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Welcome to the home of the Golden Horseshoe Baseball League (GHBL)
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1st Annual GHBL Fall Classic
Round Robin Standings
Div A
(1) Bears 3-0
(2) Bulls 2-1
Brewers 1-2
Snipers 0-3
Div B
(1) Bandits 2-1
(2) Cardinals 2-1
Twins 2-1
Vintage 0-3
Semi Final Matchups
Bandits beat Bulls 3-1
Cardinals beat Bears 4-3
Finals
Bandits defeat Cardinals
CONGRATULATIONS TO BURLINGTON BANDITS. 2009 GHBL FALL CLASSIC CHAMPIONS
GHBL end of season Awards
At last weeks meeting, the coaches in attendance voted on the nominated players for the 2009 awards. Congratulations to all the Winners.
TIER 1
Best Offensive Player: Nathan Tennant - Bulls
Cy Young: Jon Leyland - Bulls
Gold Glove: Jeff Mueller - Bandits
League MVP: Darren Payne - Bears
Coach of the Year: Jeff McNair - Bears
Most Sportsmanlike: Chris Lord - Bulls/Branden Wetherup - Pirates
Playoff MVP: Morgan Kielty - Bandits
TIER 2
Best Offensive Player: Scott Gow - Beers
Cy Young: Cody Westra - Beers
Gold Glove: Taylor Broadbent - Terps
League MVP: Scott Gow - Beers
Coach of the Year: Mike Cornack - Beers
Most Sportsmanlike: Mike Cornack - Beers
Playoff MVP (Tier 2) : Braden Bishop - Beers
Playoff MVP (Tier 3) : James Cheeseman - Brewers
President's Address
With the 3rd season of the GHBL coming to a close, a very strong year for the league and some very interesting playoff stories.
The Burlington Bulls capture their 3rd championship renewing old rivalries with the Burlington Bandits who went from the Tier 2 finals, to the Tier 1 finals over the course of one year. A great achievement for both teams.
The Tier 2 finals featured a team that improved greatly as the Burlington Beers went from last place in Tier 2 in 2008 to a championship and the Burlington Terrapins who have gotten better every year go from a Tier 3 Championship to knocking off both previous Tier 2 champions (Padres and Tigers) on the way to a finalist spot in Tier 2.
In Tier 3, we saw last years Tier 3 basement dwellers, the Oakville Brewers go on a great undefeated playoff run that garnered them the Tier 3 trophy over the very game Waterdown Wolves.
Overall as a league, we saw the departure of some old teams and the additions of some new teams that appear to be around for a while. There is a lot of outside interest from the league as expansion will continue into 2010 with a team from Milton and another Burlington team already expressing interest.
Thought hit hard with rain, we managed to get more games in than in 2008 (though still not as many as the very dry 2007 where EVERY single game got played) Some ideas on scheduling rainout weekends for 2010 should make next season even better.
The year is not completely closed off yet though as Chris MacKay works to organize the first ever GHBL Wood Bat Tournament slated for the Oct 16-18th weekend. This edition will be hosted by Burlington, but hopefully this will become an annual tradition where other associations host in subsequent years.
A lot of work goes into making the season possible and a few people deserve specials thanks.
David Buckley – our scheduler and BOMBA president works tirelessly all season long scheduling games in all associations and does a fantastic job in not always ideal circumstances (weather, diamond restrictions, etc..) Without Dave, this league would not be able to run and his efforts are greatly appreciated.
Mike Cornack who put a lot of work into the 2009 All Star Game, HR contest and Hit, Run and Thrown. Hopefully Cornack can be convinced to return to the same role in 2010.
Linda Johnson, Kimberly Holloway and all the other umpire schedulers (I don’t know all their names), but they all do a great job in supporting our league and making sure these games have umpires. We may not always like the umps we get, but at least we have them!
