-1) vs. Mississauga Stars (2nd) (16-10)
Overview:
The resurgence of the Mississauga Stars continues with their best finish in the last 3 years. They rolled through the second half of the season, at one point winning 8 straight games and coming within one point of taking over first place. The Bengals had an up and down freshman season but have always managed to win when they need to. They swept the Stars in their only meeting of the year and that certainly provides them with a little more swagger in this series. They are coming off an emotional, come from behind series win last weekend that included an extra inning comeback victory in which they erased an 11-0 deficit after three innings. The Stars will apparently have the services of Johnny DeWolfe who is travelling back from school in the U.S.A. on the weekends to play in the playoffs. The Stars will need to shake off the rust due to their three week break and will need to get on track quickly against a tough opponent in the Bengals.
Players to watch for:
Stars: Veterans SS/P Johnny DeWolfe, OF Andrew Wood, P Greg Clarence, and rookies OF Alex Perez and P/3B Matt Bellbeck.
Bengals – P/3B Frank Pallotta, 2B/OF Cody Ireland, 1B Greg DaCosta, P Adam Lesniewski, and SS Ryan Rattos.
The Skinny:
As mentioned, the Bengals swept the Stars earlier in the year, so they will have a bit of a mental edge in this series. The Stars have far more OSSBA playoff experience than the expansion Bengals, having won two OSSBA cups. However, the Bengals have been together as a team for several years prior to their debut in OSSBA, and that type of experience is valuable as well, as was evident in the Bulls’ playoff run a year ago. The Stars will need big efforts on the hill from Bellbeck and Clarence while the Bengals will look to their steady leader Frank Pallotta, as well as Kris Kibsey, and Adam Lesniewski.
X Factor:
Offense. The Stars have a vaunted offense and are capable of putting 10 runs on the board on any given day. The Bengals have been quieter offensively this year, but showed last week they can rise to the challenge, having come back from an 11 run deficit in game 2 vs. Bloor. The Stars lack depth on the pitching staff, and the Bengals staff is coming off a very long weekend, so the bats will likely dictate the outcome.
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Mississauga North Tigers 5th (9-17) vs Mississauga Southwest Twins 4th (10-16)
Overview:
This series is a match-up of teams that have shown glimpses of promise but have been largely inconsistent down the stretch run. However, both rosters are extremely talent laden and could surprise come playoff time. In the only meeting between these teams in the regular season, the Twins swept the doubleheader by scores of 10-4 and 5-3. The Twins looked to be in control of their own destiny coming out of the All-Star Break, but their inability to win games on the road until the final weekend of the season saw them spiral down to as low as fifth place in August. They turned it around in the final weekend of the season and managed to earn home field advantage in this series. The Tigers, out of the playoffs for 2 straight years, make their return to the post season having played extremely well for parts of the regular season. However, their inability to sustain that play for extended stretches leaves them as the lower seed in this series. Make no mistake though, this team can hit, and if the pitching shows up like it can, this will be a very interesting series to say the least.
Players to watch for:
Twins – rookies P Stuart Kingston, P Tom Malyk, LF Jeff Bond, CF Phil Kingston, and SS Ken Woodford.
Tigers – OF Chris Boissonault, 1B Patrick Buscar, OF Jason Ireland, P Marc Pannunzio, and P Scott Jacobs.
The Skinny:
Both teams have shown flashes of brilliance this year. The expansion Twins hold the psychological advantage, having swept the Tigers this year, but will need to win a game on the road to get a stranglehold on this series. The Twins’ possession of home field advantage might just be the edge needed to come out of this series victorious. The Tigers will rely heavily on their offense, led by Buscar and Boissonault, which mashed a total of 21 homeruns on the season. Pannunzio can set the tone for them with a game 1 victory on the mound.
X Factor:
Pitching. The Twins have a solid 1-2 combo in Kingston and Malyk. The Tigers can come back with Pannunzio and Jacobs. The team that gets the more consistent effort from their starters will win this series, as both teams do not have significantly deep bullpens.
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Mississauga Southwest Twins (4th) (10-16) vs. Burlington Bulls (1st) (19-6-1)
Overview:
This is an interesting series match-up given that the strength and backbone of both teams lies in their pitching. The Bulls have one of the deepest and most talented staffs in OSSBA while the Twins have 2 up and coming aces in Malyk and Kingston. Also, the Twins are coming off a full weekend of baseball, having played a 3 game set against the Tigers, while the Bulls have had a 3 week layoff, due to their first round bye and the holiday weekend. The Bulls are coming off their first OSSBA championship run while the Twins haven’t tasted the playoffs since 2003, which was their last year playing competitive ball as a unit before coming to OSSBA.
Players to watch for:
Bulls – Sophomores P Jon Leyland, P Eric Conlon, P/1B Cam McKnight, OF Mike Mousseau, and 3B Kyle Pitman
Twins – P Stuart Kingston, P Tom Malyk, LF Jeff Bond, CF Phil Kingston, and SS Ken Woodford.
The Skinny:
The teams met early in the year, in Week 3, with the Bulls sweeping the Twins by scores of 3-2 and 2-0. Both games were decided in the late innings, with the first game going to extra innings. The Twins are coming off an emotional series in which they dropped game 1 in 17 innings and fought back to take the next two games – and the series – at home.
X Factor:
Pitching Depth. The Bulls have a deep staff and have shown the ability to sustain the quality of their pitching over a long stretch of games in one weekend – as was evident in their OSSBA Tournament Victory. The Twins have their 2 clear-cut go to guys on the bump. If the series goes three games, the Twins’ fortunes will hinge on their ability to get good pitching in game 3 of the series.
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Mississauga Stars (16-10) - 2nd in division = 1st round bye
Overview:
The Stars, looking to make a return to their glory days, were a much-improved team this season finishing in the top 2 for the first time since 2003. They started the season off strongly, tied with Burlington after 8 games before going into a freefall which had them barely hanging on to home field advantage in the first round before ripping off an 8 game win streak late in the season to vault them back into second. The offense is the backbone of this team, finishing with the second highest run total (166) in the Jenkins Division. The Stars boasted an impressive rookie class, which included OSSBA All-Star Matt Bellbeck and Outfielder Alex Perez who played his first full season with the Stars. This season has also seen the re-emergence of slugger Andrew Wood. Their revamped offense, along with some consistent, if not spectacular, pitching puts the Stars in a position to re-establish themselves as a dominant club in the OSSBA.
Players to watch for: Veterans SS/P Johnny DeWolfe, OF Andrew Wood, P Greg Clarence, and rookies OF Alex Perez and P/3B Matt Bellbeck.
Outlook:
Unfortunately for the Stars, they will be without the services of cleanup hitter and starting catcher Brad Kozak, as he will be back at school in the States by the time the playoffs start for Mississauga. The vaunted offense is fully capable of offsetting that loss. The first round bye will help the Stars chances after having played a hectic schedule down the stretch due to rainouts and makeup games. When the offense is firing, the Stars are very difficult to beat as they put runs on the board in bunches. The stars possess a solid defense and a clear-cut ace in Bellbeck but will need a dominant second starter to emerge for them to threaten in the Jenkins. They possess only a 6-6 record vs. their Jenkins Division opponents.
X Factor:
The Unlikely Hero. With the Stars having lost Kozak, one of their leaders and the cog in the middle of the offense, someone else in the lineup will need to emerge and help offset that loss. The ability of the Stars’ role players to step up and make an immediate contribution will dictate how deep their playoff run will go. From the leadership perspective, longtime Stars Greg Clarence and Jeff Cornish are the likely candidates.
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OSBA Playoff - 2nd Round Previews
Mississauga North Bengals vs. Burlington Bulls
(12-15-1) (23-5-0)
5th in Jenkins Conference 1st in Jenkins Conference
Overview:
After a dramatic come from behind series win against the Mississauga Southwest Twins last weekend, the Bengals draw the defending Jenkins Conference champions of 2006 – the Burlington Bulls. These two teams met twice during the regular season and the Bulls won three of the four games - basically dominating their division rivals. In the two double headers played, Burlington only gave up two runs – shutting the Bengals out in three games. On the season, the Bulls allowed the fewest runs against (97) in the entire league, and if that stat does not scare the Bengals faithful, perhaps the difference in runs for should – where the Bulls almost scored 100 runs more (233 to 144).
Players to watch for:
Bengals – 1B Greg DaCosta, C Garrett Nicol, P/IF Jon Menezes, P Kevin O’Toole, OF Cody Ireland
Bulls – SS/P Andrew Swagers, 2B/P Jamie Kozak, 3B Brad Guy, P Jon Leyland, P/Utility Cam McKnight
The Skinny:
The Bengals appear to be out of their league in this match-up, and while knowing they are the true Underdog, probably don’t mind being in this situation. There is less pressure on the Bengals to come out of this series than that for the Bulls – who lost out in the OSBA Finals last summer after being swept by Brooklin. The Bulls look to become only the second team to capture more than one league championship and will no doubt come out looking to make short order of the Bengals.
X Factor:
Injuries. Reports around the league suggest the Bulls suffered a couple of injuries to their pitching staff – one minor, one major. At press time, however, it appears both will be able to suit up for action. Time will tell if their returns are premature, but if everything is A-ok, the Bengals are in even deeper. In any event, the Bulls have deep pitching depth and should give the Bengals all they can handle. The extra week off should have helped anyone else banged up in their inner-squad game last week. As for the Bengals, no injuries were reported so look for their club to be healthy at game time and play scrappy baseball the entire series.
Mississauga Majors vs. Mississauga Stars
(15-11-2) (19-9-0)
3rd in Jenkins Conference 2nd in Jenkins Conference
Overview:
The expansion Majors won their first-ever OSBA play-off series, sweeping the Forest Glen Giants 2-0. The Stars, who played the majority of their make-up games in the last week of the season, used their first round bye (as a division winner) to rest their pitching staff. These two teams only played each other once during the regular season and split the double header. Both teams had respectable numbers in Runs For and Run Against. The Stars hold the edge in Runs For while the Majors had the better Runs Against numbers.
Players to watch for:
Majors – P Paul Roth, P/IF Josh Pileggi, IF Danny Taormina, IF Chris Maloney, P/IF Joey Pileggi
Stars – Utility Johnny DeWolfe, C/P Brad Kozak, OF Alex Perez, OF Andrew Wood, P Greg Clarence
The Skinny:
Both of these ball clubs have very good pitching rotations and balanced line-ups. The Stars hit more homeruns during the regular season and hold a slight edge in that department. Statistically speaking, it also looks like the Stars employ more of a running game too – having swiped over 40 bases as a team this year. The Majors are the younger of the two clubs and may run on pure emotion. They will have to limit big innings and execute to almost perfection if they hope to advance to the conference finals.
X Factor:
Play-off experience. After winning the league championship in back to back years in 2001-02, the Stars took a step backwards before having a break-out season last summer. They know all too well that a championship is hard to come by in this league. The Majors experienced a great amount of success in Junior, but only time will tell if this is their year to make their mark in OSBA.
Pickering Pirates vs. Richmond Hill Phoenix
(17-11) (19-5-4)
4th in Walker Conference 1st in Walker Conference
Overview:
In what could be the David vs. Goliath series in the East Conference, these two teams met only once during the regular season and split the double header. Richmond Hill, after a slow start was one of the hottest teams in the second half – which included a tournament championship, winning their division, and the best overall record in their conference. Pickering on the other hand seemingly man-handled a much improved Oshawa Talons club last round – after just coming off their best regular season performance since joining the league back in 2004. Both teams have solid pitching and some legitimate base stealing threats that should make this series very interesting.
Players to watch for:
Pickering - P Dave McElroy, OF/P Sydney Saunders, SS/P Jaymin Parmar, C Phil Lacombe, OF/IF Ryan D’Souza
Richmond Hill – OF Cam Stewart, C Brian Stefancic, P/3B Craig Bessant, P Ray Gay, OF Mike Desputeaux
The Skinny:
Both teams stack up relatively similar in runs for and against. Neither club dominated in either department which would suggest these games could very well come down to capitalization on errors. Both have solid 1-2 punches in their pitching staff, but on paper, Richmond Hill would appear to have more depth. Both teams are quick up the middle and sound defensively in the outfield.
X Factor:
Experience. Pickering until this summer, had never reached the second round of the OSBA play-offs. Richmond Hill on the other hand has one OSBA championship to their credit and appears to be in the hunt each and every season. Pickering will have to be aware of the Richmond Hill running game – lead by Mike Desputeaux and his league leading 30 SB’s. The Pirates are a scrappy club, but will it be enough to have the Walker Conference championship have to go through Pickering first before a champion is crowned?
Brooklin Dodgers vs. Durham Chiefs
(16-9-3) (18-7-3)
3rd in Walker Conference 2nd in Walker Conference
Overview:
Here we go again. Another Brooklin/Durham showdown. And just like last year – a re-match in the conference semi-finals. Idle Durham enjoyed an extra week’s rest after receiving a first round bye for winning their division. The defending champions opened up with the expansion Whitby Chiefs – winning convincingly in a 2-0 sweep. During the regular season Brooklin and Durham met twice and each time split the double header series. Both clubs would tell you that regular season means nothing though – as both clubs lay it all on the line when they play one another in the post season. This series will mark the 5th straight year these two teams have met in the post season - with Brooklin holding a large 4-1 (series wins) advantage.
Players to watch for:
Brooklin – P Wayne Wickens, 2B Dan Blea, 3B/SS Derek Grieve, C Brad Hanna, OF Mike Weir
Durham – SS Justin Bird, 2B/P Mike Ovsonka, 1B Paul Graham, OF Colin Cockburn, Utility Jeff King
The Skinny:
Durham goes as far as Mike Ovsonka can carry them on the mound. Flat out he is their ace – with a 7-0 regular season record. Last summer he shut down Brooklin in a pitcher’s duel with Jeff Canning and Sam Grabowski. From there, Durham will need to rely on others such as: Paul Ovsonka, Mike Robertson, and Darryl Jennings to help keep their club in tight with the champs if two-sided slug-fests develop. And while Durham arguably has one of its’ deepest pitching staffs ever, Brooklin appears to have the edge when it comes to starting pitching. The addition of Wickens paid off in spades, Jeff Canning and Mitch Dunn form a nice 3-man rotation, and with rubber-arm Sam Grabowski available on a minutes notice – this should make for great baseball.
X Factor:
Bench. Flat-out Durham demonstrated on several occasions they can hit and score tons of runs. But when the bats go cold, who will be able to play the small ball game the best? Both teams qualified a large roster, and with this series expected to go down to the wire, it may just take that little added spark from a non-starter to get the job done.
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OSBA Year-End Awards finalists announced
This past Sunday at the OSBA Coaches meeting, a vote was taken for each of the Year-End awards that will be handed out at the OSBA Banquet on November 16th.
Along with the 1st and 2nd team All-Stars, the following awards will be handed out in each conference.
MVP, Rookie of the Year, Gold Glove (Infield), Gold Glove (Outfield), Silver Slugger, Coach of the Year, Assistant Coach of the Year, Biggest OSBA Supporter, Most Sportsmanlike.
Below are the 3 finalists for each of these awards, in each Conference.
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Oshawa Talons (4th) (14-9-3) vs. Richmond Hill Phoenix (1st) (19-6-1)
Overview:
This coming weekend will mark the first time these two teams have played one another in league play-offs. Oshawa advanced to the second round for the first time in four years after putting away the Barrie Red Sox two games to one, last weekend. For their efforts, the Talons square-off with the top team in their division, in the Richmond Hill Phoenix. One may think that Oshawa is at a huge disadvantage, but when the stats are broken down, the Talons actually have had their fair share of success against Richmond Hill. The Phoenix, who clinched their first-ever Walker division pennant, have been off for almost three weeks – having secured a bye in the first round of the play-offs. With the lengthy lay-off added to a Talons ball club on somewhat of a roll since late July, this series has all the makings of being a true grudge match.
Players to watch for:
Oshawa – veterans 1B Dan Ruston, P/OF Ryan Reid, P Terry Stephenson, 3B Chad Reid and rookie utility player Scott Pollard
Richmond Hill - veterans OF/P Cam Stewart, 2B/SS Ellison Bautista-Chan, OF Cal Bessant, P/utility Andrew Samonas, P Brandon Veenstra
Who’s Hot:
For the Talons, 3B/P Chad Reid was selected as the team’s stand-out player in the first round by head coach, Anthony Cole. At the plate, Reid went 5 for 8 with 2 BB, 1 HBP, 3 R, and 2 RBI. He also contributed on the mound throwing two innings - surrendering 1 hit while walking two and striking out three batters.
The Skinny:
Over the past three regular seasons Oshawa and Richmond Hill have played 6 times. And it is the Talons who have the best record - having won three, lost once and tied twice. During the regular season this year, Oshawa took three of four points (win and tie) from the mighty Phoenix. Oshawa will need to rely heavily on tight defense behind pitchers Ryan Reid, Mike Arsenault and Terry Stephenson. At times against Barrie, the Talons defense looked shaky. Against a very powerful Phoenix club, the Talons will have to bring their A+ game each and every inning, if they hope to advance to the Walker division final. As for the Phoenix, they will have to put some runs up on the board quickly to act as an insurance policy for any miscues that may arise from being out of action these past few weeks. They will also need to test the arm of Oshawa's veteran catcher Earl Chamberlain once on base. No lead should be considered safe against the Talons and if there is one thing the Phoenix can do, it is run up the score. From top to bottom, Richmond Hill’s batting order is stacked. They have a great blend of speed, patience and power and when everything is clicking, they are simply hard to beat. Defensively, the Phoenix ball club has an all-star at almost every position. If they play to their ability they should be poised to make another run for their second league championship. But for now, they have a tough task at hand dealing with the Talons and should not look beyond this series.
X Factor:
Temperament: As the play-offs progress it is only natural to expect the players to become more and more intense. And whenever you pit two teams in a best of series, bad blood is sure to carry over into subsequent games. Whichever team can control their temper the most and keep their emotions in check should eventually gain the upper-hand and more importantly, the series.
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OSSBA announces 2006 Walker Division All-Stars
The Ontario Senior Select Baseball Association is happy to announce the complete list of players who have been chosen to represent the Walker Division in the 3rd Annual OSSBA All-Star Game:
Players are listed in alphabetic order:
Graig Andrew OF Durham ChiefsEllison Bautista-Chan 2B/SS Richmond Hill PhoenixAdam Bickford C/IF/OF Durham ChiefsDan Blea 2B Brooklin DodgersMark Cairns SS/C Brooklin DodgersEarl Chamberlain C Oshawa TalonsBob Charters 2B Barrie Red SoxColin Cockburn OF/3B Durham ChiefsScott Constance P Scarborough IndiansJeff Crouse C/3B/1B Durham ChiefsMike Desputeaux OF Richmond Hill Phoenix
Sheldon Gowen P Barrie Red SoxDerek Grieve SS/3B Durham Chiefs
Brad Hanna C/3B/P Brooklin DodgersJay Jarvie OF/3B Brooklin DodgersShawn Loughlin 3B Pickering PiratesMike Ovsonka P/2B Durham ChiefsJaymin Parmar SS/P Pickering PiratesChad Reid 3B Oshawa TalonsRyan Reid P/OF Oshawa Talons
Mike Robertson OF/P Durham Chiefs ** Unable to attend **
Brian Stefancic C/DH Richmond Hill Phoenix
Cam Stewart OF Richmond Hill Phoenix
Jamie Tessier 1B Scarborough Indians
Kyle Tomlin 1B/DH Scarborough Indians ** Unable to attend **
Todd Van Laere P Durham Chiefs
Brandon Veenstra P Richmond Hill Phoenix
The Walker Division coaching staff is:
Head Coach - Chris Killoran Durham Chiefs
Bench Coach - Brian Booth Richmond Hill Phoenix
1B Coach - Rod Holinaty Brooklin Dodgers
3B Coach - Steve Smith Durham Chiefs
Bullpen Coach - Phil Lacombe Pickering Pirates
Scorekeeper - Anthony Cole Oshawa Talons
Congratulations to all the players named to the team.
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OSSBA looking for fan and player feedback
The OSSBA Executive is looking for feedback from it's players and fans on a possible three proposals, that will be presented at the next meeting on November 27th, 2005. The proposals have yet to be submitted to OSSBA President Steve Smith, however we have listed the three topics in the forum and are looking for feedback. Please take a minute and see if you have any thoughts you would like to share with OSSBA on these issues.
Thank-you,
OSSBA Executive
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OSSBA Set to Expand in 2006
Fresh off the conclusion of the league's 5th anniversary, The Ontario Senior Select Baseball Association's executive committee got back to work this past weekend in Richmond Hill. One of the items on the agenda was expansion for the '06 season. After reviewing the proposals received to date, the league is pleased to announce that the Scarborough Indians and Mississauga Southwest Twins have both been accepted. The league would like to take this opportunity to officially welcome both clubs to the OSSBA.
The Scarborough Indians will join the Walker Division as part of the league's Eastern conference. Considered a veteran-laden team, the Indians leave the Scarborough Adult Baseball League (SABL) after 8 seasons where they have had a considerable amount of success, including having won the league championship twice the past four seasons. Scarborough decided to part ways with their former association looking for new competition and an overall change of scenery. The club looks forward to starting new rivalries in OSSBA, which will include the clubs they have faced over the years in the annual Civic Holiday Tournament in Peterborough, ON.
The Mississauga Southwest Twins, a much younger club than their expansion cousins, will join the Jenkins Division. The Twins comprised mostly of players 23-25 years old have also been playing as a core for several years, working their way up the minor ranks of the Mississauga Baseball Association (MBA). Not having been part of an association for the past couple of years, the Twins will be looking to make their mark quickly, trying to establish themselves as a legitimate threat in the West. The addition of the Twins will undoubtedly add another strong team to the division that has won every single league championship and all-star game contest in league history.
Congratulations to both franchises. Welcome aboard and best of luck!!
Sincerely,
OSSBA Executive
Should other clubs be interested in learning more about the league and/or applying for the 2006 season, expansion applications can be forwarded to league President Steve Smith until Dec 31st. Please contact Steve at stephen.smith@rogers.com should you wish to discuss this opportunity in greater detail.
Thank-you for your interest in the OSSBA
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Pickering Pirates 6th (11-15) vs. Brooklin Dodgers 3rd (15-9-2)
Overview:
For the first time in the league’s 6-year history, the Pickering Pirates and Brooklin Dodgers will face one another in league play-offs. In a year that saw the league go to a balanced schedule - where each team faced their opposition only twice (via a double header), divisional play didn’t really factor into the regular season standings like in years past. Brooklin won both games but they faced one another in early June - basically only a few weeks into the season. So any mental edge Brooklin may have held over Pickering would be non-existent at this point. Since the time the clubs faced one another both have gone in different directions. Brooklin finished near the top of the Walker Division (East) standings, but the Pirates finished much lower than many would have expected. Nevertheless, the play-offs mean a fresh start for both clubs and this series has all the makings of a great opening round contest.
Players to watch for:
Brooklin – veterans 1B/P Jeff Canning, OF Jason Jarvie and C/P/Utility Brad Hanna, sophomore 2B/SS Dan Blea and P/OF Sam Grabowski
Pickering – veterans OF Romeo Persaud, C Phil Lacombe, 3B/SS Sean Loughlin, P Mike Minarik and sophomore SS/P Jaymin Parmar
The Skinny:
Both teams added several new players between them this past off-season, but Brooklin has been hit hard with injuries and some bad luck. The club may be without the services for OF Sean Blea and P/1B Mitch Dunn to start the series - both are nursing upper body injuries. In addition, Brooklin will be without their all-star shortstop/assistant coach Mark Cairns - who left for school in South Carolina. Cairns, arguably the best shortstop in the league has been a major offensive weapon for the Dodgers the past three years. Pickering has played better than their record would suggest. However, the biggest knock against the club is that they don’t play a full 7 innings in both games of a double header. The club has the talent to compete in this series but must find a way to do so each and every game of this series if they hope to advance to the second round.
X-Factor:
Aside from both teams looking to get solid pitching, timely hitting and minimizing errors, this series may very well come down to who can out-coach their opposition. OSSBA founder, Rod Holinaty has been at the helm of the Brooklin franchise since league inception. Phil Lacombe on the other hand took over the head coaching duties just this past off-season. Lacombe will have to be at the top of his game - juggling his new role while leading his team on the field as the club’s number one catcher.
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Presidents message
I would like to take this time to congratulate all 16 teams on an excellent regular season. We saw some great rivalries renewed, some new ones formed, and some tight races - right up to the final week.
Best of luck to all those who qualified, and to the Brooklin Dodgers on defending their championship reign.
Steve Smith
President, OSBA
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Richmond Hill Phoenix (19-6-1) - 1st in Division = 1st Round bye
Overview:
Richmond Hill enjoyed another fine season. Prior to the start of the ’06 campaign the club was shifted back to the Walker division after spending the previous two years in the Jenkins (West) division. The move did not affect the Phoenix negatively at all. In fact, the ball club went on to post their best regular season record since joining OSSBA in inception back in 2001. The Phoenix also led their division in runs for (218) while allowing the fewest (102) in 26 games played. And as if that was not enough, Richmond Hill was atop of the division standings from start to finish – capturing their first Walker division pennant and tied for first overall with Burlington for the league’s best winning percentage (points system).
Players to watch for: veterans OF/P Cam Stewart, 2B/SS Ellison Bautista-Chan, OF Cal Bessant, P/Utility Andrew Samonas, P Brandon Veenstra
Outlook:
Richmond Hill has been a top team in the league for years. Always a threat, the club won the OSSBA championship in 2004, and has a great nucleus of players. Their outfield is arguably the best in the entire league. They all possess great arms, above average speed and are key cogs in the team’s offense. Their infield is also solid which only helps compliment their deep pitching staff – lead by Brandon Veenstra who emerged as the team ace this summer. This ball club is very solid and appears to be firing on all cylinders. With no significant injuries to report, the Phoenix must be considered heavy favourites to come out of the Walker division heading into post-season play.
X Factor:
Pitching depth. The Phoenix ball club has several players on their roster that can step up and throw when called upon. Regulars such as Veenstra, Samonas and Steve Zimmermann logged the most innings during the regular season, but Craig Bessant, Jason Booth, and Cam Stewart give their club 6 solid arms. At this time of the year it’s not about getting guys innings. It’s about throwing who’s hot, and that’s a nice “problem” to have for head coach Brian Booth.
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Schedule change in Brooklin vs Durham playoff series
Due to inclement weather on Friday night, Game #1 was postponed. The series will now take place entirely on Sunday September 16th. What was formerly to be Games #2 and #3 will now be Games #1 and #2 and will be played as scheduled at Clarington Fields at 1:00pm and 3:30pm respectively. If a 3rd game is necessary, it will be played at Kinsmen Stadium at 7:30pm.
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Schedules for the 2nd Round of OSBA Playoffs
Jenkins Conference:
Mississauga North Bengals (4) vs Burlington Bulls (1)
Game #1 - Saturday September 15th - 3:30pm at Q-Park
Game #2 - Sunday September 16th – 1:00pm at Millcroft “C”
Game #3 - Sunday September 16th – 3:30pm at Millcroft “C” (if necessary)
Mississauga Majors (3) vs Mississauga Stars (2)
Game #1 - Saturday September 15th - 1:30 p.m. at Mississauga Valleys
Game #2 - Sunday September 16th - 1:00 p.m. at 9th Line South
Game #3 - Sunday September 16th - 3:30 p.m. at 9th Line South (if necessary)
Walker Conference:
Pickering Pirates (4) vs Richmond Hill Phoenix (1)
Game #1 - Saturday September 15th - 1:00pm at Kirkey Field
Game #2 - Sunday September 16th - 6:00pm at Richmond Green #7
Game #3 - Sunday September 16th - 8:30pm at Richmond Green #7 (if necessary)
Brooklin Dodgers (3) vs Durham Chiefs (2)
Game #1 - Sunday September 16th - 1:00pm at Clarington Fields
Game #2 - Sunday September 16th - 3:30pm at Clarington Fields
Game #3 - Sunday September 16th - 7:30pm at Kinsmen Stadium (if necessary)
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Walker Division adds two players to All-Star Roster
The Walker Division has added two players to their roster after two players pulled out .
The two additional players are:
Call Bessant of the Richmond Hill Phoenix and Jeff Canning of the Brooklin Dodgers.
They are replacing Earl Chamberlain of the Oshawa Talons and Derek Grieve of the Durham Chiefs
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Week 2 results
May 14th
Richmond Hill Phoenix vs Pickering Pirates
Game #1
Richmond Hill - 13
Pickering - 9
Losing Pitcher - Mike Minarik (1-1)
Winning Pitcher - Steve Zimmerman (1-0)
Game #2
Richmond Hill - 11
Pickering - 7
Losing Pitcher - Wayne Wickens (0-1)
Winning Pitcher - Andrew Samonas (2-0)
Forest Glen Giants vs Mississauga North Bengals
Game #1
Forest Glen - 1
Mississauga North - 7
Losing Pitcher - Pete Nicolaichuk (0-1)
Winning Pitcher - Kevin O'Toole (1-0)
Game #2
Forest Glen - 2
Mississauga North - 4
Losing Pitcher - Mark Iamonaco (0-2)
Winning Pitcher - Kris Kibsey (1-0)
Scarborough Indians vs Oshawa Talons
Game #1
Scarborough - 4
Oshawa - 7
Losing Pitcher - Rob Totton (0-1)
Winning Pitcher - Ryan Reid (1-1)
Game #2
Scarborough - 1
Oshawa - 3
Losing Pitcher - Scott Constance (0-2)
Winning Pitcher - Terry Stephenson - (1-1)
Mississauga Stars vs Barrie Red Sox
Game #1
Mississauga - 5
Barrie - 6
Losing Pitcher - Allen Penney (0-1)
Winning Pitcher - Sheldon Gowan (2-0)
Game #2
Mississauga - 7
Barrie - 5
Losing Pitcher - Sheldon Gowan (2-1)
Winning Pitcher - Martin (1-0)
Mississauga North Tigers vs Mississauga Southwest Twins
Game #1
Mississauga North - 3
Mississauga Southwest - 5
Losing Pitcher - Marc Pannunzio (0-2)
Winning Pitcher - Stu Kingston (1-0)
Game #2
Mississauga North - 4
Mississauga Southwest - 10
Losing Pitcher - Ryan O'Neil (0-2)
Winning Pitcher - Graeme Ogilvie (1-0)
May 13th
Brooklin Dodgers vs Burlington Bulls
Game #1 - 8 innings
Brooklin - 2
Burlington - 3
Losing Pitcher - Jeff Canning (0-1)
Winning Pitcher - Jon Leyland (2-0)
Game #2
Brooklin - 5
Burlington - 0
Losing Pitcher - Dave Willits (0-1)
Winning Pitcher - Sam Grabowski (1-1)
Durham Chiefs vs Bloor Jays
Game #1
Durham - 13
Bloor - 2
Losing Pitcher - John Bassett (0-1)
Winning Pitcher - Todd Van Laere (1-0)
Game #2
Durham - 5
Bloor - 3
Losing Pitcher - Jeff Lyons (1-1)
Winning Pitcher - Mike Robertson (1-0)
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Rogers That
April 14, 2005 --
In an effort to add even more excitement to what is already shaping up to be a fantastic year, the OSSBA is pleased to announce that Rogers Cable 10 has agreed to cover our league this season. After receiving the suggestion to contact Rogers from Rod Holinaty at the last coaches' meeting, Steve Smith promptly made the inquiry and the idea was welcomed instantly. In conjunction with "game(s) of the week" to be highlighted on the league website this season, the OSSBA and Rogers will work together to decide on some key games. This will be done in an effort to provide quality match-ups and maximize the exposure of our league. The number of games Rogers will cover, has yet to be determined. Times and dates will be announced in the weeks to come.
Rogers Cable 10 has also been extended an invitation to the OSSBA All-Star game on Sunday, July 17th @ the Rogers Centre. Permission from the Toronto Blue Jays has already been granted, should Rogers Cable be willing to cover the event.
The OSSBA would like to thank Rogers Cable 10 for their interest in our league. We look forward to working with your company and will do our best to entertain your viewers by providing exciting baseball action all summer long. Please continue to visit our website for all the latest news leading up to opening weekend May 7th & 8th.
Thank-you,
OSSBA
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OSSBA Schedule now posted
April 20, 2005 --
The 2005 OSSBA Schedule has been posted.
Currently the Oshawa Talons, Whitby Chiefs and Durham Chiefs are waiting confirmation on their diamond times and locations. They expect to have these submitted to OSSBA by Monday April 25th.
There are also a few game times that have not been finalized yet in the Jenkins division. We hope to have these finalized as soon as possible.
Please feel free to check out the schedule to see when your favorite team plays.
Thank-you
OSSBA
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Reminder for OSSBA Coaches
April 25, 2005 --
With less than two weeks before the start of our season, I wanted to just go over a few issues.
1) Insurance - proof of insurance is needed before each team plays their first game. For those going through their own associations, Richmond Hill or Oshawa - please provide a copy of the cheque and/or an official receipt that indicates the number of players and coaches covered. If unsure of how many players you think you'll carry, perhaps paying for 20 roster spots and one or two coaches might be best.
As outlined in the meeting, failure to produce this documentation by May 7 or 8, will result in minus 2 (points) per game played. This penalty will be in effect until either Brian Booth or myself have received the documents.
2) Opening Day Rosters - I would ask that each coach e-mail me a list of their players & coaches, including first and last names plus jersey numbers prior to the start of the season. This does not have to be your final roster, this is going to be forwarded to Rod to make sure everyone starting May 7/8 is entered into the OSSBA website.
This is meant to help minimize errors when posting scores, updating stats and listing player of the week honours on the OSSBA website. Since player cards are not due at the start of the season, these lists will be kept on file until June 30th.
3) Player Cards - each team was provided with a Player Card and there are two dates to remember. June 30th is the first deadline for handing these cards in. I would ask that these get to my attention and I will work with Rod to make any necessary changes.
July 15 is the last day for adding players. Any new additions also require a completed player card.
Each individual player should have their own player card and all information should be provided, if available (ie e-mail address).
4) All-Star game: For the benefit of those not in attendance at our last meeting, we will be playing our 2005 All-Star game at the Rogers Centre July 17. On the schedule it shows start time is 6:30. I would ask that all participants be there by 6:15.
Also, please ask your players if they have any questions about the game. The OSSBA forum is a good place to ask questions so that others can also view them. I'd like to take one list to the Jays and have all the questions answered at the same time. One question has already been presented by Romeo of Pickering.
5) Team Websites: Please have your team administrators work on adding new information to your site as frequently as possible. Over the next couple of weeks, I will be working with the newspapers to get them information they require to start covering your individual teams and the league. I will be sending an e-mail to each contact and copying the team(s) to introduce them to their rep(s).
6) OSSBA Website - for the past few months our site has been a great source of information about the OSSBA and what is in the works for '05.
Thank you to those teams who have responded to the questionnaire. Rod has been turning your answers into a paragraph format. The newspapers will be encouraged to visit this site for news, scores and stats. Please work with Rod and I to ensure the OSSBA site continues to be a worthwhile venture - including receiving all questionnaires.
7) Scores and Scoresheets. Please e-mail Rod with a cc to me, the scores each Saturday or Sunday. All scoresheets (both teams) should be faxed or scanned/e-mail to Rod by Monday at noon. Rod will have the fax number posted in the CONTACTS section of the OSSBA site. In addition, the OSSBA site will have a NEW scores section this year. When possible, please post or appoint a player to enter the scores for your games. This will allow other coaches and players to keep track of the weekend's events.
The reason I am asking that we get the scores by Sunday, is to once again allow the newspapers to take the information from our site and use it for their respective publications and allow Rod time to update the stats without holding up posting scores from around the league. For games played on Saturday, the same thing can be done should you wish to get them in right away so you don't forget.
8) OSSBA 2005 Fee - The cost will remain $300.00 for this year. At the last meeting it was decided that Richmond Hill would be exempt. This would rectify the awards issue from last year. Also Bloor and Burlington have paid in full.
The Stars, Tigers and Barrie will all have slightly lower fees, as they are owed money from 2004. All remaining clubs are expected to pay the full amount.
This money is to be received by Sunday, May 15th. I do not want to have to set up some sort of penalty, so I would ask that each team stick to this deadline. Failure to do so will force me to re-evaluate the situation.
Payment can be given to Chris Killoran in the East and Brian Booth in the West. I will collect the money from Chris and deposit in the OSSBA account. Brian will handle all of the West collections and deposits.
Please make the cheque out to the OSSBA. For those teams who will be paying a reduced fee, please contact me to verify the amounts.
9) Tournaments - Rod will be working on posting all tournaments on our OSSBA site.
10) Sponsorship - I would like to ask each head coach to work on trying to secure a minimum of 3 gift certificates - to be used anywhere in Ontario (ie East Side Mario's) so that we can pool our resources and give something to each member of the winning All-Star team (including the coaches).
Also, if anyone has some pull on getting larger sponsorships for the OSSBA tournament or the league in general, please let me know.
Over the past couple of weeks I have filled out on-line forms or written to (via e-mail): National Sports, Nike, Gatorade, Subway, Pizza Pizza, Quiznos and Pepsi.
Please ask your players if they have any contacts. Molson helped sponsor the OSSBA tournament this year. If we have them back this year, that would be great. If not, we should all try and help make the OSSBA event as good as possible. This is "our" tournament and we want to build a reputation as a must tournament!!!
Any questions please e-mail/call me directly.
Good luck everyone. See you on the field.
Steve Smith
OSSBA President
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Three new league websites
April 27, 2005 --
As of today all OSSBA teams now have websites. The final three teams to get their websites up and running are:
Barrie Red Sox www.leaguelineup.com/barrieredsox
Bloor Jays www.leaguelineup.com/bloorjays
Mississauga North Tigers www.leaguelineup.com/mississauganorthtigers
Please visit these new sites.
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OSSBA profiled in Oshawa/Whitby This Week
May 4, 2005 --
In the Wednesday May 4th edition of the Oshawa/Whitby This Week, OSSBA and the four Durham Region teams were profiled, in anticipation for the upcoming 2005 season.
To read the complete article, please feel free to cut and paste the link below:
http://www.durhamregion.com/dr/sports/story/2755462p-3189783c.html
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OSSBA unveils 5th Anniversary Logo
May 5, 2005 --
In conjunction with the league’s 5th anniversary, the OSSBA is pleased to unveil this commemorative logo. Wanting to keep the original in tact, the slight modifications maintain the original, while helping illustrate the achievement of the league. A special thanks goes to Luke Anderson of Xplicit Creations, for developing this 5th anniversary design.
Sincerely,
The OSSBA Executive
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Presidents message
May 6, 2005 --
As the 2005 season officially opens tomorrow, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all teams the best of luck. I have reason to believe this will be OSSBA's best season yet. Each year, the calibre of play continues to improve, and as a result, creates more opportunities to pursue. This year, our 5th Anniversary, is no exception.
With 7 local newspapers and TV coverage already confirmed in Barrie and the Durham Region, the OSSBA will receive some welcomed publicity this summer. Add to this our All-Star game at the Rogers Centre on July 17th and our OSSBA tournament held in Barrie August 19-21, and it becomes quite clear there is a lot to play for this season.
All of this and still no mention of what really matters - the OSSBA Championship. This is what we all play for. Will this finally be the year the Walker Division takes home top honours? Only time will tell.
Good luck everyone and see you on the field.
Sincerely,
Steve Smith
OSSBA President
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Bulls/OSSBA Make Headlines in Burlington
May 13, 2005 --
In the Friday edition of the Burlington Post, the Burlington Bulls received their first write-up as part of the OSSBA. Special thanks to former Whitby Chief, Jon Kuiperij, for working with Bulls' Manager, Mike Masters - to conduct the over-the-phone interview which helped introduce the league's newest club.
To read the article please copy and paste the web address below:
http://www.haltonsearch.com/hr/bp/sports/story/2780209p-3218360c.html
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OSSBA President proud new father
May 18, 2005 --
The Ontario Senior Select Baseball Association would like to congratulate Janet Smith and her husband OSSBA President Steve Smith on the birth of their first child!.
On Monday May 16th at 11:19 am after a long 9+ months of waiting, Janet gave birth to a baby boy, Ryan Matthew Smith, Ryan weighed in at a 9 lbs 6 oz and was 22 inches long.
Congratulations Janet and Steve, we're sure it won't be long till Steve has a bat and glove in Ryan's hands!
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Double Header Day at Dome
June 3, 2005 --
On Sunday, July 17th the OSSBA will be playing their 2005 All-Star game at the Rogers Centre.
With no regular season games scheduled for that date, the OSSBA and Blue Jays have once again paired up to offer discounted tickets for all those interested.
Come out and watch the Jays take on Tampa @ 1 pm. The OSSBA has reserved 200 seats in sections 130 C & D and at 16.00 per ticket, this truly is a great value.
We would also like to encourage everyone to stick around and join us for the OSSBA All-Star Game - free of charge. First pitch is at @ 6:45 pm. That's two great games for one low price!!