All the fans, parents, coaches, players and administrators who support the league. I attended the Tier 2 finals and was amazed at the amount of people out at the game. Well over 75 fans made that experience really unique and an exciting atmosphere.
Last, but certainly not least, is Mike and Dan Ciardullo and Jeff McNair. One of my conditions in returning to the GHBL was more support and these three went above and beyond in that regard as Tier Convenors. From dispute resolutions, to playoff exemptions and website updating, this league would not have run the same without these 3 and all 23 teams owe them a thanks for all the work they put in.
With the season at a close, next Sunday will feature the first meeting of the “off season” and awards will be voted on. Any teams that have not yet submitted names, are encouraged to do so so that every player worthy of recognition gets a chance to be voted on.
The off season will, as always, bring about many changes to the league including (hopefully) the introduction of wood bats to the league and further revision and refinement of our league structure and rules. I look forward to seeing the league continue to grow and flourish and offer a place for senior baseball to continue to be played in the Golden Horseshoe area.
Thanks,
Mike Masters
GHBL President
Bulls defeat Bandits in Tier 1 Finals
On Wednesday night, the Burlington Bulls won their 3rd straight GHBL championship with a win over the Burlington Bandits. The mark also ties the Bandits record for consecutive championships (2001-2003).
Game 1 of the matchup was without doubt, the gem of the series. The Bulls matched up ace Jon Leyland against the Bandits Morgan Kielty who was 2-0 in playoffs with victories against the Bears and Pirates. The Bandits opened the scoring in top of the 2nd after a Coates walk and Shody single came in on a hit by Geddes. The Bulls got 2 back in the bottom of the 2nd when Pitman and Mote walks came around to score on a 2 run double by Smith. Both pitchers settled into a groove and there was no more scoring until the top of the 6th when the Bandits Hill doubled and was sac bunted to 3rd. The Bulls elected to intentionally walk 3 hitter Morgan Kielty and Mueller took advantage with a big single. An overthrow of 3rd on a stolen base led to another and going into the bottom of the 6th, the Bandits led 4-2. With 1 out, Tennant singles and Pitman doubled him home followed by a Mote RBI single that again tied the game at 4-4. Hill came on in relief and got out of the inning leaving it tied up going into the 7th. In the top of 7, A Shody HBP and Mandic single saw runners on 2nd and 3rd with none out. Mackay lined a single plating 1 and then Leyland bared down and struck out the last 3 leaving the Bulls trailed 5-4 going into their final AB’s. Southon and Leyland led off with walks and then Southon was picked off 2nd. Lord hit a groundball back to the pitcher that was mishandled giving the Bulls new life. Hogan walked to load the bases and with one out, Tennant lined a single up the middle that scored Leyland and Lord to give the Bulls their first lead of the game in a 6-5 win.
Game 2 of the series was an easily forgettable one as neither team looked of championship quality combining for 13 errors in an 18-3 Bulls victory. Nicholson picked up the win in a 5 inning effort.
In Game 3, both teams seemed determined to put on a better performance and it showed in the calibre of the game. The Bulls sent ace Jon Leyland back to the mound and the Bandits countered with Evan Kielty. The Bulls got out to an early 2-0 lead when Leyland and Lord both walked and stoles their way to 2nd and 3rd. A Hogan groundout and Tennant Sac Fly plated 2 runs for the Bulls who led 2-0 after 1 without recording a hit. In the 2nd, the Bandits answered back when Mueller and Shody led off the innings with hits and then MacKay and Geddes droves home 2 a piece to give the Bandits a 4-2 lead.
In the bottom of the 2nd, Kielty walked 3 with 1 out and then battled hard striking out the next 2 to end the Bulls threat. The Bulls were able to get another back in the 3rd when Leyland walked and stole 2nd and 3rd in order to score on a Lord Sac Fly. The Bulls now trailed 4-3 and still had not collected their first hit. On the other side, Leyland had settled into a groove and after striking out the side in the top of the 5th, sat at 10 K’s in the game.