For more information please contact Steve Smith at stephen.smith@rogers .com or 416-596-9792.
Thank you.
OSSBA
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National Sports and OSSBA team up for 2005
June 4, 2005 --
The OSSBA is proud to announce that National Sports has welcomed the opportunity to sponsor the league for the 2005 season.
Each week, two players (one from each division) will be named the National Sports Players of the Week. For their achievements, each will be the recipient of a $25.00 gift card that can be used at any of the National Sports locations.
After each double header, the head coach from each team will nominate one their players for the chance to be the player of the week in their respective division. Winners will be announced each Wednesday on the OSSBA website.
In addition to the Players of the Week honours, National Sports has also graciously donated two MVP gift cards. One $25.00 gift card will be awarded to the All-Star MVP when the OSSBA takes to the field at the Rogers Centre, Sunday, July 17th. The other $25.00 gift card will be awarded to the OSSBA tournament MVP, held in Barrie on the August 19-21 weekend.
And not stopping there, National Sports has also supplied 200 player cards that will entitle each OSSBA member 15% off all purchases made in their retail establishments.
The OSSBA would like to thank National Sports for their generous donation, overall interest in the OSSBA, and for the opportunity to develop this business partnership.
Respectfully,
Steve Smith
President, OSSBA
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League Leaders - Offensive Categories
June 15, 2005 --
Jenkins Division:
Avg.
Adam Hand (Bloor) .529
Danny Monck (Bloor) .471
Eric Conlon (Burlington) .429
Elgene Bautista-Chan (Richmond Hill) .429
Brian Stefancic (Richmond Hill) .421
RBI
Brian Blasko (Burlington) 11
Andrew Wood (Mississauga) 9
Steve Zimmerman (Richmond Hill) 7
Brian Stefancic (Richmond Hill) 5
Dave Willits (Burlington) 5
Hits
Adam Hand (Bloor) 9
Eric Conlon (Burlington) 9
Mike Mousseau (Burlington) 9
Dave Willits (Burlington) 9
Brian Blasko (Burlington) 9
Walker Division
Avg.
Graig Andrews (Durham) .565
Colin Cockburn (Durham) .560
Adam Bickford (Durham) .524
Paul Ovsonka (Durham) .500
J.P. Vittorio (Durham) .480
RBI
Colin Cockburn (Durham) 13
Graig Andrews (Durham) 12
Paul Ovsonka (Durham) 12
Mike Robertson (Durham) 10
J.P. Vittorio (Durham) 8
Hits
Colin Cockburn (Durham) 14
Graig Andrews (Durham) 13
J.P. Vittorio (Durham) 12
Adam Bickford (Durham) 11
Derek Grieve (Durham) 10
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OSSBA is proud too announce 2005 All-Stars
July 8, 2005 --
The Ontario Senior Select Baseball Association is proud to announce it's All-Star teams for the 2005 All-Star game being played on Sunday July 17th at the Rogers Centre.
The winning team will garner Home field advantage for it's division in the OSSBA championship Series.
Jenkins division:
Team Selections:
Brad Kozak - Mississauga Stars
Johnny DeWolfe - Mississauga Stars
Allen Penny - Mississauga Stars
Colin Wood - Mississauga Stars
Chris Hayes - Burlington Bulls
Dave Willits - Burlington Bulls
Brad Guy - Burlington Bulls
Jonny Leyland - Burlington Bulls
Danny Monck - Bloor Jays
Adam Hand - Bloor Jays
Poalo Discipio - Bloor Jays
Brian Hickman - Bloor Jays
Marc Pannunzio - Mississauga North Tigers
Tim Phair - Mississauga North Tigers
Mike Reynolds - Mississauga North Tigers
Mike Curran - Mississauga North Tigers
Andrew Samonas - Richmond Hill Phoenix
Mike Desputeaux - Richmond Hill Phoenix
Cal Bessant - Richmond Hill Phoenix
Steve Zimmerman - Richmond Hill Phoenix
Honorary Captain (Top ticket seller):
Jason Booth - Richmond Hill Phoenix
Additions:
Andrew Wood - Mississauga Stars
Brian Stefancic - Richmond Hill Phoenix
Ellison Bautista-Chan - Richmond Hill Phoenix
Elgene Bautista-Chan - Richmond Hill Phoenix
Coaching Staff:
Brian Booth - Richmond Hill
Mario Pannunzio - Mississauga North Tigers
John Harvey - Mississauga Stars
Mike Masters - Burlington Bulls
Ernest Johnson - Richmond Hill Phoenix
Walker division:
Team Selections:
Sheldon Gowen - Barrie Red Sox
Christian Ray - Barrie Red Sox
Andrew Cook - Barrie Red Sox
Jeff Faulkner - Barrie Red Sox
Colin Cockburn - Durham Chiefs
Graig Andrew - Durham Chiefs
Mike Ovsonka - Durham Chiefs
Mike Robertson - Durham Chiefs
Anthony Cole - Oshawa Talons
Kyle Pitman - Oshawa Talons
Ryan Reid - Oshawa Talons
Dan Rushton - Oshawa Talons
Mike Minarik - Pickering Pirates
Jaymin Parmar - Pickering Pirates
Phil Lacombe - Pickering Pirates
Shawn Loughlin - Pickering Pirates
Jeff Canning - Whitby Chiefs
Mitch Dunn - Whitby Chiefs
Jay Jarvie - Whitby Chiefs
Mark Cairns - Whitby Chiefs
Honorary Captain (Top ticket seller):
Derek Grieve - Durham Chiefs
Additions:
Paul Ovsonka - Durham Chiefs
J.P. Vittorio - Durham Chiefs
Mike Arseneault - Oshawa Talons
Sam Grabowski - Whitby Chiefs
Coaching Staff:
Rod Holinaty - Whitby Chiefs
Chris Killoran - Durham Chiefs
Steve Smith - Durham Chiefs
Gerry Ray - Barrie Red Sox
Andy Obergfell - Pickering Pirates
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ALL-STAR game info
July 14, 2005 --
OSSBA would like to welcome all friends and family to come out and enjoy our event
If you are attending the Jays/Tampa game prior to the All-Star game, There will be an OSSBA meeting in the stands right after the game. Everybody is welcome to stay. Please be advised that you must leave the Rogers Centre after the meeting, so the cleaning crew are able to clean-up.
All Participants and fans are to meet by Gate #8 at 5:45pm for re-entry into the Rogers Centre.
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2005 OSSBA Tournament is full
August 5, 2005 --
The 2005 edition of the OSSBA Tournament has recently confirmed it's 16th and final participant. The tournament will be held again in Barrie Ontario, the weekend of August 19th to 21st.
Teams entered are as follows: (League that the team is from is in brackets)
Barrie Red Sox (OSSBA)
Brampton Braves (BRMBL)
Brampton Diamondbacks (BRMBL)
Brantford Red Sox (ICBL)
Burlington Bulls (OSSBA)
Christie Pitts Jays (Toronto)
Durham Chiefs (OSSBA)
Hamilton Pirates (ICBL)
Milton (ICBL)
Mississauga North Tigers (OSSBA)
Oshawa Talons (OSSBA))
Ottawa Diamondbacks (NCBL)
Ottawa Red Sox (NCBL)
Pickering Pirates (OSSBA)
Richmond Hill Phoenix (OSSBA) Defending Champions
Whitby Chiefs (OSSBA)
A tentative schedule has been posted (times and parks only), a complete schedule should be posted by Tuesday August 9th.
The tournametn rules can be found in the :Handout" section of this site. Rules have not been finalized.
We are looking forward to another great tournament in 2005!!
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Jack Astor's to dish out plenty of dough in Barrie!!
August 17, 2005 --
Late last week, Jack Astor's in Barrie joined an impressive list of business partners for the OSSBA tournament to be held this weekend in Barrie, ON. Each OSSBA tournament participant will receive a voucher for a free pan bread ($5.00 value). In addition, Jack Astor's has donated a $50.00 gift card to be awarded to the tournament MVP. The OSSBA would like to thank Jeff Wrenshall, General Manager, Jack Astor's Barrie for this generous sponsorship. We strongly encourage each team to drop into Jacks and show their appreciation while taking advantage of the free snack.
Jack Astor's Barrie
70 Mapleview Drive
Barrie, Ontario L4M 4S7
705-722-4737
General Manager: Jeff Wrenshall
Chef: Mark Labuckas
Hours of Operation:
Sunday - Thursday 11:00am - 1:00am
Friday & Saturday
11:00am - 1:00am
Directions: Exit off Highway 400 to Molson Park Drive West. Driving West you will see us on the corner of Molson Park Drive and Mapleview.
Sincerely,
Rod Holinaty
2005 OSSBA Tournament Convenor
and
Steve Smith
President, OSSBA
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National Sports Makes Another Generous Donation
August 17, 2005 --
National Sports who has been a proud sponsor of the Ontario Senior Select Baseball Association all season - including making a special donation to the OSSBA All-Star MVP played at the Rogers Centre back in July and the $25.00 gift cards for OSSBA Players of the Week (one from each division) has stepped up to the plate again. National Sports has proudly donated a $25.00 gift card and other merchandise to be bundled together and presented to the tournament MVP. The OSSBA would like to thank National Sports for their generosity and continued support.
Sincerely,
Steve Smith
President, OSSBA
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Barrie Advance to Cover OSSBA Tournament
August 19, 2005 --
The Barrie Advance is one of 7 Metroland Newspapers covering the OSSBA this season. A roaming reporter will be at various games during the OSSBA tournament this weekend, looking to capture some of the great plays and stories that unfold as 16 teams battle for the championship.
The OSSBA would like to thank Jim Barber and crew for covering our event
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Fan590's Summer Cruiser Event Team to be on-site for OSSBA Tournament
August 19, 2005 --
The Fan's Summer Cruiser event staff will be participating in their second OSSBA event of the summer. After joining the league at the Rogers Centre back in July, the Summer Cruiser will now make the trip this weekend to Barrie. There will no doubt be some giveaways so keep your eyes peeled for the Summer Cruiser!!
The OSSBA would like to thank the Fan590's Stephanie Millman for her on-going support and for the added exposure listing our events on her company's website.
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Rogers to Cover the OSSBA Tournament Championship Game
August 19, 2005 --
The Championship game scheduled for 2 pm Sunday, August 21 at Barrie Metals Stadium will be covered by Rogers Cable. Tournament Convenor, Rod Holinaty and OSSBA President, Steve Smith have also volunteered to act as play-by-play and colour commentators for the event. Should either or both of their respective teams be in the finals they will be looking for an individual or two to replace them. In any event, this will be a great way to cap off what should be a fantastic weekend of baseball.
The OSSBA is extremely grateful for this added coverage and would like to thank Karen Magee and Neill Johnson for their interest in our event
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Scores from the OSSBA Tournament
August 27, 2005 --
Follow the action as it unfolds at the OSSBA tournament this weekend in Barrie.
Championship Game
Durham Chiefs 4 vs Burlington Bulls 2
Semi Final Action:
Oshawa Talons: 1 vs Durham Chiefs: 11
Whitby Chiefs vs Burlington Bulls (7-1 Bulls in bottom of 5th)
Round Robin Play:
Division "A" Games:
Barrie Red Sox: 10 - Milton: 3
Hamilton Pirates: 3 - Oshawa Talons: 4
Oshawa Talons: 6 - Milton: 3
Barrie Red Sox: 7 vs Hamilton Pirates: 7
Sun: Barrie Red Sox: 1 vs Oshawa Talons: 7
Milton: 2 vs Hamilton Pirates: 18
Oshawa Talons win division with 3-0 record
Division "B" Games:
Durham Chiefs: 8 - Brampton Diamondbacks: 8
Brampton Braves: 1 - Richmond Hill Phoenix: 37
Durham Chiefs: 13 - Brampton Braves: 4
Richmond Hill Phoenix: 13 vs Brampton Diamondbacks: 8
Brampton Diamondbacks: 7 vs Brampton Braves: 0
Sun: Durham Chiefs: 6 vs Richmond Hill Phoenix: 4
Durham Chiefs win division with 2-0-1 record
Division "C" Games:
Fri: Whitby Chiefs: 3 - Mississauga North Tigers: 0
Brantford Red Sox: 2 - Ottawa Diamondbacks: 3
Whitby Chiefs: 10 - Ottawa Diamondbacks: 2
Brantford Red Sox: 0 vs Mississauga North Tigers :10
Whitby Chiefs: 7 vs Brantford Red Sox: 4
Mississauga North Tigers: 10 vs Ottawa Diamondbacks: 0
Whitby Chiefs win division with 3-0 record
Division "D" Games:
Fri:Christie Pitts Jays: 6 - Pickering Pirates: 5
Ottawa Red Sox: 6 - Pickering Pirates: 3
Burlington Bulls:11 - Christie Pitts Jays: 1
Pickering Pirates: 0 vs Burlington Bulls: 7
Christie Pitts Jays: 3 vs Ottawa Red Sox: 15
Burlington Bulls: 3 vs Ottawa Red Sox: 1
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Bulls Down Chiefs in 3 Games, OSSBA Champs in Inaugural Year
October 1, 2005 --
The Burlington Bulls won 2 intense, spirited games today at Nelson Park in Burlington to become the 2005 OSSBA Champions.
Game 1 was all Bulls from the get-go and saw Eric Conlon go the distance for Burlington, scattering 3 hits and allowing 1 earned run in the victory. Conlon was consistent from start to finish, keeping Durham's big bats at bay while the offense came up with 5 runs in the first 3 innings. That was all Burlington would need - they added 5 more runs in the bottom of the 6th - as Durham never really threatened until the last inning when they pushed one run across and left the bases loaded. However, by then the game was already out of reach. Burlington 10 -- Durham 2
This set the stage for a dramatic game 3, and neither team disappointed in this one. Jon Leyland, who had already pitched earlier in the day for Wilfrid Laurier University started for the Bulls while the Chiefs countered with Steve Butterworth, who had stymied the Burlington bats in game 1. Durham had Mike Robertson - who had missed most of game 2 - in the lineup as well.
The game started off poorly for the Chiefs as the Bulls had built a 6-0 lead after 2 innings and chased Butterworth in favor of Paul Ovsonka, who pitched extremely well the rest of the way.. With the outlook seeming bleak, the Chiefs rallied for 5 runs in the top of the 3rd inning on a 2 run single by J.P. Vittorio and then a monster 3-run homerun by Graig Andrew which chased Jon Leyland from the game. Burlington added two more runs to establish a 4-run cushion at 9-5, which prompted the dramatic finish to the game.
In the top of the 6th, Colin Cockburn unloaded on a Cam McKnight offering for a two-run homerun to bring the Chiefs within 2 runs. On the very next pitch, Mike Robertson delivered a solo shot to left field which brought the Chiefs within 1 run. The Bulls were retired in order in the bottom half of the inning. In the top of the 7th, McKnight retired the first two hitters quickly. He then walked Paul Ovsonka, who promptly stole second base on the first pitch. Ryan Fraser then walked on a 3-2 pitch to put the go-ahead run on first base. It wasn't meant to be for Durham though, as the next hitter grounded to second to end the game and give Burlington their first ever OSSBA championship. Burlington 9 -- Durham 8
Congratulations to the 2005 Champion Burlington Bulls as well as the runner up Durham Chiefs. Both teams showed in this series why they are the class of the league. Best of luck to both teams in the off-season and we look forward to seeing you in 2006!
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Presidents Address
October 6, 2005 --
This past summer, our 5th anniversary, fittingly included several events that helped the league celebrate this milestone achievement in fine fashion. From a very successful group outing that saw 932 people attend a Blue Jays game back in April to playing our own league All-Star game at the Rogers Centre in July to a bigger and better OSSBA tournament in Barrie this past August to a great 3-game series for the league championship that concluded just this past weekend.
The OSSBA, on behalf of all the players and coaches would like to congratulate the Burlington Bulls for capturing their first OSSBA championship – in their inaugural season. Burlington proved to worthy opponent during league play and obviously had a tremendous run en route to winning the OSSBA cup over a very formidable and most deserving opponent, the Durham Chiefs. Both clubs did an excellent job representing their respective divisions and put on a great show in the finals.
On behalf of the league, I would also like to thank all our sponsors, umpires, volunteers and fans for their overwhelming generosity and support. Without your assistance our league would not run as smoothly or be nearly as enjoyable. Your loyalty is greatly appreciated.
Now that the season has concluded, our league executive will begin preparing for the 2006 season. The first coaches’ meeting will be Sunday, October 30th in Richmond Hill. The meeting will start at noon – location and directions to be confirmed.
As always, the league will review all rules and by-laws. Another topic that will be discussed is league expansion. Should teams be looking to learn more about OSSBA or wish to submit an expansion proposal, please contact me directly.
Respectfully,
Steve Smith
OSSBA President
stephen.smith@rogers.com
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OSSBA names 1st and 2nd team All-Stars for 2005
November 17, 2005 --
The Ontario Senior Select Baseball Association is proud to announce it's first ever, 1st and 2nd team end of the year All-Stars, as voted on by the coaches. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players and only voted for players in their division.
JENKINS DIVISION
1st Team:
P - Bart Haberling - Bloor Jays
C - Mike Curran - Mississauga North Tigers
1B - Cam McKnight - Burlington Bulls
2B - Elgene Bautista-Chan - Richmond Hill Phoenix
SS - Brad Guy - Burlington Bulls
3B - Brad Kozak - Mississauga Stars
OF - Cam Stewart - Richmond Hill Phoenix
OF - Danny Monck - Bloor Jays
OF - TIE Mike Despeteaux - Richmond Hill Phoenix, Mike Mousseau - Burlington Bulls
Coach - Mike Masters - Burlington Bulls
2nd Team:
P - Jon Leyland - Burlington Bulls
C - Brian Stefancic - Richmond Hill Phoenix
1B - Jason Booth - Richmond Hill Phoenix
2B - Bryan Blasko - Burlington Bulls
SS - Adam Hand - Bloor Jays
3B - Chris Hayes - Burlington Bulls
OF - Cal Bessant - Richmond Hill Phoenix
OF - Andrew Wood - Mississauga Stars
OF - Eric Conlon - Burlington Bulls
Coach - Brian Booth - Richmond Hill Phoenix
WALKER DIVISION
1st Team:
P - TIE Ryan Fraser - Durham Chiefs, Paul Ovsonka - Durham Chiefs
C - Brad Hanna - Whitby Chiefs
1B - Mitch Dunn - Whitby Chiefs
2B - Mike Ovsonka - Durham Chiefs
3B - Shawn Loughlin - Pickering Pirates
SS - Mark Cairns - Whitby Chiefs
OF - Graig Andrew - Durham Chiefs
OF - Colin Cockburn - Durham Chiefs
OF - Mike Robertson - Durham Chiefs
Coach - Chris Killoran - Durham Chiefs
2nd Team:
P - TIE Jeff Canning - Whitby Chiefs, Mike Ovsonka - Durham Chiefs
C - Kyle Pitman - Oshawa Talons
1B - Dan Rushton - Oshawa Talons
2B - Jeff Faulkner - Barrie Red Sox
SS - TIE Jaymin Parmar - Pickering Pirates, J.P. Vittorio - Durham Chiefs
3B - Derek Grieve - Durham Chiefs
OF - Jay Jarvie - Whitby Chiefs
OF - Romeo Persaud - Pickering Pirates
OF - TIE Todd Johnston - Barrie Red Sox, Ryan Reid - Oshawa Talons
Coach - Rod Holinaty - Whitby Chiefs
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OSSBA MEETING LOCATION HAS CHANGED
November 22, 2005 --
The location for the upcoming OSSBA meeting on Sunday November 27th, has been moved. It will now be held at the following location in Richmond Hill:
Langstaff Community Centre
155 Red Maple Road
Richmond Hill, ON L4B 4P9
Phone: (905) 882-4295
Fax: (905) 882-8813
Full directions will be posted here once we have them. Till then a map is in the "Directions" folder under the heading "Langstaff Community Centre"
Meeting is still being held from 12:00pm to approximately 4:00pm. Please try to be there by 11:45am.
We look forward to seeing all the coaches in attendance.
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Meeting Directions
November 23, 2005 --
Directions to the Langstaff Community Centre:
Take Hwy #404 North
Then go West on Hwy. # 7
Go North on Yonge St.
Turn Right on High Tech Road
Follow to community centre
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Founding OSSBA team changes name
November 29, 2005 --
As one of the four founding teams of OSSBA, the Whitby Chiefs have a had a very strong and succesful run in the first 5 years that OSSBA has been around.
With OSSBA entering it's 6th season and welcoming 2 new teams to the fold (Scarborough Indians and Mississauga Southwest Twins), Whitby has decided it was a time for a change in their name and allow for only one team in OSSBA to be known as the Chiefs (Durham). The Whitby Chiefs announced on Monday that they would be known from now on as the Brooklin Dodgers. The name was decided on by the players and coaching staff. The Village of Brooklin is part of Whitby at it's north end. The team was looking for a solid baseball name and they felt none was stronger then a name with such a storied past in Major League Baseball history. The fact of having the Village of Brooklin as part of Whitby, made it all the more easy for the team to make the choice they did.
OSSBA is looking forward to the 2006 season. Please check back later this week for news from this past weekends Coaches meeting.
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Lucky 13? OSSBA, Expands Again.
January 31, 2006 --
The OSSBA would like to officially welcome the league's newest member and 13th club, the Forest Glen Giants.
After a unanimous vote this past Sunday in Richmond Hill, the Giants will join the league's Jenkins Division. With a team average age of just 21 years old, the Giants will be one of, if not the youngest team in the league. Last year, the Burlington Bulls joined as the newest OSSBA franchise and went on to win the OSSBA Cup. Every year since OSSBA's inception has seen a team from the Jenkins (West) Division take home the league's hardware.
Only time will tell if the number 13 will in fact be lucky for Forest Glen. They have history on their side. Whether or not it will repeat itself, remains to be seen.
Welcome aboard Giants!!
Sincerely,
OSSBA
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OSSBA Trying To Land One More Club For ‘06
February 6, 2006 --
OSSBA President, Steve Smith, is trying hard to secure one more expansion proposal before the league’s next Executive meeting on March 12. At that time, the proposal would be submitted to the Executive for their vote – to determine whether or not the expansion hopeful would be added to the league.
With the addition of the Forest Glen Giants this past weekend, the league now has unbalanced divisions. With the Giants being placed in the (West) Jenkins Division there are now 7 teams, while the (East) Walker Division only has 6. Although not considered a problem, the league Executive has been looking at various scheduling options in the event another team does not come forward or accepted.
Adding a 14th team, if a good fit for the league, would make sense. Having had direct conversations with 9 teams this off-season and discussion about 3 others within OSSBA’s Executive, Smith is pleased with the outcome thus far. “Obviously we can’t add everyone one and sometimes our league does not offer what others are looking for, I understand that.” Smith adds, “attracting good, young, quality teams is a high priority for OSSBA.” Of note, 2006 will mark the first time the OSSBA will start a season with more than 10 teams. Another indication this association is on the rise.
“Former league President and OSSBA founder, Rod Holinaty, had a vision and made it into a reality. He did a fantastic job getting this league off the ground and building a stable foundation.” said Smith. “My job (now) as President is to build on what Rod started and ensure the league is around for many years to come.” Just how would that be done? “By attracting and retaining the best talent possible and helping come up with fresh ideas to make the playing experience as enjoyable as possible,” explained Smith. The OSSBA considers itself fortunate to be in a position that the league can welcome new teams. “It doesn’t always make sense to expand just for the sake of the league getting bigger,” warned Smith. “Our Executive works hard to ensure each new club that comes onboard is sound – from management to diamond facilities to junior affiliations to current player commitment.” It would appear interest at the senior level is at an all-time high. “The fact teams come knocking on OSSBA’s door, is a feather in the cap of our association,” beamed Smith.
Over the past couple of seasons, the OSSBA has worked hard to develop and create new opportunities and exciting playing venues for its members. Something Smith hopes will continue. “Last year we played our league All-Star game at the Rogers Centre and we will be doing so again this summer.” In 2005, the OSSBA received tremendous support from Metroland Printing, Publishing & Distributing Ltd – providing local newspaper coverage for the OSSBA teams in their area and from Rogers Television – airing highlights from league games in the Durham Region and the OSSBA Tournament Championship (from Barrie) in its entirety. Other local sponsors and major corporations also helped add to overall appeal of playing in the OSSBA. “Without their support we couldn’t have done some of the things we did,” said Smith. National Sports, Dr. DJ, Jack Astor’s and the Toronto Blue Jays were cited as the biggest off-field supporters in 2005, with respect to league donations. As for what is in the works this year, Smith somewhat coy said this: “Obviously, the OSSBA wants to build on everything we did/obtained last year. I have been in conversation with another league to explore the possibility of playing a league vs. league all-star game - at the Rogers Centre, and contacted a few new sponsors in hope what our league has to offer will be of interest. In addition, our OSSBA tournament, a huge success last summer, will be bigger and better this year.” Smith said he also tries to encourage coach and player feedback to ensure everyone has the opportunity to have a say in how the league moves forward.
Whether or not the OSSBA will have 14 teams, remains to be seen. But one thing is clear, this league has been gaining popularity since its inception back in 2000. “Attracting younger, more skilled players adds to better overall competition and bodes well for the longevity of our league,” explained Smith. The OSSBA caters to players no longer eligible to play Junior and/or have a preference to play games (double-headers) on weekends. OSSBA’s regular season begins in early May and runs to late August. Play-offs start after Labour Day and conclude before Thanksgiving. To learn more about the league or find out how to contact Steve Smith directly, visit the official OSSBA website at: www.leaguelineup.com/ossba
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Jays vs Boston tickets sales in full swing
February 13, 2006 --
OSSBA teams and players are doing quite good as they attempt to beat last years ticket sales.
The current top ticket sellers:
Burlington Bulls 150
Forest Glen Giants 60
Chris Killoran, Durham Chiefs 44
Scott Smith, Durham Chiefs 42
Brooklin Dodgers 40
Richmond Hill Phoenix 40
Mike Ovsonka, Durham Chiefs 30
Barrie Red Sox 25
Bloor Jays 25
Steve Smith, Durham Chiefs 19
Total 475
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OSSBA gets closer to exceeding last years tickets sales
February 22, 2006 --
Scott Smith, 92
Kyle Pitman, Burlington Bulls 76
Forest Glen Giants, 60
Chris Killoran, Durham Chiefs 44
Ed Ganhao, Brooklin Dodgers 41Richmond Hill Phoenix, 40
Jay Jarvie, Brooklin Dodgers 37
Mike Masters, Burlington Bulls 32
Steve Smith, Durham Chiefs 32
Jeff McNair, Burlington Bulls 30
Mike Mousseau, Burlington Bulls 30
Mike Ovsonka, Durham Chiefs 30
Barrie Red Sox, 25
Bloor Jays, 25
Mississauga Southwest Twins, 25
Mississauga Stars, 25
Mississauga North Tigers, 25
Pickering Pirates, 25
Burlington Bulls, 24
Adam Bickford, Durham Chiefs, 20
Paul Graham, Durham Chiefs, 20
Brad Hanna, Brooklin Dodgers, 20
Dan Wilson, Durham Chiefs, 20
Eric Conlon, Burlington Bulls, 10 Brad Johnston, Burlington Bulls 10 Cam McKnight, Burlington Bulls 10 Chris Lord, Burlington Bulls 4
Rod Holinaty, Brooklin Dodgers 3
Total 835 Team figures are broken down by player, where available. Numbers do not include orders from Scarborough Indians, Oshawa Talons or any other potential expansion teams. Each OSSBA team is required to purchase a minimum 25 tickets. Keep Selling Guys. Let's break our 932 mark from last year!! Please contact OSSBA President Steve Smith if you require additional tickets. stephen.smith@rogers.com or 905-425-5025 Ticket money for OSSBA players/teams will be due Sunday, April 2nd at the latest.
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OSSBA President hits the big 30!
March 2, 2006 --
OSSBA would like to congratulate President Steve Smith on his 30th birthday today!!
The OSSBA Executive would like to wish you a very happy birthday Steve and hope to be able to celebrate many more with you in the future years.
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2006 OSSBA Tournament dates announced
March 3, 2006 --
The Ontario Senior Select Baseball Association is pleased to announce the dates for their third annual tournament, to be held again in Barrie, Ontario. OSSBA has moved the tournament to the August Civic Long Weekend from August 4th to 7th. This move was made to make it easier for teams across Ontario to take part in the tournament while not interfering with their regular season schedules or play-offs that may start later in the month.
Tournament play will again be centred around the beautiful Barrie Metals Stadium in Barrie. This year to help teams with travel, a few games will be played on the Friday night in Richmond Hill.
The tournament is currently set at a maximum of 16 teams, depending on interest and availabilty of parks, we may increase the number of participating teams.
Cost for the tournament is $400, with a guarantee of 3 games per team in divisional play.
Events such as Homerun Derby have been added this year and more will be announced as they solidified.
More info can be found on our tournament page on this website.
ALL TOURNAMENT QUESTIONS should be forwarded to Tournament Convenor Rod Holinaty at 905-430-3154 or r.holinaty@sympatico.ca
We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible up in Barrie on the August Civic Long Weekend!
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Busy weekend for OSSBA
March 6, 2006 --
OSSBA to Open ’06 Season with 14 Teams
With the March 5th deadline for expansion applications now in the past, the OSSBA will use the next month to apply finishing touches on league issues heading into the last executive meeting, set for April 2nd. After a very productive off-season, the OSSBA is proud to announce a record high, 14 teams will be participating in the league this summer.
Clubs interested in applying for the ’07 season are strongly encouraged to do so as early as possible. And as a reminder, the OSSBA continuously offers try-outs to individuals looking to join one of our existing teams. If interested, please contact league president Steve Smith for further details. Steve can be reached:
By phone: 905-425-5025 (evenings after 6 pm) or via e-mail: stephen.smith@rogers.com
It's Official, Mississauga North Bengals Join OSSBA for 2006 Season
The OSSBA would like to take this opportunity to officially welcome their newest member – the Mississauga North Bengals. With the addition, the OSSBA has grown to 14 teams – most in the league history. Another young club, the Bengals will join the Jenkins (West) Division where they will re-new rivalries with the defending OSSBA Champion, Burlington Bulls and expansion cousins, the Forest Glen Giants.
Welcome, Bengals!!
Phoenix on the Move, Once Again
With the addition of the Mississauga North Bengals this past weekend, the league executive had to make a decision on how to balance the two divisions at 7 teams apiece. Placing the Bengals in the Jenkins meant that the obvious choice, based on geography, was to move the Richmond Hill Phoenix back to the Walker division. The Phoenix, who joined the Jenkins division prior to the start of the 2004 campaign, had tremendous success during their two-year residency. In 2004, they won the OSSBA tournament and captured their first OSSBA championship. Last season they clinched first in the division beating the Burlington Bulls by way of a tiebreak. A very competitive, very skilled ball club, the Phoenix will certainly make things interesting in the Walker Division this summer. And of course, leading the way will be head coach Brian Booth, arguably the league’s most colourful character.
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OSSBA releases Schedule for month of May 2006
March 25, 2006 --
The Ontario Senior Select Baseball Association is pleased to announce the release of the schedule for the month of May, 2006. You can find the full May schedule in the menu titled "2006 Season Schedule".
The OSSBA hopes to have the rest of the schedule posted with-in the next week or two. A few teams are still in the process of nailing down diamond dates and times, so once those are handed in to the scheduler, the schedule in it's entirety will be posted.
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Full 2006 OSSBA Schedule coming soon!
April 20, 2006 --
The Ontario Senior Select Baseball Association anticipates that's it's full and complete 2006 Schedule will be done and posted very soon.
A few hitches have reared their ugly heads, and have delayed the posting of the full schedule by a few days.
Please check back for further updates and news on coming OSSBA events.
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OSSBA Releases 2006 Schedule
April 23, 2006 --
The Ontario Senior Select Baseball Association is happy to officially announce the release of the complete 2006 season schedule. You can find the complete schedule under the "2006 OSSBA Schedule" heading in the menu section.
A reminder to all players and coaches, there is always some tweaking that is done to the schedule so please check back here every once in awhile to make sure that no changes have been made to your upcoming games. As changes are decided upon between teams and communicated to us, we will post the them immediately.
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GROUP OUTING A HUGE SUCCESS
April 27, 2006 --
On Saturday, April 22nd the Ontario Senior Select Baseball Association (OSSBA) in partnership with the Scarborough Adult Baseball League (SABL) organized a group outing to help cheer the Blue Jays on to victory over their archrivals - the Boston Red Sox. The Jays supplied most of the offence, including four runs in the 1st inning as they cruised to an impressive 8-1 victory.
For the second year in a row the OSSBA attended a game in April with the Red Sox in town. And both times the Jays were victorious. Another impressive stat, and one you won’t find in a box score OSSBA’s ticket sales for the games. Last year the league sold a combined 932 tickets. This year that number grew by over 600 for a grand total of 1552. Add SABL’s sales and the total group in attendance was 2017!!
The OSSBA would like to thank everyone who sold tickets to this event – including members of SABL. In addition, a special thank you to everyone not part of either association who purchased tickets to join us at the game. Your overwhelming support was greatly appreciated. Please contact league president Steve Smith should you wish to join members of the OSSBA at a future event and/or book tickets for another game. League contact information can be found in the contacts section – to the left on your screen.
Listed below are OSSBA’s tickets sold - by individual. Breakdowns that were not provided show a team total. Please note that the top ticket seller in each division will be named honourary captains to this year’s league all-star game at Rogers Centre on Sunday, July 16th @ 5 pm.
Thank-you
OSSBA
| Player Name |
Tix |
Team |
|
|
|
| Scott Smith |
220 |
Durham |
| Steve Smith |
106 |
Durham |
| Chris Killoran |
105 |
Durham |
| Kyle Pitman |
101 |
Bulls |
| Dan Wilson |
72 |
Durham |
| Jay Jarvie |
60 |
Brooklin |
| Jeff McNair |
55 |
Bulls |
| Mitch Dunn |
51 |
Brooklin |
| Scarborough Indians |
50 |
Indians |
| Anthony Cole |
43 |
Oshawa |
| Ed Ganhao |
41 |
Brooklin |
| Mike Ovsonka |
40 |
Durham |
| Mike Mousseau |
30 |
Bulls |
| Rod Holinaty |
29 |
Brooklin |
| Mike Masters |
28 |
Bulls |
| Graig Andrew |
28 |
Durham |
| Richmond Hill Phoenix |
27 |
Phoenix |
| Pickering Pirates |
25 |
Pirates |
| Bloor Jays |
25 |
Bloor |
| Mississauga Stars |
25 |
Stars |
| Mississauga North Tigers |
25 |
Tigers |
| Mississauga Southwest Twins |
25 |
Twins |
| Brad Hanna |
20 |
Brooklin |
| Lawrence Thomas |
20 |
Brooklin |
| T.J MacLean |
20 |
Giants |
| Romeo Persaud |
17 |
Pirates |
| James MacDonald |
17 |
Giants |
| Bob Charters |
17 |
Red Sox |
| Mike Elmhurst |
15 |
Brooklin |
| Brad Johnston |
15 |
Bulls |
| Mike Robertson |
14 |
Durham |
| Jeff Canning |
12 |
Brooklin |
| Kyle MacFarlane |
12 |
Brooklin |
| Colin Cockburn |
12 |
Durham |
| Chad Tucker |
12 |
Giants |
| Earl Chamberlain |
11 |
Oshawa |
| Cam McKnight |
10 |
Bulls |
| Eric Conlon |
10 |
Bulls |
| Mannie Dhillon |
10 |
Giants |
| Jeff Gorr |
8 |
Bengals |
| Mark Iamonaco |
8 |
Giants |
| Bryan Blasko |
7 |
Bulls |
| Dave Willits |
7 |
Bulls |
| Mike Arsenault |
6 |
Oshawa |
| Ryan Rattos |
5 |
Bengals |
| Ron Smith |
5 |
Giants |
| Brandon Hlynsky |
4 |
Bengals |
| Chris Lord |
4 |
Bulls |
| Steve Atkinson |
4 |
Bulls |
| Adam Bickford |
4 |
Durham |
| Jay Boccinfuso |
4 |
Durham |
| Chad Reid |
4 |
Oshawa |
| Gerry Ray |
4 |
Red Sox |
| Christian Ray |
4 |
Red Sox |
| Francis Pallotta |
3 |
Bengals |
| Jeff Routledge |
3 |
Bengals |
| Kris Kibsey |
3 |
Bengals |
| Kevin O'Toole |
2 |
Bengals |
| James Crawford |
2 |
Bulls |
| Dan Taormina |
2 |
Giants |
| Rich Messina - pd by OSSBA |
2 |
OSSBA |
| Cody Ireland |
1 |
Bengals |
| Garrett Nicol |
1 |
Bengals |
|
|
|
|
1552 |
|
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2006 OSSBA season preview
May 2, 2006 --
The Ontario Senior Select Baseball Association (OSSBA) is set to open its 2006 season May 6 and 7th. All 14 teams will be in action over the course of the weekend that includes the 2005 OSSBA champion Burlington Bulls opening up at home. The Bulls will host one of the league’s four expansion teams, the Mississauga North Bengals.
Over the winter, the league executive worked diligently to improve upon a very successful 2005 campaign. Here are a few of the highlights in-store for 2006: Three new teams from Mississauga and one from Scarborough have joined the association increasing the total membership to 14 clubs. In addition to the leagues own all-star game (July 16), the OSSBA will play a rival association in a league vs league all-star game June 25. Both all-star games will be played at Rogers Centre. And in an effort to showcase the league, the OSSBA will host a junior aged tournament (players 18-21) in Richmond Hill July 21-23. Part of the festivities planned will include re-match of last season’s championship series. Burlington will host the Durham Chiefs and the double header will be played in Richmond Hill for all interested on-lookers.
Below is a season preview giving a brief overview on each club as they prepare to challenge for the OSSBA Cup. The regular season runs from May to the end of August with play-offs beginning after Labour Day. To follow the league and/or to obtain more information please visit www.leaguelineup.com/ossba
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Let's Play Ball
May 6, 2006 --
With just a little over 12 hours left before the opening of the 2006 regular season, I would like to take this opportunity to wish each club the best of luck this summer. After a busy off-season, one which saw the league expand by four clubs, obtain a second playing opportunity at the Rogers Centre this summer and some additional corporate sponsorship - everything looks to be in place for another outstanding season.
I am proud to announce that Metroland Printing, Publishing & Distributing Ltd. will once again cover local OSSBA action throughout the summer. With various articles already posted - some similar to the season preview on this website and others specifically focusing on the local team(s) in their area this added exposure for the league is absolutely fantastic. The OSSBA looks forward to working with Metroland and bringing OSSBA news right to your fingertips.
And finally, I would like to strongly encourage our fans to come out once again to cheer on your favourite team(s) as they compete for the coveted OSSBA Championship. Will the Bulls have what it takes to become only the second team to successfully defend their OSSBA title? Will a team win again in its inaugural season? It happened last year, right? Or will one of the other 9 remaining clubs go all the way and make their mark in the league record books?
The complete 2006 Regular Season Schedule can be found to the left of your screen. In addition please check this website regularly as there will be tons of news, stats and stories to keep you entertained while you await the next game in your area.
Ok, enough with the chatter...Play Ball!!
Respectfully,
Steve Smith
President, OSSBA
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Brooklin Dodgers and Durham Chiefs Team Up To Raise Funds for the Weekend to End Breast Cancer
May 13, 2006 --
After a very successful league outing to the April 22nd Blue Jays game, the Brooklin Dodgers and Durham Chiefs will attempt to sell tickets to two games this summer in an effort to help raise money for a very worth cause.
Long-time Brooklin Dodger (formerly Whitby Chiefs) Mark Cairns has entered a team in the 60 km walk this coming September. Mark’s mother who passed away about 12 years ago is the inspiration for his M.O.M team - Memories of Mom.
All ticket proceeds for Sunday, June 25 vs. New York Mets and Sunday, July 16th vs. the Seattle Mariners will be donated to Mark and his team.
Seats for the Sunday, June 25 game are in level 200 sections 238-240 – near the left field foul pole. Regular price for this Super Premium game is $24.00/ticket plus a $4.00 booking fee (if ordered at the ticket window). Brooklin and Durham are selling these tickets for $20.00 each.
For more information about either game please contact league president Steve Smith.
On behalf of Mark, the Cairns family, Brooklin Dodgers and Durham Chiefs, thank you for your support.
For more information on Mark’s individual and team goals please visit the following links:
http://www.endcancer.ca/site/TR?px=1222084&pg=personal&fr_id=1120&fl=en_US&et=gEAhRRwFkVvWbkaZK_O4DQ..&s_tafId=1636
http://www.endcancer.ca/site/TR?team_id=10840&pg=team&fr_id=1120&fl=en_US&et=H6WDtJvP5SvkEoZKNf9Oqg..&s_tafId=1636
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It's a Boy!!