Going into bottom 5, Evan Kielty still had a no hitter going. He got the first out of the inning, before Mark Nicholson lined a double into left centre. Bailey and Southon both reached and the Bulls had the bases full with 1 out for Leyland. Leyland helped his cause with an RBI walk that tied the game and then Chris Lord delivered the biggest hit of the game with a bases clearing double. The Bulls tacked on 2 more and now lead 9-4.
After Hill and Long led off the 6th with back to back walks, Lord threw out Long stealing 2nd and Leyland took over from there. He struck out the last 5 batters of the game to seal the 9-4 victory and championship for the Bulls.
Congrats to the Bandits on a strong series and playoffs where they eliminated both the number 3 seed Bears and the number 2 seed Pirates. After reaching the Tier 2 finals in 2008, reaching the Tier 1 finals this year was an excellent accomplishment for the MacKay’s squad. The Kielty brothers (Morgan and Evan) were both great on the mound in the championship series.
For the Bulls, a perfect 7-0 playoff record (the first time they have even gone undefeated in the playoffs). Leyland 4-0 and Nicholson 2-0 were big contributors, as was Hogan who had a .391 AVG and 16 RBI’s in the 7 games. Smith and Lord also posted great offensive numbers for the Bulls in playoffs.
The Brewer Cup was awarded to the Bulls following the game and accepted by coaches Masters and Douglas on behalf of the 2009 TIER 1 GHBL CHAMPION BURLINGTON BULLS.
From Worst to First -- Beers win Tier 2 Championship
Congrats to the Burlington Beers who went from a 1-17-2 first year in 2008 to a Tier 2 Championship this year. The Beers had a strong playoff run that saw their first two series both go 3 games as they knocked off the Hamilton Orioles and Brant Cardinals to get to the championship.
Much credit to the Terps as well who had a great regular season on the heels of last years Tier 3 Championship. The team knocked off the 2008 defending champion West Mountain Tigers in three games and then the 2007 Tier 2 Champion Burlington Padres in 2 games to reach the finals.
Both teams made tremendous strides forward and were two very worthy finalists.
Here's how the series went down:
Game 1 of the series was forgettable, as the Terps couldn’t shake off the rust of a week layoff and were atrocious defensively, committing 7 errors in an easy 10-0 Beers victory. Westra was dominant for the Beers, facing 3 batters over the minimum and picking up the win in a 5 inning effort.
Game 2 was a thriller, with great performances by both teams. The Terps matched up ace Taylor Broadbent against the Beers Matt Cornack who hadn’t pitched since hurting his arm June 28th against the Dofasco Jays. The Beers opened the scoring in top of the 1st after a Settle walk and back to back Bishop and Telford singles loaded the bases. Broadbent struck out the next two but a bizarre Mike Cornack at bat, where time was called by the batter but not granted, led to an over through at first base and two Beer runs. The Terps got 2 back in the bottom of the 1st when West was hit by a pitch, stole second and came around on a single by Broadbent. A Gahan single then plated Broadbent to tie the game.
Cornack hit 2 Terps in the first, and with his arm feeling a little shaky, was relieved by Westra in the 2nd, after only 1 inning of work. Having pitched the day before, Westra was a little rusty and McInnes greeted him with a quick single up the middle. A Dryburgh fielder’s choice with 1 out plated McInnes for a 3-2 Terps lead. A single and stolen base by Broadbent in the 3rd led to another Terps run, doubling their lead to 4-2.
The game remained this way into the 7th as both pitchers settled down and were throwing great games. In the top of the 7th, Frizzell and Mike Cornack started the inning with back to back singles. Armstrong struck out and an Abraham fielder’s choice plated Frizzell to cut the lead to 4-3. With 2 out and the tying run on second, the game ended when Danny Gow hit a ball of Broadbent’s leg and Broadbent made a great play to chase it down and throw out Gow by a half-step at first, preserving a 4-3 Terps win.