May 29, 2006 - 10:10 PM --
Congratulations to Durham Chiefs player/assistant coach Mike Ovsonka and his wife Melissa on becoming first-time parents with the safe arrival of their son Braeden John Ovsonka, weighing in at 7 lbs 4 oz. Mike, Melissa and Braeden are all doing well and should be home from the hospital shortly.
On behalf of the entire OSSBA - congratulations Mike & Melissa!!
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OSSBA Selects it's roster for OSSBA vs SABL All-Star Game
June 17, 2006 --
The Ontario Senior Select Baseball Association is proud to announce it's roster for the upcoming All-Star game against the Scarborough Adult Baseball League, to be held at the Rogers Centre on June 25th at 8:00pm. Admission to the game is free and the Durham Chiefs and Brooklin Dodgers are selling Mets vs Jays tickets for the game preceeding the All-Star game.
On behalf of Steve Smith (Chiefs), Chris Killoran (Chiefs), Mike Masters (Bulls), Brian Booth (Phoenix) and Rod Holinaty (Dodgers), we would like to congratulate all of the players on being selected to represent the OSSBA. We had a difficult time making the final selections as there were so many individuals worthy of this honour.
OSSBA Team Roster:
Pitchers:
Jon Leyland - Bulls
Terry Stephenson - Talons
Wayne Wickens - Pirates
Sheldon Gowen - Red Sox
Stuart Kingston - Twins
Jeff Lyons - Jays
Cam McKnight - Bulls
Frank Pallotta - Bengals
Catchers:
Chris Lord - Bulls
Jeff Crouse - Chiefs
Brad Hanna - Dodgers
1B:
Pat Buscar - Tigers
Jason Booth - Phoenix
2B:
Dan Blea - Dodgers
Jeff Cornish - Stars
Mike Ovsonka - Chiefs
3B:
Kyle Pitman - Bulls
Colin Cockburn - Chiefs
Derek Grieve - Chiefs
SS:
Mark Cairns - Dodgers
Mike Asselin - Indians
Bryan Blasko - Bulls
OF:
Mike Robertson - Chiefs
Cam Stewart - Phoenix
Cal Bessant - Phoenix
Graig Andrew - Chiefs
Chris Maloney - Giants
DH:
Jeff Canning - Dodgers
Again, congratulations to all the players on being the first team ever assembled to represent the OSSBA in this type of game.
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OSSBA names June 25th All-Star game starting pitcher
June 20, 2006 --
The Ontario Senior Select Baseball Association (OSSBA) is proud to announce it's starting pitcher for the upcoming June 25th All-star game versus the Scarborough Adult Baseball League (SABL).
Jon Leyland of the Burlington Bulls will start the game for the OSSBA All-Stars.
Going into this past weekends games, Jon had put up some impressive numbers in this his second year in OSSBA. 4-0, 27 IP, 25 K's, 3 CG's with an ERA of 1.56.
On top of helping the Bulls win the 2005 OSSBA Championship in their first year in the league, he was also named as the MVP for the 2005 OSSBA All-Star game.
The rest of the starting lineup will be posted in the next few days.
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OSSBA names it's starters for All-Star Game
June 23, 2006 --
After careful consideration and weighing the pro's and cons of each All-Star player, the Ontario Senior Select Baseball Association is thrilled to announce it's starting 12 players for the Sunday June 25th All-Star game vs the Scarborough Adult Baseball League. The game is to be held at the Rogers Centre, game time is scheduled for 8:00pm.
With OSSBA starting pitcher Jon Leyland already named, it left the remaining 8 defensive positions, 1 DH and 3 EH's (12 man batting order) to be picked. The actually batting order has yet to be decided, as Head Coach Steve Smith keeps that bit of info under wraps, not wanting to give the opposing team too much insight into the team.
Catcher - Chris Lord, Bulls
Firstbase - Patrick Buscar, Tigers
Secondbase - Dan Blea, Dodgers
Thirdbase - Kyle Pitman, Bulls
Shortstop - Mark Cairns, Dodgers
Leftfield - Chris Maloney, Giants
Centerfield - Mike Robertson, Chiefs
Rightfield - Cal Bessant, Phoenix
Designated Hitter - Jeff Canning, Dodgers
Extra Hitter - Mike Ovsonka, Chiefs
Extra Hitter - Bryan Blasko, Bulls
Extra Hitter - Colin Cockburn, Chiefs
Firstbase Coach: Mike Masters, Bulls
Thirdbase Coach: Chris Killoran, Chiefs
Bullpen Coach: Rod Holinaty, Dodgers
Bench Coach: Brian Booth, Phoenix
Bullpen:
Terry Stephenson - Talons
Wayne Wickens - Pirates
Sheldon Gowen - Red Sox
Stuart Kingston - Twins
Jeff Lyons - Jays
Cam McKnight - Bulls
Frank Pallotta - Bengals
Bench Players:
Jeff Crouse - Chiefs
Jason Booth - Phoenix
Jeff Cornish - Stars
Derek Grieve - Chiefs
Mike Asselin - Indians
Graig Andrew - Chiefs
Cam Stewart - Phoenix
All-Star catcher Brad Hanna, Dodgers has had to pull out due to last minute business trip.
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Walker Division finally wins one
June 24, 2006 --
It took the Walker division four tries, but they finally won an All-Star Game. Final score was 8-4.
Elison Bautista-Chan of the Richmond Hill Phoenix named game MVP.
Full report to follow later tonight.
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OSSBA falls to SABL in first ever inter-league All-Star game
June 26, 2006 --
On Sunday, June 25th the Ontario Senior Select Baseball Association (OSSBA) and the Scarborough Adult Baseball League (SABL) participated in a league vs. league all-star game at the Rogers Centre. This game marked the first time that either association had participated in an event of this style and magnitude.
With over 200 people in attendance both clubs came out strong behind their starters and neither pitcher disappointed. OSSBA starter Jon Leyland (Bulls) pitched the first two innings (2 IP, 2 K's, 1 Hit, 0 runs) turning the game over to the rest of the pitching staff.
Unfortunately for the OSSBA their only run came in the 4th inning. With two out Dan Blea (Dodgers) singled and was brought home on a triple by Mike Robertson (Chiefs) . From there, the team's bats were basically stone cold the rest of the way. Even balls that were hit hard were caught.
To their credit, SABL played a very solid game defensively and got key hits when they were needed most. Despite the lack of offense, OSSBA put together some very nice plays - including two gems from Cam Stewart (Phoenix) in RF, gunning a runner out at 3rd and assisting on another in a relay to home.
The final score was OSSBA 1 SABL 8.
Everyone selected for the event should be honoured to have been part of the historical event. A re-match has already been reserved for next summer with hopes to make this an annual event.
OSSBA would like to congratulate SABL on their great performance and thank them for the hard work and effort put forth to help make the event possible.
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OSSBA announces 2006 Jenkins Division All-Stars
July 5, 2006 --
The Ontario Senior Select Baseball Association is happy to announce the complete list of players who have been chosen to represent the Jenkins Division in the 3rd Annual OSSBA All-Star Game:
Players are listed in alphabetic order:
Matt Bellbeck P/IF Mississauga Stars
Brian Blasko 2B Burlington Bulls
Chris Boissonault OF Mississauga North Tigers
Pat Buscar 1B Mississauga North Tigers
Gregg Clarence 3B/P Mississauga Stars
Eric Conlon P Burlington Bulls
Greg DaCosta 1B Mississauga North Bengals
Johnny DeWolfe P/SS Mississauga Stars
Brad Guy SS Burlington Bulls
Adam Hand SS/P Bloor Jays
Cody Ireland 2B/OF Mississauga North Bengals
Brad Kozak C Mississauga Stars
Phil Kingston OF Mississauga SW Twins
Jon Leyland P Burlington Bulls
Chris Lord C Burlington Bulls
Tom Malyk P Mississauga SW Twins
Cam McKnight P/1B Burlington Bulls
James McDonald P/OF Forest Glen Giants
Phil Messina SS Bloor Jays
Mike Mousseau OF Burlington Bulls
Ryan Newton 3B Mississauga SW Twins
Francis Pallotta P/3B Mississauga North Bengals
Dave Peart OF Bloor Jays
Kyle Pitman 3B Burlington Bulls
Dan Taormina SS/OF Forest Glen Giants
The Jenkins Division coaching staff is: Head Coach - Mike Masters Burlington BullsBench Coach - Steve Atkinson Burlington Bulls1B Coach - Ron Smith Forest Glen Giants3B Coach - Joe Palotta Mississauga North Bengals
Bullpen Coach - John Harvey Mississauga Stars
Congratulations to all players named to the team.
The Walker Division Roster will be announced later tomorrow.
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Mike Masters names his Starting Pitcher for 2006 OSSBA All-Star Game
July 17, 2006 --
Mike Masters, Head Coach of the Jenkins Division All-Star team is thrilled to announce his starting pitcher for the 2006 OSSBA All-Star Game.
Starting pitcher for the OSSBA Jenkins 2006 team will be #9 Jon "Malibu" Leyland.
Leyland has started 5 games for the Bulls this season and is 5-0. He has pitched 4 complete games, 2 shutouts and has beaten Bengals, Dodgers, Stars, Indians and Talons.
He has K'ed 35 batters while walking only 15 on his way to posting a 1.17 ERA.
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Chris Killoran names his Starting Pitcher for 2006 OSSBA All-Star Game
July 18, 2006 --
Chris Killoran, Head Coach of the Walker Division All-Star team is proud to announce his starting pitcher for the 2006 OSSBA All-Star Game.
Starting pitcher for the OSSBA Walker 2006 team will be Todd Van Laere.
Todd is in his first season as a Durham Chief, he previously played for the Whitby Junior Rep team and played Senior rep in Port Hope.
TVL has a very decieving record of (2-2), has 1 save. In 26 1/3 innings, he has struck out 32 batters, walked 15 and has an era of 3.15.
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OSSBA Launches Tournament website
July 18, 2006 --
The Ontario Senior Select Baseball Association launched it's stand alone website for the upcoming 2006 Civic Long-Weekend Tournament, to be held August 4th to 6th.
The site has all the teams listed, as well as the full schedule and also the Maps and Tournament Rules.
Please check out this site often as it will be updated continually leading up to the tournament and will have scores posted as they become available throughout the weekend of the tournament.
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2006 OSSBA Civic Long Weekend Tournament starts tonight
August 4, 2006 --
Even though Mother Nature has been trying her hardest to cause problems for the 2006 OSSBA Civic Long Weekend Tournament, it will start on time tonight. The weekend forcast is looking good, with only 30% chance of precipitation called for on Sunday.
Tonight starts with the Barrie Red Sox taking on L'Audace de Jonquiere from Chicoutimi in game #1. Game #2 will see the Hamilton Pirates do battle against the Brooklin Dodgers.
The site will be updated throughout the weekend.
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Burlington Bulls win 2006 OSSBA Tournament
August 8, 2006 --
The Burlington Bulls won the 3rd Annual OSSBA Tournament held in Barrie Ontario this year. The Bulls defeated the Durham Chiefs in a rematch of the 2005 OSSBA Tournament final. Final Score was Burlington 6 Durham 5.
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2006 OSSBA nears completion
August 23, 2006 --
As we approach the final weekend of August, we still are looking at a a very hazy picture of who will play who in the playoffs. One weekend to go in the season and no teams have been eliminated from Playoffs. This is definitely the most exciting end to an OSSBA season in years!
What is set in stone, is who the two teams will be in each division, that get a bye through the first round of the playoffs. In the Jenkins division it's the Burlignton Bulls and the Mississauga Stars, while over in the Walker division it is the Richmond Hill Phoenix and the Durham Chiefs. It still needs to be decided which team will be first and which will be second though. The remaining teams are either battling for a spot in the playoffs or for where they will end up in the playoff rankings and then try and figure out who they will meet in the first round.
Please check back often to this site in the next week, as we bring you all the info you will need for the upcoming 2006 OSSBA playoffs.
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OSSBA grants exemptions for playoffs
August 24, 2006 --
The Ontario Senior Select Baseball Association has granted a playoff exemption to the players listed below who did not reach the minimum required amoutn of games during the season to qualify on their own.
Each player was submitted by their coach for vote by the other 13 coaches in OSSBA. Each coach was to vote either YES or NO, on whether they felt the player should receive an exemption. Eac coach that submitted a players name for a vote also submitted a explanation for that players possible exemption.
A majority vote of 7 of a possible 13 votes decided whether or not a player received exemption status. Teams who submitted players for exemption did not get to vote when it involved their own player.
Talons - Mark Brown
received 8 of 10 YES votes; 3 no responses and no vote consideration from his team. Received a majority and will receive exemption status
Tigers - Shawn Simmons
Received 9 of 11 YES votes; 2 no replies. Received a majority vote and will receive exemption status.
Brooklin - Rod Holinaty
Received 12 Yes votes 1 NO. Received a majority vote and will receive exemption status.
Barrie - Andrew White
Only received 5 Yes votes vs 7 NO votes; 1 team did not respond. Andrew did not receive enough votes to be granted an exemption.
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Regular Season is over and playoffs set to begin
August 31, 2006 --
Well the 2006 OSSBA Regular Season has come to a close and now teams take a couple of weeks to rest their wounds and get ready for the playoffs that start on the weekend of September 9th and 10th.
Four teams will have a bit longer layoff then the rest of the playoffs teams, as they were able to finish 1st or 2nd in their respective divisions, giving them a bye in the first round. These teams were the Burlington Bulls (1st) and Mississauga Stars (2nd) from the Jenkins Division and the Richmond Hill Phoenix (1st) and Durham Chiefs (2nd) in the Walker Division.
The rest of the teams take to the field starting on Saturday September 9th, though not all teams have confirmed diamond times as of today. Below is a list of the match-ups and those games that have been confirmed. Team that is higher in the standings has home field advantage.
Jenkins Division 1st round matchups:
Mississauga North Bengals (3rd) vs Bloor Jays (6th)
Mississauga Southwest Twins (4th) vs Mississauga North Tigers (5th)
Game #1 - Q1 Park in Mississauga, Saturday Sept. 9th at 1:00pm
Game #2 - 9th Line Park in Mississauga, Sunday Sept. 10th at 1:00pm
Game #3 - 9th Line Park in Mississauga, Sunday Sept. 10th at 3:30pm (if necessary)
Walker Division 1st round matchups:
Brooklin Dodgers (3rd) vs Pickering Pirates (6th)
Game #1 - Kirkey Field in Pickering, Saturday Sept. 9th at 11:00am
Game #2 - Kinsmen Stadium in Oshawa, Sunday Sept. 10th at 12:00pm
Game #3 - Kinsmen Stadium in Oshawa, Sudnay Sept. 10th at 2:30pm (if necessary)
Oshawa Talons (4th) vs Barrie Red Sox (5th)
Game #1 - Barrie Metals Stadium in Barrie, Saturday Sept. 9th at 10:30am
Game #2 - Ritson Park in Oshawa, Sunday Sept. 10th at 12:00pm
Game #3 - Ritson Park in Oshawa, Sunday Sept. 10th at 2:30pm (if necessary)
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Message from the OSSBA President
September 5, 2006 --
I would like to take this opportunity to wish each of the 12 teams participating in this year's play-off the best of luck. After a great 26 game regular season, one which saw two new teams (Richmond Hill and Burlington) win division pennants for the first time in their respective divisions, and two of the four expansion teams earn post-season berths, only time will tell who will be crowed '06 champs. And to the Bulls, all the best on your quest to become only the second team to repeat as back-to-back champions.
A post season preview has been created and sent to our local Metroland newspaper partners. Tomorrow evening will see part one posted - the Jenkins Division. Thursday evening will have the second installment covering the Walker division. Feel free to start making your predictions in the Forum. Who will win each series and in how many games. Who will be this year's Cinderella team, championship finalists and eventual champs? We'll keep the thread up and see who is the most accurate.
Enjoy and may the best team win!!
Steve Smith
OSSBA President
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2nd Round OSSBA playoff schedules
September 13, 2006 --
Jenkins Division
Mississauga Southwest Twins (4th) vs Burlington Bulls (1st)
Game #1 - Sept. 16th at 1:00pm - 9th Line Park (Twins Home team)
Game #2 - Sept. 17th at 1:00pm - Ireland Park (Bulls Home team)
Game #3 - Sept. 17th at 3:30pm - Ireland Park (Bulls Home team) (if necessary)
Mississauga North Bengals (3rd) vs Mississauga Stars (2nd)
Game #1 - Sept. 16th at 1:00pm - Q Park (Bengals Home team)
Game #2 - Sept. 17th at 1:00pm - Q Park (Stars Home team)
Game #3 - Sept. 17th at 3:30pm - Q Park (Stars Home team) (if necessary)
Walker Division
Oshawa Talons (4th) vs Richmond Hill Phoenix (1st)
Game #1 - Sept. 16th at 12:00pm - Ritson Park (Talons Home team)
Game #2 - Sept. 17th at 5:00pm - Richmond Green (Phoenix Home team)
Game #3 - Sept. 17th at 7:30pm - Richmond Green (Phoenix Home team) (if necessary)
Brooklin Dodgers (3rd) vs Durham Chiefs (2nd)
Game #1 - Sept. 16th at 3:00pm - Ritson Park (Dodgers Home team)
Game #2 - Sept. 17th at 12:00pm - Kinsmen Stadium (Chiefs Home team)
Game #3 - Sept. 17th at 2:30pm - Kinsmen Stadium (Chiefs Home team) (if Necessary)
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Brooklin Dodgers win 2006 OSSBA Championship
October 7, 2006 --
The Brooklin Dodgers were crowned the 2006 Ontario Senior Select Baseball Association Champions today after a thrilling 8-4 win over the defending 2005 Champion Burlington Bulls.
Losing Pitcher was Eric Conlon
Winning Pitcher was Jeff Canning
Save by Sam Grabowski
The Brooklin Dodgers became the 2006 OSSBA Champions in a 3 game sweep of their best of 5 series against the defending 2005 OSSBA Champion Burlington Bulls. The victory by the Dodgers kept the Mississauga Stars as the only team to have won 2 OSSBA titles and also the only team to have won back to back titles.
The series was hi-lited by great pitching on both ends with the high mark being the Perfect Game that Mitch Dunn of the Brooklin Dodgers threw in game #1. The Bulls pitching staff of Jon Leyland, Cam McKnight and Eric Conlon was as strong as it has been all year and kept every game close, giving their team a chance to win each game. However the Dodgers staff was just a little bit better and was able to keep the strong Bulls batting lineup in check for most of the series. The three Dodger pitchers, Mitch Dunn, Sam Grabowski and Jeff Canning had a combined ERA of 1.67 in the three games.
The key on offense was getting key hits at the right time, in this aspect of the game the Dodgers were the victors, as time and again when they needed a key hit someone in the batting order would come through in the clutch.
Defense on both sides of the field was excellent as both of these teams showed why they have some of the best players in the league on defense. Again though it came down to capitalizing on miscues or judgment errors and this the Dodgers again were the better team.
All in all a great series from two great teams. Congratulations to the Bulls for getting to back to back Championship Series and for putting in such a great effort all year long.
Congratulations to the Brooklin Dodgers on their first OSSBA Championship and for a great and complete team effort!
Good luck to both teams in the 2007 season!
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A word from the OSSBA President
October 10, 2006 --
Congratulations to the Brooklin Dodgers – the 2006 OSSBA Champions!!
The 2006 season concluded on Saturday, October 7th when the Brooklin Dodgers defeated the defending champion Burlington Bulls 3-0 in a best of 5 series final. For the Dodgers it took four tries in 6 years to win the cup, but the curse has finally been snapped. Brooklin (formerly Whitby Chiefs) also won the Walker division pennant for an unprecedented third time. The club also became the first team in the (Larry) Walker division to win the league championship. The previous 5 seasons saw a team from the West emerge as champs. Coincidentally it was also the first time the Walker division beat the (Ferguson) Jenkins division in an all-star game as well. For their efforts, the Dodgers have secured the head coaching duties for the 2007 all-star game where league founder and head coach of the Dodgers, Rod Holinaty will be at the helm.
Burlington also had a tremendous season which included winning 5 games in one weekend capturing their first OSSBA Tournament title. The Bulls also captured their first Jenkins division pennant and tied for first overall (with the Richmond Hill Phoenix) for the league’s best winning percentage (.750). By reaching the OSSBA finals the Bulls ensured their head coach Mike Masters will be back for a second consecutive year as head coach of the Jenkins division all-star team.
At this time OSSBA would like to recognize some of the achievements and pay thanks to many of the individuals and partners who helped make the 2006 season such a success:
Overall the league had a tremendous season. Four new expansion teams joined increasing the total membership to 14 teams, the league participated in two all-star games at the Rogers Centre (one against a rival league), the league’s annual tournament attracted two teams from Ottawa and another from Quebec, and a new play-off format that allowed four extra teams to participate.
OSSBA also attracted some new sponsorship partners that help support the league on and off the field. In addition to awarding Players of the Week (one per division) with a pair of Blue Jays tickets for the last 10 weeks of the regular season, Jack Astor’s emerged as the official restaurant of the league. Jack’s gave several coupons and gift certificates for such things as all-star MVP, tournament MVP, the tournament’s Home Run Derby winning team (hitter, pitcher and catcher) and the championship final MVPs (one per team). Rawlings became the official baseball supplier of OSSBA, and presented the league with a great price on baseballs. Jack FM and their Summer Cruiser teams also attended the all-star games at Rogers Centre handing out prizes to children and other interested fans. The Fan 590 was also back attending OSSBA events, but this time around was teamed up with Amsterdam Beer and gave out several coupons to on-field participants at the all-star games and championship finals (tournament). They also donated 5 cases to the OSSBA champions – to help fill the cup!!
National Sports presented some coupons used for the tournament MVP and offered to help support teams with price breaks on their uniform needs. Doctor DJ was back on three separate occasions helping make the two OSSBA events at Rogers Centre huge successes and helped entertain the fans at the Home Run Derby during the annual tournament held in Barrie, ON. The Toronto Blue Jays were also huge supporters of OSSBA again this summer. In fact, President and CEO Paul Godfrey even contact league President Steve Smith at home to help resolve a scheduling conflict earlier in the year. Which saw the league all-star game moved from July 16th to July 23rd to accommodate a Blue Jays’ family outing with owner Ted Rogers..
Another area where OSSBA gained a lot of recognition was through the local media. Rogers Cable covered a few local games at Kinsmen Stadium in Oshawa, also taped highlights of the league all-star game at the Rogers Centre and taped the championship final of the OSSBA tournament game in its entirety. Rogers also aired the game the following week and gave OSSBA two copies on DVD to pass along to interested members of the association. Metroland, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation provided OSSBA coverage in several of their local newspapers – including Burlington, Mississauga, Barrie, Scarborough, Richmond Hill, Ajax/Pickering and Oshawa/Whitby. The papers carried stories on their own local teams such as pre-season previews, all-star stories, scores, standings and post-season coverage. One highlight of the year came in game one of the OSSBA finals where Mitch Dunn of the Brooklin Dodgers threw the first perfect game in OSSBA’s 6-year history, For his achievement, Dunn received an Athlete of the Week honour followed up (later that same week) with another article describing his achievement
The umpires around this league also deserve to be recognized for their dedication and support. They are with the league from start (early May) to finish (early October) participating in double headers every Sunday, our league-run tournament and the play-offs. Without them the league wouldn’t be nearly as successful.
OSSBA did lose one friend this summer but he will never be forgotten by those in the Durham area or connected to baseball in general. Troy May, President and coach of the Oshawa Dodgers of the Intercounty Baseball League passed away earlier this year after being injured in a car accident. Troy was a huge supporter of baseball, a great family man and friend to so many. Troy who also worked for Durham Wholesale Sports in Pickering helped many of the local OSSBA teams with their uniform and equipment requirements. Troy will be greatly missed, but his professionalism, assistance and friendship were all truly appreciated
Others who deserve to be recognized include Tara Canning who sang O’Canada before the league all-star game, Cindy Lord and Rod Holinaty for play-by-play and colour commentary of the OSSBA tournament championship. Rod also deserves praise for his countless hours as convenor of the tournament itself and running the league and tournament websites. Sue Charters, President of Barrie baseball for her assistance in the tournament – booking umpires, diamonds, hotels and everything else to ensure the event was a success. Gerry Ray also deserves to be recognized for his involvement with the OSSBA tournament as do many of the other coaches who acted as convenors at several of the games. Chris Killoran played a major role – helping schedule the umpires in Durham Region for all the teams during the regular season and play-offs. Kyle Pitman (Burlington Bulls), Mike Ovsonka (Durham Chiefs) and Christian Ray (Barrie Red Sox) for their assistance helping enter stats on the league website, and the entire OSSBA executive and membership (players) for their roles in such activities as selling Blue Jays tickets and for being such great ambassadors of OSSBA while participating in other senior tournaments.
And finally to our families and friends who came out to cheer on their favourites teams. We thank you. If not for your support many of the players and coaches could not enjoy a summer full of baseball. Having you with us truly makes our program that much more enjoyable. So to everyone involved, including those not mentioned above, thank you for your overwhelming support, generosity and encouragement. We look forward to another FANtastic summer in 2007 - one we hope will be our best yet.
Respectfully,
Steve Smith
President, OSSBA
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OSSBA Team to take part in Florida Tournament
October 17, 2006 --
The Ontario Senior Select Baseball Association is happy to announce that Brooklin Dodgers Head Coach Rod Holinaty is organizing a trip to a tournament in Florida from January 12th to 15th in 2007. All players in OSSBA are being invited. Details were provided to all head coaches this past week, in hope that they would pass it on via e-mail to their teams.
The tournament is run by the MSBL/MABL and is held in Orlando Florida at the Atlanta Braves Spring Training facility in Disney World - hence the name the 2007 Holiday Disney Classic. The team would be playing against teams from Florida as well as the rest of the United States. Each team is guaranteed 3 games in the round robin format. With each players’ registration fee, they also get 4 nights accommodations at the Walt Disney World All-Star Sports Resort and a 1 Day pass to any of a variety of parks in the Orlando area (Disney World, Epcot Centre, Universal Studios, etc..)
An added bonus for players is that they are allowed and encouraged to bring girlfriends, wives and children. There are a variety of packages that make it an affordable vacation for a couple or a whole family.
The cost per player has yet to be finalized as travel arrangements still need to be ironed out and the exact number of people going needs to be finalized as well. However it currently looks like a cost per player would be between $500 and $600, in Canadian Funds. This would include everything mentioned above and also transportation via team mini-vans and uniforms.
The team will be picked from the list of players that submit their names by October 27th. From that date till November 10th players will be informed if they are or are not on the team. To secure a spot on the final roster players must have their $100 deposit in no later then November 10th.
The team will be picked by the coaching staff which currently only has Rod Holinaty officially listed. There will be a staff of at least 4 coaches and currently there are several interested candidates to fill the remaining spots on the staff.
Already several players have expressed a strong interest in taking part, included in that list are:
Cam McKnight – Burlington Bulls
Jon Leyland – Burlington Bulls
Mike Ovsonka – Durham Chiefs
Dave Peart – Bloor Jays
Adam Hand – Bloor Jays
Jeff Canning – Brooklin Dodgers
Dan Blea – Brooklin Dodgers
No players have committed 100% however, as none have paid their deposit.
The team is looking at a roster of no less then 18 players but has no problem if the roster is bigger. There will be at least 8 pitchers on the roster. Rod Holinaty’ s past experience taking teams to Florida, has shown him that you need to bring a very strong pitching staff with you, as that is what will get you far in a strong tournament in the states.
If you require more info or are interested in putting your name forward for consideration please feel free to e-mail Rod Holinaty at r.holinaty@sympatico.ca
Thank-you
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Florida Tournament team announces team name and first 5 players
October 28, 2006 --
Preperations keep moving forward for the team that will be taking part in the Disney Holiday Classic this coming January in Florida. Organizers of the team, which will include players from across OSSBA, have decided on a name for the team. The name will be prominently displayed on the teams jerseys, though a colour scheme for the uniforms has not yet been decided on. The team will be known as the "Ontario Stars".
The coaching staff has also decided on it's first 5 players that will be heading down to Florida. With a list of close to 40 players from around OSSBA showing interest in being part of the team, the coaching staff has a very difficult task in getting the roster to the 20 to 25 players they want to take to Florida. However they think that these first 5 players are exactly the type of guys to start building a team around. All five are talented individuals and also quality individuals that are team players.
So without any further ado, here are the first five players named to the ONTARIO STARS:
Cam McKnight - Burlington Bulls
Chris Lord - Burlington Bulls
Tom Malyk - Mississauga Southwest Twins
Jeff Canning - Brooklin Dodgers
Sam Grabowski - Brooklin Dodgers
More announcements will be made over the next week or so. Players can not be announced until their deposit has been handed to one of the coaching staff. So guys get those cheques in!
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OSSBA's last meeting of 2006 scheduled
November 10, 2006 --
The final meeting of the 2006 season for the OSSBA Executive is to be held on Sunday December 3rd in Richmond Hill. The start time for the meeting has been set for 12:00pm. A location is still to be determined in Richmond Hill.
Please check back for further info.
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Ontario Stars announce Florida roster
November 15, 2006 --
The coaching and management staff for the Ontario Stars are happy to announce the player roster for the 2007 Holiday Classic at Disney's Wide World of Sports. This tournament is hosted by the MSBL (Men's Senior Baseball League). The tournament will take place on the weekend of January 12 to 14th in 2007.
The roster of 22 players is as follows:
Cam McKnight - Burlington Bulls
Chris Lord - Burlington Bulls
Tom Malyk - Mississauga Southwest Twins
Jeff Canning - Brooklin Dodgers
Sam Grabowski - Brooklin Dodgers
Danny Monck - Bloor Jays
Jason Booth - Richmond Hill Phoenix
Jay Woodford - Mississauga Southwest Twins
Jeff Faulkner - Barrie Red Sox
Dave Peart - Bloor Jays
Jay Jarvie - Brooklin Dodgers
Dan Blea - Brooklin Dodgers
Graig Andrew - Durham Chiefs
Phil Lacombe - Pickering Pirates
Romeo Persaud - Pickering Pirates
Mike Elmhurst - Brooklin Dodgers
Ed Ganhao - Brooklin Dodgers
Johnny DeWolfe - Mississauga Stars
Kevin O'Toole - Mississauga North Bengals
Ryan D'Souza - Pickering Pirates
Adam Hand - Bloor Jays
Mike Weir - Brooklin Dodgers
The team is looking forward to getting indoors in the next couple of months to prepare for the tournament.
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OSSBA to have next meeting on Sunday December 3rd.
November 16, 2006 --
Bayview Hill Community Centre
114 Spadina Rd.
Richmond Hill
L4B 2Y9
905-508-5995
Time: Noon to 4 pm. Please arrive at least 15 minutes early to ensure meeting starts on time.
Room: Meeting/Community Room
All OSSBA members welcome. Player in attendance will have an opportunity to offer feedback/share ideas during new business portion of meeting. Head coaches are reminded to send their rosters (by position) to Steve by November 19 - for 1st and 2nd all-star consideration
Below is a link for the map to the facility:
http://www.richmondhill.ca/subpage.asp?pageid=parks_bayview_hill_community_centre_and_pool
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OSSBA Announces 1st and 2nd team All-Stars
December 6, 2006 --
This past Sunday December 3rd in Richmond Hill, the OSSBA coaches voted on the 1st and 2nd team All-Stars for 2006. These were picked by division.
Players were awarded 5 points for a first place vote and 3 points for a second place vote.
Walker Division
Pitcher - Mike Ovsonka (Durham Chiefs)
Catcher - Brad Hanna (Brooklin Dodgers)
Firstbase - Dan Rushton (Oshawa Talons)
Secondbase - Dan Blea (Brooklin Dodgers)
Thirdbase - Derek Grieve (Durham Chiefs)
Shortstop - Ellison Bautista-Chan (Richmond Hill Phoenix)
Outfield - Mike Robertson (Durham Chiefs)
Outfield - Graig Andrew (Durham Chiefs)
Outfield - Cam Stewart (Richmond Hill Phoenix)
Head Coach - Rod Holinaty (Brooklin Dodgers)
Assistant Coach - Steve Smith (Durham Chiefs)
Sportsman - Mike Robertson (Durham Chiefs)
OSSBA Supporter - Mike Ovsonka (Durham Chiefs)
Jenkins Division
Pitcher - Cam McKnight (Burlington Bulls)
Catcher - Chris Lord (Burlington Bulls)
Firstbase - Pat Buscar (Mississauga North Tigers)
Secondbase - Bryan Blasko (Burlington Bulls)
Thirdbase - Kyle Pitman (Burlington Bulls)
Shortstop - Gregg Cullen (Mississauga Stars)
Outfield - Mike Mousseau (Burlington Bulls)
Outfield - Chris Boissonneault (Mississauga North Tigers)
Outfield - Cody Ireland (Mississauga North Bengals)
Head Coach - Mike Masters (Burlington Bulls)
Assistant Coach - Steve Atkinson (Burlington Bulls)
Sportsman - Cody Ireland (Mississauga North Bengals)
OSSBA Supporter - Kyle Pitman (Burlington Bulls)
2nd TEAM ALL-STARS
Walker Division
Pitcher - Sheldon Gowan (Barrie Red Sox)
Catcher - Brian Stefancic (Richmond Hill Phoenix)
Catcher - Phil Lacombe (Pickering Pirates)
Firstbase - Paul Graham (Durham Chiefs)
Secondbase - Elgene Bautista-Chan (Richmond Hill Phoenix)
Thirdbase - Shawn Loughlin (Pickering Pirates)
Shortstop - Mark Cairns (Brooklin Dodgers)
Shortstop - Mike Asselin (Scarborough Indians)
Outfield - Cal Bessant (Richmond Hill Phoenix)
Outfield - Mike Desputeaux (Richmond Hill Phoenix)
Outfield - Jay Jarvie (Brooklin Dodgers)
Head Coach - Brian Booth (Richmond Hill Phoenix)
Assistant Coach - Jeff Canning (Brooklin Dodgers)
Sportsman - Gary Charters (Barrie Red Sox)
OSSBA Supporter - Christian Ray (Barrie Red Sox)
Jenkins Division
Pitcher - Jon Leyland (Burlington Bulls)
Catcher - Jay Woodford (Mississauga Southwest Twins)
Firstbase - Ken Woodford (Mississauga Southwest Twins)
Secondbase - Jeff Cornish (Mississauga Stars)
Thirdbase - Johnny DeWolfe (Mississauga Stars)
Shortstop - Brad Guy (Burlington Bulls)
Outfield - Dave Peart (Bloor Jays)
Outfield - Matt Spagnola (Bloor Jays)
Outfield - Jeff Bond (Mississauga Southwest Twins)
Head Coach - John Harvey (Mississauga Stars)
Assistant Coach - Colin Wood (Mississauga Stars)
Sportsman - Chris Lord (Burlington Bulls)
OSSBA Supporter - James MacDonald (Forest Glen Giants)
Congratulations to everybody named to the OSSBA 1st and 2nd All-Star teams!
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Ontario Stars on their way
January 11, 2007 --
The Ontario Stars headed out yesterday and today on various flights to Orlando Florida, to take part in the Disney Holiday Classic being held at the Disney Wide World of Sports, Spring Training home of the MLB Atlanta Braves.
The Coaching staff of Rod Holinaty and Mike Masters are very confident in the team of 20 players they have going with them and are looking forward to some great success.
The starting rotation has been announced for the Round Robin portion of the tournament and is as follows:
Game #1 Friday Jan. 12th at 11:30am vs St. Pete Blue Jays - Cam McKnight (Burlington Bulls)
Game #2 Saturday Jan 13th at 6:00pm vs Long Island Mets - Jeff Canning (Brooklin Dodgers)
Game #3 Sunday Jan. 14th at 8:15am vs Miami Nationals - Tom Malyk (Mississauga Southwest Twins)
The Ontario Stars hope to be making regular updates here on the OSSBA site to keep all members of OSSBA and it's fans informed on how the team is doing. So please check back throughout the weekend.
Let's Play Ball!
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Ontario Stars taste defeat in first game of Tournament
January 12, 2007 --
In their first game of the Disney Holiday Classic, the Ontario Stars definitely showed the rust that had accumulated since October. The defense was definitely shakey as starter Cam McKnight pitched well and kept the ball on the ground. However the ball kept finding ways to get past or through the Stars players. Cam pitched into the 8th inning, giving away to Sam Grabowski who finished off the 8th.
The bats for the Ontario Stars were strong as they collected 7 runs in the 8 inning game.
A more detailed report ofthe game will be poted tomorrow once he scoresheets are handed back to the team.
Final score St. Pete's Blue Jays -14 Ontario Stars - 7
Next game Saturday January 13th at 6:00pm vs the Long Island Mets.
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Ontario Stars fall for second straight game
January 13, 2007 --
The Ontario Stars went into their second game of the Disney Holiday Classic, with high hopes and looking to improve on their first game loss.
With Jeff Canning on the mound for the Stars and a solid lineup from top to bottom, they were just not ableto string togeter multiple hits for he nine innings. Jeff gave way to Sam Grabowski in the 5th inning but the bats just never got on track.
The Stars scatterred 10 hits only scoring one run in their final at-bat, to avoid the shutout.
Final score Ontario Stars - Long Island Mets - 9
The Stars next game is Sunday January 4th at 8:15am vs the Miami Nationals. The Stars hope to salvage a win from this tournament.
A more detailed report of the game to follow.
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Ontario Stars salvage tie in Florida
January 15, 2007 --
In their final game the Ontario Stars were able to salvage a tie against the Miami Nationals.
The Stars got a solid 7 innings from starter Tom Malyk and he was picked up in the 8th by Adam Hand.
The bats were not as strong as they had been in the previous two games, but were able to put up 4 runs and then hold on for the tie.
Final score - Ontario Stars - 4 Miami Nationals - 4
A full tournament report will be posted shortly.
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New Name, New Teams for 2007!
January 22, 2007 --
The Ontario Senior Select Baseball Association had it's first meeting of 2007 and a few big changes were put in place.
The first item of business at the meeting was expansion proposals from both the Mississauga Majors and the new Whitby Chiefs. Both applications were accepted and bring up the total number of teams in the association to 16. With the increase in the number of teams, each of the new teams was placed in their respective divisions. Majors being placed in the Jenkins and the Chiefs in the Walkers. These division names will actually now be Conference names. Each conference will now have two divisions of four teams. The exact alignment is still to be discussed and propsals will be accepted at the next meeting in February.
The entire Association would like to welcome both the Mississuaga Majors and the Whitby Chiefs to OSSBA! We are looking forward to both programs being competitive and adding to the continued increase in quality baseball in the league.
The next big change was in the removal of the word "Select" from the associations name. From this day forward the association will be called the "Ontario Senior Baseball Association". The removal of "Select" from the name was in response to the dwindling number of actual select teams in Ontario. As more and more teams and individuals enter the league from other levels of baseball it was decided that keeping a link to just one level of ball was not the appropriate thing to do, if the association wishes to continue to grow and prosper.
With the new name comes the need for a new logo. So the Executive is asking for it's coaches, players and fans to submit entries for a new logo to be unvailed by the opening weekend in May. Please submit entries to r.holinaty@sympatico.ca
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OSBA announces Directors for the 2007 & 2008 seasons
January 23, 2007 --
The Ontario Senior Baseball Association voted for their Director positions at this past Sundays meetings.
OSBA is proud to announce it's 2007 & 2008 Directors:
President - Steve Smith - Whitby Chiefs
Vice-President - Gerry Ray - Barrie Red Sox
Vice-President - Ron Smith - Forest Glen Giants
Treasurers - Steve Smith & Brian Booth - Richmond Hill Phoenix
Secretary - Rod Holinaty - Brooklin Dodgers
Congratulations to all the Directors and we look forward to your guidance over the next two years.
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OSBA Executive meeting this Sunday
February 7, 2007 --
The next OSBA meeting will be this coming Sunday February 11th.
Meeting will be from noon to 3 (room to 4). Same location as last month. Please be there by 11:45 so meeting can start on time.
Should anyone not be able to attend please contact OSBA President Steve Smith
Tickets for the OSBA outing at the Jays game in April, will also be available for pick-up.
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OSBA Playoff format tweaked for 2007
February 13, 2007 --
The Ontario Senior Baseball Association has made some adjustments to it's playoff format in light of the changes to a two conference/four division league.
In 2007 the playoffs will look as follows:
In each division the 1st and 2nd place teams make the playoffs. This puts four teams in each conference into the playoffs.
Then the next two best teams (wildcards) also make the playoffs, bringing the total number of playoff teams in each conference to six.
The 1st place teams will be ranked 1-2 in each Conference and will recieve a bye in the first round. The remaining 4 teams will be ranked 3 to 6.
The rounds will be the same as last year with teams playing a best out of 3 in rounds 1 thru 3. The Championship round will be a best of 5.
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Re-Alignment happens in OSBA
February 13, 2007 --
At it's most recent meeting, the Ontario Senior Baseball Association went through the arduous task of setting up it's new Conferences with two Divisions in each. This task was made necessary by the addition of two new teams. These conferences will be named simply the East and West conferences. Division names have yet to be decided on. Each Conference has 8 teams and will have 4 teams in each division.