In Game 3, both teams seemed determined to take the lead in the series and a great game was played. The Beers sent Scott Gow to the mound as he returned early from vacation and the Terps countered with game 1 starter Chris West. The Terps welcomed Gow back by hitting him hard with West flying out to start the game, and Broadbent and Velenosi both reaching on back to back singles. Bishop got the Beers out of the jam by throwing out Broadbent twice, the first after his single, and the second to end the inning after he replaced Velenosi as the two out catcher. Mike Cornack, playing in his 2nd game since returning from broken ribs, reached base in the bottom of the first with a walk, stole second and scored on Gow’s single. With 2 out Abraham plated Gow on another single and the Beers had an early 2-0 lead.
The Terps countered by scoring 2 in the second as Waller started the inning with a walk and 3 straight singles tied up the game. A double play ended the threat and the Beers took the lead in the bottom of the 2nd with Stevens double to the fence, plating Frizzell, and a 3-2 score. The Terps bounced back in the top of the 3rd as West started things off with 1 out single to left. A Broadbent single put runners on the corners and Velenosi plated 1 with a single to tie the game. Bishop threw out Velenosi as he tried for second, but a walk to Waller and consecutive hits by Gahan and Shead gave the Terps a 5-3 lead.
In the bottom of the 3rd, Gow walked and stole 2nd with one out, Simpson was hit by a pitch and Abraham plated Gow with a single to cut the lead to 1. Settle than tied the game with an infield hit to 3rd, but Abraham got caught in a rundown to end the inning. After the 3rd both pitchers settled down and neither team had many scoring chances as the night moved on.
In the top of the 7th, with the game still tied at 5, the Terps started a rally as Dryburgh lined a single to left. West than crushed a single to centre and it looked like the Terps would have 2 on with nobody out; but Cornack threw the ball into Danny Gow at second and in a very close controversial call, Dryburgh was called out. On the next pitch West went for second and Bishop tossed him out, his 4th of the game, and after a Broadbent flyout to deep centre, the Beers escaped the inning.
The Beers couldn’t score in the bottom of the 7th and Westra relieved Gow in the eighth for his third appearance in 3 games. The Terps couldn’t score off Westra and in the bottom of the eighth, Mike Cornack singled with 1 out and Bishop doubled him to 3rd. The Terps intentionally walked Gow to load the bases and Telford came through with the winning hit, an infield single up the middle as the Beers walked off to victory and a 2-1 series lead.
In Game 4, both teams played strong games. The Beers bats found holes early as they hammered infield hits and gap shots just out of the reach of the Terps defenders. The Terps fired back by hitting Westra hard, however the hits were directed at Beers defenders and the Terps couldn't sustain a rally to put runs on the board. Westra picked up an astonding 12th victory on the year, and the Beers won in 5 to claim their first Tier 2 GHBL Championship Trophy.
Tier 3 Championship
The first of the three tier championships wrapped up last night with the victorious Oakville Brewers defeating the Waterdown Wolves 2-1 to sweep the finals in three games.
Congrats to the Wolves for making it to the finals. They punched their ticket winning their previous two series against the Red Sox and Spitballers with a combined score of 61-14. However they matched up against some tough pitching and defense in the Brewers. The Wolves showed a lot of heart in game three after being mercied in the previous 2 games and played probably the best game of the entire tier 3 playoffs.
The Brewers were the #1 seed and definitely played like it all playoffs. Not showing any rust after a first round bye they defeated a good Hamilton Mets team in two games. In the first two games of the finals they compiled 25 runs but also held the Wolves to only 1 run in each game. After the first two lopsided victories it could have been tough for them to be in it mentally, especially in a close game, but with the game tied 1-1 they scrapped out the go-ahead run in the bottom of the 5th and behind some great pitching held the lead to claim their first championship.
Congratulations to coach Brian Jacome and all of the Brewers players on a great finish to the year!
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