The Divisions are:
East #1
Barrie Red Sox
Pickering Pirates
Richmond Hill Phoenix
Scarborough Indians
East #2
Brooklin Dodgers
Durham Chiefs
Oshawa Talons
Whitby Chiefs
West #1
Burlington Bulls
Forest Glen Giants
Mississauga Majors
Mississauga North Bengals
West #2
Bloor Jays
Mississauga Stars
Mississauga North Tigers
Mississauga Southwest Twins
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OSSBA Becomes OSBA
March 21, 2007 --
The Ontario Senior Select Baseball Association (OSSBA) will now be known as OSBA - dropping the word "Select" from its name. Over the past few years, OSBA has attracted several players from many different levels of baseball and this name change is meant to reflect the overall claibre of the association.
Along with the name change there has been a new logo developed - which will be unveiled shortly. As the association enters its seventh season, there will also be many new changes which will hopefully make 2007 our most exciting season yet. Already announced was the addition of two new expansio teams - the Mississauga Majors and the Whitby Chiefs. With the addition of these two ball clubs, OSBA has grown to a 16 team association. Stay tuned for further league developments over the next month.
Thank you,
OSBA
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New Name. New Logo. Same Great Baseball
March 22, 2007 --
When the decision was made to change the association's name to OSBA from OSSBA, it presented the perfect opportunity to create a new logo as well. Several players, coaches and fans submitted artwork for consideration. It was at the March meeting where the winning design was chosen. OSBA would like to thank everyone who submitted artwork. Romeo Persaud of the Pickering Pirates deserves special recognition. Romeo not only submitted the most logos, but in the end, found someone who created the design which received an unanimous vote of approval. With that said, OSBA would like to send a special thank you to Shireen Nadir, Art Director for aka Communication Associates, Inc. To view the aka Communication Associates, Inc. website please visit: www.akacom.com
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New OSBA Conferences/Divisions finalized
April 3, 2007 --
This past weekend saw the OSBA Board of Directors finalize the new Conferences and divisions in those conferences for the 2007 season.
The 2006 divisions have now ostensibly become the new conferences so the names will stay the same. Larry Walker Conference and the Fergie Jenkins Conference. Each conference will have two divisions of four teams. Each divisions winner will make the playoffs and receive a first round bye. Second place teams in each division will also guarantee themselves a spot in the playoffs but will not receive a bye. The next two best teams (wildcards) in each conference will also make the playoffs. The two division winners will be ranked 1-2 and the rest of the teams in each conference will be ranked 3rd to 6th.
Jenkins Conference:
Division #1
Burlington Bulls
Mississauga North Bengals
Forest Glen Giants
Mississauga Majors
Division #2
Mississauga Stars
Mississauga Southwest Twins
Bloor Jays
Mississauga North Tigers
Walker Conference:
Division #1
Richmond Hill Phoenix
Oshawa Talons
Barrie Red Sox
Whitby Chiefs
Division #2
Durham Chiefs
Brooklin Dodgers
Pickering Pirates
Scarborough Indians
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OSBA Releases May Schedule
April 11, 2007 --
OSBA is happy to release the schedule for the month of May. The first three weeks of the season are now posted on the site, which you can find on the left hand menu under "2007 OSBA Schedule"
Once all teams have finlaized their diamond time for the remainder of the season, the full schedule will be posted. Please stay tuned.
Opening Day for the 2007 OSBA Season will be May 5th with two doubleheaders taking place.
The Mississauga North Tigers will visit the 2006 Jenkins Conference Champs Burlington Bulls at Milcroft Park. Game times will be 1:00pm and 3:30pm.
The Bloor Jays will visit the 2006 OSBA Champion Brooklin Dodgers at Ritson Park in Oshawa. Game times will be 1:00pm and 3:30pm.
Let's Play Ball!
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OSBA have record year for Jays ticket sales
April 27, 2007 --
On Sunday, April 15th, the Ontario Senior Baseball Association (OSBA) visited the Rogers Centre to watch the Detroit Tigers take on the Blue Jays. In what has become an annual April outing for the association, OSBA once again put forth a solid ticket sales effort to ensure a large crowd was on hand for the game. Last April the association sold 1552 tickets - making the largest group outing organized by the association.
This year OSBA had a goal to beat last year's mark with a stretch target of 2000 tickets. While the stretch target was not met, OSBA did surpass last year's total - selling 1660 tickets.
The event was a huge success and OSBA would like to thank all of its players, coaches, alumni for their hard work. In addition, OSBA would also like to thank family, friends and co-workers of those in the association for helping make this year's group our largest to date.
This year OSBA will play two additional games at the Rogers Centre. New for 2007: Divisional all-star games. That's right, on Saturday, June 23rd, OSBA will have use of the playing field at Rogers Centre for back to back games.
Game # 1 will see East Division # 1 play West Division # 2 and the second game will pit East Division # 2 against West Division # 1.
Below is a player by player breakdown for ticket sales on April 15th. Each division will send 5 players - as top ticket sellers to the all-star games on June 23rd. There is one slight change. In the West division # 1 a tie occurred for the 5th place spot. Head coach of the divisional all-star team, Mike Masters has decided to increase his roster by one and take both individuals.
More details on the game will be posted in early June.
Thank you,
Steve Smith
President, OSBA
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2007 Presidents Address
May 4, 2007 --
The Ontario Senior Baseball Association opens its 7th season on Saturday, May 5th. Fittingly, both the Jenkins Conference champion Burlington Bulls and the Walker Conference and reining OSBA champion Brooklin Dodgers will host games to kick-start the season. The other 12 teams not in action will play the following day.
Several changes over the off-season including a new association name, website and web address reflect the growth of OSBA. The Mississauga Majors and Whitby Chiefs joined the association pushing the total number of teams to 16 franchises. With the addition of these new clubs, OSBA will have two conferences of 8 and within each – two divisions of four teams. An added benefit to having four divisions will see two additional games at the Rogers Centre. That’s right, on Saturday June 23rd OSBA will have back to back divisional all-star games! This initiative will see approximately 100 OSBA players and all 16 head coaches participate on the field.
While the league executive is always committed to developing new opportunities for its membership, OSBA to succeed needs the players to become more actively involved to sustain long-term growth. Everyone working together creates a greater synergy, and with that in mind, a Competition Committee was developed. This new group was assembled giving each team one representative in an attempt to gather even more player feedback throughout the year and encourage the development and participation of the players in league functions – whether it is an existing event or developed in the future.
OSBA also recognizes that the amazing growth the league has experienced over the past four years could not been obtained without the support of our umpires, friends, family, media partners and local businesses. Everyone plays a part in making the league better each and every season.
So on that note, we are just hours away from opening day. Best of luck to the defending champs on their quest to become only the second team to win back to back championships, and to all the other 15 clubs hoping to stop them!!
Sincerely,
Steve Smith
President, OSBA
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2007 OSBA Schedule completed and posted
May 16, 2007 --
The Ontario Senior Baseball Association is pleased to announce that after a lengthy delay for numerous reasons, the 2007 OSBA Schedule has been completed and posted on this site.
OSBA appreciates the patience of it's coaches, players and fans.
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OSBA sets date for first ever end of season banquet
May 24, 2007 --
The Ontario Senior Baseball Association announced today that their first ever season ending Awards Banquet will be held in Mississauga on Friday November 16th. More details will follow throughout the season and they become available.
OSBA would like to encourage players, coaches and fans to take pictures and video throughout the year and submit the best stuff to OSBA. The association hopes to make available a DVD for everybody that would like one, chronicling the highlights and lowlights of the season.
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OSBA All-Star team announced for June 3rd game
May 25, 2007 --
The Ontario Senior Baseball Association will be playing the Scarborough Adult Baseball League in an All-Star game on Sunday June 3rd at the Rogers Centre.
OSBA has gone through an extensive process to pick the 26 players that will be taking part in the All-Star game as the Ontario Stars.
Each team was guaranteed one representative for the game.
The list below is the 26 man roster in alphabetical order by team, the starting lineup will be named at the beginning of next week.
Christian Ray (Barrie) - 1B
Paolo Discipio (Bloor) - DH
Dan Blea (Brooklin) - 2B
Mitch Dunn (Brooklin) - P
Sam Grabowski (Brooklin) - P
Mike Weir (Brooklin) - OF
Jon Leyland (Burlington) - P
Cam McKnight (Burlington) - P
Kyle Pitman (Burlington) - 3B
Mike Ovsonka (Durham) - 2B
Mike Robertson (Durham) - OF
Chris Micolino (Forest Glen) - C
Josh Pileggi (Miss. Majors) - P
Johnny DeWolfe (Miss. Stars) - 3B
Brad Kozak (Miss. Stars) - C
Cody Ireland (Miss. N. Bengals) - OF
Chris Boissonneault (Miss. N. Tigers) - OF
Tom Malyk (Miss. Sw. Twins) - P
Jay Woodford (Miss. Sw. Twins) - C
Ryan Reid (Oshawa) - P
Jaymin Parmar (Pickering) - SS
Ellison Bautista-Chan (Richmond Hill) - SS
Cam Stewart (Richmond Hill) - OF
Brandon Veenstra (Richmond Hill) - P
Jamie Tessier (Scarborough) - 1B
Graig Andrew (Whitby) - OF
CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL PLAYERS who have been chosen to represent OSBA at the 2nd Annual OSBA vs SABL All-Star Game.
OSBA would like to encourage all it's players, coaches and fans to come on down to the Rogers Centre on June 3rd to cheer on the team!
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OSBA vs SABL All-Star game info
May 28, 2007 --
Game time is 8:00 pm. All players are to report to gate #8 and meet just inside the doors at 7:00pm. Players will use the washrooms to change and hopefully we can take the field around 7:30.
Waiver forms are to be filled out prior to arriving at the Rogers Centre. Players and Coaches can not set foot on the field without one of these forms being filled out. Players can get these forms from their coaches.
Any players who still have their "Ontario Stars" jersey from the Florida trip, are to bring them to the game.
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OSBA announces All-Star Game starters
May 31, 2007 --
The Ontario Senior Baseball Association have released their list of positional starters for the upcoming All-Star game against SABL.
P - Mitch Dunn - Brooklin Dodgers
C - Brad Kozak - Mississauga Stars
1B - Jamie Tessier - Scarborough Indians
2B - Phil Messina - Bloor Jays
3B - Kyle Pitman - Burlington Bulls
SS - Jaymin Parmar - Pickering Pirates
LF - Cody Ireland - Mississauga North Bengals
CF - Mike Desputeaux - Richmond Hill Phoenix
RF - Cam Stewart - Richmond Hill Phoenix
DH - Paolo Discipio - Bloor Jays
New Additions to the team:
Phil Messina - Bloor Jays
Mike Desputeaux - Richmond Hill Phoenix
Derek Grieve - Brooklin Dodgers
Paul Graham - Durham Chiefs
Players who were unable to attend:
Jon Leyland - Burlington Bulls
Ryan Reid - Oshawa Talons
Christian Ray - Barrie Brewers
Brandon Veenstra - Richmond Hill Phoenix
Mike Robertson - Durham Chiefs
Chris Boissonneault - Mississauga North Tigers
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OSBA gets revenge for 2006 loss to SABL
June 4, 2007 --
The Ontario Senior Baseball Association came into their All-Star game against SABL with a single thought of exacting some revenge for their 8-1 loss in 2006.
President/Head Coach Steve Smith along with Assistant Coaches Steve Atkinson, John Harvey and Rod Holinaty, worked hard to put together a team that they felt would give OSBA a better result in 2007. Well they did a great job, as the team they assembled jumped out of the gate with 8 runs in the bottom of the 1st inning. Key hits in the inning came off the bats of Graig Andrew (Double, 2 RBI's), Brad Kozak (Double, 2 RBI's) and Phil Messina (Double, 2 RBI's). Starting pitcher Mitch Dunn threw 2 scoreless innings as did Mike Ovsonka. Neither of them giving up a hit through the first 4 innings. After the OSBA Stars added a run in the second inning and the 4 inning, Sam Grabowski came on in relief in the 5th innign and continued the scoreless and hitless innings. The OSBA Stars then went and added another 4 runs in the bottom of the 5th inning, with Cam Stewart slamming a double for 2 RBI's to cap the inning off. Grabowski ran into some trouble in the 6th giving up 2 hits and run. OSBA got that one run back and a little more in the bottom of the 6th inning, with Graig Andrew slamming a 2 run triple. Cam McKnight entered the game in the top of the 7th and threw a scoreless inning. In the bottom of the 7th inning the OSBA Stars continued to pound the ball and added another 2 runs to their total. The 8th inning started as curfew drew near. Tom Malyk pitched the 8th inning giving up only the second of the game to the SABL Stars.
Final Score:
SABL Stars - 2
OSBA Stars - 19
Losing Pitcher - Singh
Winning Pitcher - Mitch Dunn
Game MVP - Graig Andrew (2-3, double, triple, walk, 2 Runs, 4 RBI's)
Full OSBA Boxscore to be posted later this week.
Congratulations to all the players on an excellent game! Looking forward to next years game.
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OSBA gets newspaper coverage
June 14, 2007 --
The Ontario Senior Baseball Association received some recent coverage in the Oshawa/Whitby This Week. the article covers OSBA's recent win over SABL at the Rogers Centre.
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Divisional All-Star teams announced
June 16, 2007 --
The OSBA Divisional All-Star teams that will be playing against each other on Saturday June 23rd at the Rogers Centre, game times are Game #1 5:30pm and Game #2 8:00pm, have been set.
Each team has an automatic 5 representatives
Each All-Star team has 5 of the top ticket sellers in their division, added to the All-Star team.
Game #1:
Jenkins Division #2:
Paolo Discipio - Jays
Jon Bassett - Jays
Rohan Sukhedo - Jays
Dave Peart - Jays (Ticket Seller)
Phil Messina - Jays
Johnny DeWolfe - Stars
Brad Kozak - Stars
Andrew Wood - Stars
Nat Burgess - Stars
Lee Parisani - Stars
Colin Wood - Stars (Ticket Seller)
Chris Boissonneault - Tigers
Shawn Simmons - Tigers
Eric Beresford - Tigers
Craig Martin - Tigers
Pat Buscar - Tigers
Ken Woodford - Twins (Ticket Seller)
Mike Odonnell - Twins (Ticket Seller)
Jeff Bond - Twins
Justin Butler - Twins
Ian Moszczak - Twins
Kyle Sakaguchi - Twins
Curtis Strabec - Twins
Walker Division #1
Andrew Cook - Brewers
A.J. Martin - Brewers
David Williamson - Brewers
Chris Fitzpatrick - Brewers
Shawn Gourlie - Brewers
Christian Ray - Brewers (Ticket Seller)
Graig Andrew - Chiefs (Ticket Seller)
Jason Andrews - Chiefs
Darryl Lewis - Chiefs
Dave Gemmell - Chiefs
Adam Bickford - Chiefs
Denny Howell - Chiefs (Ticket Seller)
Ryan Fraser - Chiefs (Ticket Seller)
Sean Tremaine - Chiefs
Cam Stewart - Phoenix
Mike Desputeaux - Phoenix
Craig Bessant - Phoenix
Jason Booth - Phoenix
Scott Angus - Phoenix
Paul Mannella - Talons
Shawn Scott - Talons
Brandon Ament - Talons
Todd Crowley - Talons
Game #2:
Jenkins Division #1
Greg DaCosta - Bengals (Ticket Seller)
Brandon Hlynksy - Bengals
Garrett Nicol - Bengals
Jon Menezes - Bengals
Andrew Costley - Bengals
Francis Palotta - Bengals
Jeff McNair - Bulls (Ticket Seller)
Jason Hogan - Bulls (Ticket Seller)
Andrew Swaggers - Bulls
Jamie Kozak - Bulls
Mike Mousseau - Bulls
Mike Howden - Bulls
Chris Lord - Bulls
Brad Johnston - Bulls (Ticket Seller)
Mannie Dhillion - Giants (Ticket Seller)
Mike Gren - Giants
Jonathan Harrison - Giants
Mario Mainelli - Giants
Pete Nicolaichuk - Giants
Matt Klas - Giants
Paul Roth - Majors
Danny Taormino - Majors
JP Anderson - Majors
Joey Pileggi - Majors
Chris Maloney - Majors
Adam Sawoszcuk - Majors - (Ticket Seller)
Walker Division #2
Kerry Noel - Chiefs
Paul Graham - Chiefs
Justin Bird - Chiefs
Chris Aarons - Chiefs
Rob Robinson - Chiefs
Brad Hanna - Dodgers (Ticket Seller)
Derek Grieve - Dodgers (Ticket Seller)
Mitch Dunn - Dodgers (Ticket Seller)
Jay Jarvie - Dodgers (Ticket Seller)
Mike Elmhurst - Dodgers (Ticket Seller)
Ed Ganhao - Dodgers
Sean Blea - Dodgers
Mike Weir - Dodgers
Wayne Wickens - Dodgers
Sam Grabowski - Dodgers
Mike Asselin - Indians
Drew Kendall - Indians
Frank Gualteri - Indians
Kyle Tomlin - Indians
Chris Theodoru - Indians
Dave Lewis - Pirates
Scott Slack - Pirates
Phil Lacombe - Pirates
Wil Mariani - Pirates
Dave McElroy - Pirates
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OSBA Takes Over Rogers Centre
June 21, 2007 --
For one evening, the Ontario Senior Baseball Association (OSBA) will play baseball for five consecutive hours at the Rogers Centre. On Saturday, June 23rd, the OSBA will play back to back divisional all-star games – intended to let close to 100 members of the association have an opportunity to participate in the festivities.
The divisional all-star games are new for 2007. Each of the 16 OSBA teams was asked to select five players to represent their club and division. In addition, the top 5 ticket sellers from each division also were added to their respective squads. Under the current 28 game regular season schedule not every team faces one another. In fact, the cross-over portion of the schedule where East plays West only allows each division to play against one entire division (not both) from the opposite conference.
While the main intent of these games is to allow close to half of the OSBA membership an opportunity to play at the Rogers Centre, these games will also allow members of each division to face opponents from the division their individual teams will not face during the course of the regular season.
Game # 1 will start at approximately 5:30 pm
Walker Conference – Division # 1 vs. Jenkins Conference – Division #2
Members of the Barrie Red Sox, Oshawa Talons, Richmond Hill Phoenix and the expansion franchise from Whitby (Chiefs) will combine to take on one team comprised of players from the Bloor Jays, Mississauga Stars, Mississauga Southwest Twins and Mississauga North Tigers.
Game #2 will start at approximately 8 pm and go to 10:30 pm
Walker Conference – Division # 2 vs. Jenkins Conference – Division # 1
The Walker Conference will see the Brooklin Dodgers, Durham Chiefs, Pickering Pirates and the Scarborough Indians join forces to take on players from the Burlington Bulls, Forest Glen Giants, Mississauga North Bengals, and the other 1st year team - the Mississauga Majors.
Players not participating in one or both of the games are encouraged to show their support as fans in the stands. Friends and family are also welcome and should report to gate #8 – which is at the south end of the stadium.
The official DJ of the OSBA – Rich Messina, Dr. DJ, will be in attendance for both games to help provide some additional entertainment for the crowd.
Should anyone have any questions, please feel free to contact league President, Steve Smith at stephen.smith@rogers.com
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2007 OSBA Tournament
June 26, 2007 --
The tournament has 16 teams with 10 of them from OSBA. The OSBA teams taking part are: Burlington Bulls, Bloor Jays, Mississauga North Tigers, Mississauga North Bengals, Mississauga Majors, Durham Chiefs, Barrie Brewers, Richmond Hill Phoenix, Brooklin/Whitby Stars and the Oshawa Talons. The tournament also includes the following teams: Hamilton Pirates (ICBL), GHBL Stars (GHBL), Oshawa Updogs, Brampton Cardinals (BMRBL), West Toronto Royals (BMRBL) and Mississauga Jays (MMBL).
Round Robin games will take place from Thursday night to Saturday night. Playoffs will be played on Sunday with Monday being held as a raindate.
On Saturday night OSBA will hold a HR Derby for the second year in a row.
The Tournament site will have more info such as the rules, direction to parks and will have scores posted as the tournament progresses.
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2007 OSBA Tournament a huge success
July 4, 2007 --
This past weekend the Ontario Senior Baseball Association ran it's annual tournament in Barrie. The tournament was moved from the August Civic Long Weekend to the July 1st long weekend for this year.
OSBA had 16 teams take part with 10 of those coming from OSBA itself. The weather in Barrie was beautiful all weekend long and some great baseball was played throughout the weekend.
Sunday saw some great baseball played in the tournament playoffs. This year being the first with Quarter-finals, which allowed for 8 of the 16 teams to continue on to Sunday.
The tournament final saw the defending 2006 OSBA Tournament Champions Burlington Bulls return to the final for their record 3rd straight year with a perfect 5-0 record. Their opponents were the Brooklin/Whitby Stars, a team comprised of players from both OSBA teams with a couple added from Scarborough as well. The Brooklin/Whitby Stars came into the final also with a perfect 5-0 record.
The stage was set for a great game and neither team disappointed. Each scoring a run in the first and then the two pitchers (Cam McKnight Burlington Bulls & Chris Theodoru Brooklin/Whitby Stars) dueled the rest of the way into the 7th inning. The Stars were able to put 2 runs across in the top half of the inning to take a 3-1 lead. The Bulls however would not go away quietly, notching 1 run of their own to make the score 302 and threatened with the bases loaded and two outs before a fly ball ended the game, giving the Brooklin/Whitby Stars the 2007 OSBA Tournament Championship.
Championship and game and tournament MVP's were Jamie Kozak of the Burlington Bulls and Chris Theodoru of the Brooklin/Whitby Stars. Each received gift cards from tournament sponsor Jack Astor's in the amounts of $25 and $50 respectively.
All the scores will be posted today on the OSBA Tournament site, so please check it for full details.
OSBA and I, Rod Holinaty, would like to thank everybody who helped out this year to make it one of the smoothest and fun tournaments that OSBA has held.
Gerry Ray, Sue Charters, Gary Charters and Jim Taylor for their work in securing the diamonds and umps and helping out convening when needed. Sue for doing the announcing in the Championship game. Jim for helping out at the HR Derby.
All the OSBA coaches who helped convene the games they took part in and especially Mike Masters who convened extra games where their was no OSBA coach taking part. Also a big thanks to Mike for keeping the tournament website up to date with scores as they happened. Also for securing the 16th and final team in the tournament.
A big thank you to all the umpires who took part this year, they had to be one of the best group of umps we have ever had. Not only for their work on the field but also the little things they did off the field to help the tournament run smooth.
Finally a special thanks to OSBA President Steve Smith who helped keep everything on track leading up to the tournament and who not only helped out all weekend doing various jobs including running the HR Derby and also securing the prizes for the Derby and also the MVP awards in the tournament final.
Now the planning starts for the 2008 tournament to make it bigger and better!
Sincerely,
Rod Holinaty
OSBA Tournament Convenor
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Bulls triumph in Ottawa
July 16, 2007 --
The Ontario Senior Baseball Association would like to congratulate the Burlington Bulls on winning the 8th Annual Nepean Brewers Tournament this past weekend in Ottawa.
Congratulations to all the players and coaches on a great tournament!
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2007 OSBA All-Star game fast approaching
July 27, 2007 --
With the 2007 OSBA All-Star Game only 22 days away, the two head coaches (Mike Masters - Jenkins Conference and Rod Holinaty - Walker Conference) are hard at work getting their teams selected with the aid of the coaches in each of their conferences.
The game will be on Sunday August 19th and will be played at the Rogers Centre. Game time is set for 5:30pm. Players and coaches are asked to report 1 hour before game time at Gate #8.
This year will see each team have a roster of 25 players. These players will be picked in a slightly different method then it past years. Each team will have two players on their respective Conferences All-Star team. The first player is to be picked by the All-Star team Head Coach and the second by the repsective teams Head Coach. This will give each team 16 players once these picks are done. The All-Star team Head Coaches will then pick an additional 9 players, with input from their coaching staff, selected from coaches within their conference.
OSBA hopes to have the teams announced by August 8th so stay tuned for further announcements.
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5 OSBA teams head to Peterborough Tournament
August 1, 2007 --
This coming August long weekend will see 5 teams from OSBA take part in the annual Peterborough Recreational Baseball Association Civic Long Weekend Tournament.
The 5 teams heading to Peterborough will be Richmond Hill, Burlington, Mississauga Southwest, Brooklin and the current defending tournament Champions, Scarborough.
Tournament play starts for all the teams on Saturday. Games to be played in both Peterborough and Port Hope. Playoff games will be played entirely on Sunday in Peterborough with both a Consolation Bracket and Championship Bracket.
A full Round Robin schedule is below with the Playoff schedule as well.
OSBA would like to wish all five teams the best of luck and we know you will represent the association with flying colours!
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Peterborough Tournament Schedule
August 1, 2007 --
Here is the schedule for the OSBA teams taking part in the Peterborough Tournament. All games in the Round Robin are played on Saturday August 4th.
Division "A"
Burlington Bulls
Toronto Sentinels
Peterborough Champs
Burlington vs Toronto - 1:00pm @ Port Hope
Burlington vs Peterborough - 5:00pm @ Peterborough
Division "B"
Scarborough Indians
Toronto Diamonds
Mississauga Astros
Scarborough vs Toronto - 1:00pm @ Peterborough
Scarborough vs Mississauga - 7:00pm @ Peterborough
Division "C"
Brooklin Dodgers
Guelph Blues
Peterborough Goobers
Brooklin vs Guelph - 9:00am @ Peterborough
Brooklin vs Peterborough - 11:00am @ Peterborough
Division "D"
Richmond Hill Phoenix
Mississauga Southwest Twins
Scarborough Selects
Richmond Hill vs Mississuaga Southwest - 11:00am @ Port Hope
Richmond Hill vs Scarborough - 3:00pm @ Peterborough
Mississauga Southwest vs Scarborough - 9:00pm @ Peterborough
Playoff Rounds
All games played on Sunday August 5th in Peterborough.
Consolation Bracket:
9:00am - Runner-up "A" vs Runner-up "B"
11:00am - Runner-up "C" vs Runner-up "D"
1:00pm - HOMERUN DERBY
Championship Bracket:
2:00pm - Winner "A" vs Winner "B"
4:00pm - Winner "C" vs Winner "D"
6:00pm - Consolation Final
8:00pm - Championship Final
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Richmond Hill Phoenix Triumphant in Peterborough
August 10, 2007 --
The Ontario Senior Baseball Association is very happy to announce that another OSBA team has won a tournament this summer.
During this past 2007 Civic Long Weekend Tournament held in Peterborough by the Peterborough Recreational Baseball Association, The Richmond Hill Phoenix went undefeated in winning their second tournament of their Senior career.
The Phoenix played some outstanding ball on their way to a resounding win in the final against the York Diamonds, winning 22-6.
OSBA and all it's players, coaches and fans, would like to congratulate all the Phoenix players and their coaching staff on a great tournament win!
Other OSBA teams taking part in the Civic Long Weekend Tournament and their results.
Burlington Bulls - 2-0 in Round Robin, lost a tough Semi-final in the Championship Round, in 11 innings.
Mississauga Southwest Twins - 1-1 in Round Robin, lost in Consolation Semi-Final
Scarborough Indians - 1-1 in Round Robin, lost in Consolation Semi-Final
Brooklin Dodgers - 0-2 in Round Robin
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Jenkins and Walker Conference All-Star teams announced
August 11, 2007 --
Jenkins Conference All-Star team
Kevin O'Toole (Bengals) P,3B
Cody Ireland (Bengals) CF
Jon Menenes (Bengals) P,2B
Andrew Swagers (Bulls) SS,P
Brad Guy (Bulls) 3B
Cam McKnight (Bulls) P,1B
Jamie Kozak (Bulls) P,2B
Jon Leyland (Bulls) P,OF
Eric Conlon (Bulls) P
Mike Gren (Giants) P,C
Mario Mainelli (Giants) P,3B
Paulo Discipio (Jays) C,3B
Phil Messina (Jays) SS
Adam Hand (Jays) 2B,P
Josh Pilleggi (Majors) P,IF
Joey Pilleggi (Majors) P,3B
Paul Roth (Majors) P, 3B
Danny Taormino (Majors) SS
Andrew Wood (Stars) OF,P
Brad Kozak (Stars) C,3B,P
Johnny DeWolfe (Stars) P,IF,OF
Greg Clarence (Stars) P,3B
Greg Cullen (Stars) SS,2B
Eric Beresford (Tigers) 1B,3B
Chris Boissenault (Tigers) OF
Walker Conference All-Star team
Chris Fitzpatrick (Brewers) C,OF
David Williamson (Brewers) P
Mike Ovsonka (D. Chiefs) P,2B
Justin Bird (D. Chiefs) SS
Kerry Noel (D. Chiefs) C
Colin Cockburn (D. Chiefs) OF,3B
Mike Robertson (D. Chiefs) OF,P
Graig Andrew (W. Chiefs) OF
Sean Tremaine (W. Chiefs) SS
Dan Blea (Dodgers) 2B
Mike Weir (Dodgers) OF
Wayne Wickens (Dodgers) P
Derek Grieve (Dodgers) 3B
Jeff Canning (Dodgers) P,1B
Chris Theodoru (Indians) P,1B
Jamie Tessier (Indians) 1B,P,C
Craig Stewart (Phoenix) 3B,P
Jason Booth (Phoenix) P,1B
Brian Stefancic (Phoenix) C
Cam Stewart (Phoenix) OF
Mike Desputeaux (Phoenix) OF
Dave McElroy (Pirates) P
Sydney Saunders (Pirates) OF
Ryan D'Souza (Pirates) OF,2B
Mike Arseneault (Talons) P
Todd Crowley (Talons) 1B,2B
* These are the announced Rosters for both teams. Starting on Monday please check the site for updates on players who are unable to attend and their replacements.
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Jenkins & Walker Conference All-Star team substitutions
August 13, 2007 --
The Walker Conference All-Star Team has had a few players inform the coaching staff that they will be unable to attend the OSBA All-Star Game on Sunday August 19th.
Player unable to play is listed first, with his replacement listed second.
Jenkins Conference:
Jon Leyland (Bulls) -> Jason Hogan - 3B (Bulls)
Eric Beresford (Tigers) -> Greg DaCosta - 1B (Bengals)
Chris Boissenault (Tigers) -> Sean Leslie - OF (Giants)
Walker Conference:
Mike Arseneault (Talon) -> Owen Hudgins - C (Talons)
Sean Tremaine (W. Chiefs) -> Jaymin Parmar - SS (Pirates)
Colin Cockburn (D. Chiefs) -> Paul Graham - 1B (D. Chiefs)
Graig Andrew (W. Chiefs) -> Ryan Fraser - 2B (W. Chiefs)
Mike Robertson (D. Chiefs) -> Jason Andrews - OF (W. Chiefs)
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2007 OSBA All-Star game info
August 17, 2007 --
The 2007 OSBA All-Star Game will be played at the Rogers Centre. Game time is 5:30pm and will have a 2.5 half hour time limit. The game will be a 9 inning game.
Players and coaches are to meet at GATE #8 by 4:30pm.
Players and coaches are to have their waiver forms filled out and handed into their respective head coaches, when they arrive.
Fans get free admission to the Rogers Centre for the 2007 OSBA All-Star Game. All Fans must sit in the section behind homeplate, protected by the mesh netting.
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All-Star starting Lineups released
August 17, 2007 --
Jenkins Conference Walker Conference
Brad Guy - 3B Ryan D'Souza - LF
Cody Ireland - CF Jaymin Parmar - SS
Andrew Swagers - SS Mike Weir - CF
Phil Messina - EH Brian Stefancic - EH
Johnny DeWolfe - LF Jeff Canning - EH
Paulo Discipio - C Paul Graham - EH
Adam Hand - 2B Craig Bessant - 3B
Jamie Kozak - EH Todd Crowley - DH
Andrew Wood - RF Chris Theodoru - 1B
Mike Gren - EH Sydney Saunders - RF
Greg DaCosta - 1B Ryan Fraser - 2B
Jason Hogan - DH Owen Hudgins - C
Cam McKnight - P Mike Ovsonka - P
Both of these starting line-ups are not written in stone and could be changed from now until game time on Sunday.
Good Luck to all Participants!
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2007 OSBA 1st Round playoff match-ups
August 31, 2007 --
2007 OSBA Playoffs to start on the weekend of September 8th and 9th. All 1st Round series are best of three. The team that is lower in the standings would get Game #1 on Saturday September 8th with the team that is higher in the standings would have Game #2 and if necessary Game #3 on Sunday September 9th.
JENKINS CONFERENCE
Team listed first has home field advantage
Burlington Bulls and Mississauga Stars receive byes in 1st Round
Mississauga Majors vs Forest Glen Giants
Mississauga North Bengals vs Mississauga Southwest Twins
Home Field advantage still to be determined in this series.
WALKER CONFERENCE
Team listed first has home field advantage
Richmond Hill Phoenix and Durham Chiefs receive byes in 1st Round
Brooklin Dodgers vs Whitby Chiefs/Scarborough Indians
Pickering Pirates vs Oshawa Talons
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2007 OSBA 1st Round Playoff Schedule
September 7, 2007 --
Jenkins Conference:
Mississauga Majors (3) vs Forest Glen Giants (6)
Game #1 - Saturday September 8th - 2:30 p.m. at Fleetwood Park
Game #2 - Sunday September 9th - 4:00 p.m. at Mississauga Valleys
Game #3 - Sunday September 9th - 6:30 p.m. at Mississauga Valleys (if necessary)
Mississauga Southwest Twins (4) vs Mississauga North Bengals (5)
Game #1 - Saturday September 8th - 1:00pm at Q-Park
Game #2 - Sunday September 9th – 3:30pm at 9th Line
Game #3 - Sunday September 9th – 6:00pm at 9th Line (if necessary)
Walker Conference:
Brooklin Dodgers (3) vs Whitby Chiefs (6)
Game #1: Saturday September 8th – TBA(12:00pm/1:00pm) at Iroquois Park
Game #2 - Sunday September 9th - 1:00pm at Kinsmen Stadium
Game #3 - Sunday September 9th - 3:30pm at Kinsmen Stadium (if necessary)
Pickering Pirates (4) vs Oshawa Talons (5)
Game #1 - Saturday September 8th - 1:00pm at Ritson Park
Game #2 - Sunday September 9th - 2:30pm at Kirkey Field
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2007 OSBA PLAYOFF MVP - MITCH DUNN - Brooklin Dodgers
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1ST TEAM ALL-STARS
JENKINS CONFERENCE
Pitcher - Cam McKnight - Burlington Bulls
Catcher - Jay Woodford - Mississauga Southwest Twins
Firstbase - Greg DaCosta - Mississauga North Bengals
Secondbase - Jamie Kozak - Burlington Bulls
Thirdbase - Brad Kozak - Mississauga Stars
Shortstop - Andrew Swagers - Burlington Bulls
Extra Hitter/Designated Hitter - Fraser Vernon - Mississauga North Tigers
Outfield - Cody Ireland - Mississauga North Bengals
Outfield - Danny Monck - Bloor Jays
Outfield - Andrew Wood - Mississauga Stars
Coach - Ryan Rattos - Mississauga North Bengals
Assistant Coach - Steve Atkinson - Burlington Bulls
WALKER CONFERENCE
Pitcher - Mike Ovsonka - Durham Chiefs
Catcher - Brian Stefancic - Richmond Hill Phoenix
Firstbase - Paul Graham - Durham Chiefs
Secondbase - Dan Blea - Brooklin Dodgers
Thirdbase - Craig Bessant - Richmond Hill Phoenix
Shortstop - Ellison Bautista-Chan - Richmond Hill Phoenix
Extra HitterH/Designated Hitter - Jeff Canning - Brooklin Dodgers
Outfield - Mike Robertson - Durham Chiefs
Outfield - Mike Desputeaux - Richmond Hill Phoenix
Outfield - Colin Cockburn - Durham Chiefs
Coach - Rod Holinaty - Brooklin Dodgers
Assistant Coach - Jeff Canning - Brooklin Dodgers
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2ND TEAM ALL-STARS
JENKINS CONFERENCE
Pitcher - Josh Pileggi - Mississauga Majors
Catcher - Chris Lord - Burlington Bulls
Firstbase - Ian Moszczak - Mississauga Southwest Twins
Secondbase - Adam Hand - Bloor Jays
Thirdbase - Joey Pileggi - Mississauga Majors
Shortstop - Johnny DeWolfe - Mississauga Stars
Extra Hitter/Designated Hitter - Jason Hogan - Burlington Bulls
Outfield - Kip Keith - Burlington Bulls
Outfield - Alex Perez - Mississauga Stars
Outfield - Jeff Bond - Mississauga Southwest Twins
Coach - Mike Masters - Burlington Bulls
Assistant - Greg DaCosta - Mississauga North Bengals
WALKER CONFERENCE
Pitcher - Paul Mannella - Oshawa Talons
Catcher - Brad Hanna - Brooklin Dodgers
Firstbase - Chris Theodoru - Scarborough Indians
Secondbase - Elgene Bautista-Chan - Richmond Hill Phoenix
Thirdbase - Derek Grieve - Brooklin Dodgers
Durham Chiefs - Justin Bird - Durham Chiefs
Extra Hitter/Designated Hitter - Jeff King - Durham Chiefs
Outfield - Graig Andrew - Whitby Chiefs
Outfield - Sydney Saunders - Pickering Pirates
Outfield - Mike Weir - Brooklin Dodgers
Head Coach - Phil Lacombe - Pickering Pirates
Assistant - Jim Taylor - Whitby Chiefs
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ONTARIO STARS ROSTER
The Ontario Stars GM/Head Coach Rod Holinaty, named his roster for the upcoming 2008 Holiday Classic at Disney World, at the recent OSBA Banquet. The tournament will take place at the Wide World of Sports in Disney and is the Spring Training facility for the Atlanta Braves.
Along with the help of Assistant GM Steve Smith (Whitby Chiefs), Rod had help in selecting the team from Assistant Coaches Colin Wood (Mississauga Stars) and Jeff Canning (Brooklin Dodgers).
Adam Hand - Bloor Jays
Dave Peart - Bloor Jays
Paul Roth - Mississauga Majors
Curtis Strabec - Mississauga Southwest Twins
Jay Woodford - Mississauga Southwest Twins
Kyle Pitman - Burlington Bulls
Andrew Swagers - Burlington Bulls
Andrew McDermid - Mississauga North Bengals
Johnny DeWolfe - Mississauga Stars
Gavin Rajiva - Mississauga Stars
Cam Stewart - Richmond Hill Phoenix
Mike Desputeaux - Richmond Hill Phoenix
Chris Theodoru - Scarborough Indians
Sam Grabowski - Brooklin Dodgers
Lawrence Thomas - Brooklin Dodgers
Jeff Canning - Brooklin Dodgers
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DISNEY HOLIDAY CLASSIC update
Disney Holiday Classic Schedule for the Ontario Stars
Game #1 vs Boston Cutters http://www.bostonbaseball.com/400hitter/2007_mabl_stats.php
Friday January 18th at 11:00am to be played at Zinn Beck Field in Sanford, Florida
Game #2 vs South Florida Nationals (Stars tied Nationals 4-4 in 2007 tournament)
Saturday January 19th at 11:45am to be played at Disney Field #29
Game #3 vs Philadelphia Yankees http://www.leaguelineup.com/welcome.asp?cmenuid=1&url=yanksgpmabl&sid=85516401
Sunday January 20th at 3:00pm to be played at Disney Field #29
Six teams entered in 18+ tournament.
Two other teams are:
Coral Gable Athletics http://www.geocities.com/coralgablesathletics/
St. Pete Blue Jays (won 2007 18+ tournament) http://www.hometeamsonline.com/teams/?u=STPETEJAYS&t=c&s=baseball&p=home
Top four teams make playoffs.
Semi-Finals on Sunday January20th
Finals on Monday January 21st
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OSBA Meeting
The upcoming OSBA meeting will be held on Sunday January 13th and will be held at the regular location in Richmond Hill, at the Bayview Community Centre in the Boynton Room.
Meeting is to start at 12:00pm, please try to arrive by 11:45am.
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Detroit Tigers vs. Toronto Blue Jays tickets on sale from OSBA
The Ontario Senior Baseball Association will again be selling tickets to a Toronto Blue Jays home game in early April.
The Toronto Blue Jays will be facing the Detroit Tigers.
The game will be on Saturday, April 19th @ 1:07 pm. We have sections 113 B-D and cost is $25.00 per ticket.
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Richmond Hill Phoenix no longer exist
The Richmond Hill Phoenix have changed not only their name but also where they will be playing for this upcoming season.
Their new name will be the Ontario Diamond Jacks and they will play their home games out of Whipper Watson Park and The Fairgrounds Park. Both of these diamonds are located in Newmarket, Ontario.
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Possible OSBA patches for 2008
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Burlington Bulls launch new website
The Burlington Bulls have launched a new website, you can check it out at:
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OSBA releases May schedule
April 2 | |
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