The 2011 Brooklin/Whitby Fall Classic has come to and end and a new Champion has been crowned, marking this the 5th consecutive year that a differnet team has won the Fall Classic.

Tournament organizers would like to congratulate the Vaughan Vikings on a very hard fought and much deserved win. The team had an excellent run, losing only one game on their way to becoming the 2011 Brooklin/Whitby Fall Classic CHAMPIONS

After going 2-1 in the Round Robin, the Vikings would then take on and defeat league rival Newmarket Express, last years champion, in Semi-Final #2. They would dispose of the Express with an 6-4 win. They were off to the final and a meeting with the Peterborough Riley's who had hammered the Oshawa Banana Slugs, early tournament favorites, with a 12-0 mercy win in 5 innings.

In one of the quickest games on record at the Fall Classic in the five years of operation, the Vikings came out on top of a very good defensive and well pitched game against the Riley's, winning 3-1, in the quick time of 1 hour and 15 minutes.

So a great job by Morty Fergenbaum, his coaching staff and all the Vikings players on a fantastic tournament and tournament win! Congratulations and we hope you are back in 2012!

Well it is Play-Off Sunday and the final four have been determined and are getting ready to battle it out for the title of 2011 Brooklin/Whitby Fall Classic Champion.

The four remaining teams are the Oshawa Banana Slugs, the only unbeaten team in the tourney, the Newmarket Express, 2010 Champions, the Vaughan Vikings and Peterborough Riley's.

Semi-Final #1 starts at 9:00am with the Banana Slugs taking on the Peterobrough Riley's.

Semi-Final #2 starts at 11:30am with the Vikings taking on the Express.

Teams will be hoping for little warmer weather today and the chance that the sun will make an apprearence after a very chilly Saturday Round Robin day.

Good luck to the remaining four teams!

Well after all the dust settled or should we say rain, there remains 8 teams left to battle it out for the title of 2011 Brooklin/Whitby Fall Classic Champion!

There were actually 10 teams remaining but with only 2 parks available this late in the year, it was decided that an 8 team tourney would be best. So the two host teams pulled themselves out and new divisions were created and a new schedule created, which is now posted.

Of the 8 remaining teams, 4 of them are returning from last year, including the 2010 Champion Newmarket Express.

Fingers are crossed for some good weather but teams have been warned to bring warm clothing as well as rain wear, just in case.

Stay tuned for updates throughout the tournament.

A new date has been announced for the 2011 Brooklin/Whitby Fall Classic tournament. The tournament will be held next weekend which is the October 22nd and 23rd.

Tournament organizers are currently polling teams to see who will be able/willing to take part in the delayed tournament but so far prospects look good with only the Dragons and Brewers indicating that they will not be at the Fall Classic next weekend.

The tournament will run with a minimum of 8 teams and at this point 7 have indicated they will be in attendence. The remaining 7 are asking their players or have not responded as yet to the convenors.

The long range forecast looks liek it will be a good weekend with lots of sun, however it may be a little on the chilly side.

Stay tuned for more tournament updates.

It is with deep regret that I must announce that this weekends 2011 Brooklin/Whitby Fall Classic has been POSTPONED to next weekend.

We were informed today that our main diamonds for the tourney, Clarington Fields SW & NW, were currently under water and with the forecast for continued rain and cloud cover, the diamonds would not have the proper chance or tools (Sun) to drain in time to make the games possible. We also were looking at some extensive work to be done on the two diamonds in Whitby. We do not have a report on the Kendal diamond at this time but I'm sure it is not in good condition either.

We need all the parks that we currently have to make the tournament work, so with Clarington Fields being closed by the municipality, we had two choices, either cancel the tournament completely or postpone it to next weekend. We have received approval for this extension of our field permit from the Municipality of Clarington for their diamonds and will be working on the other two as well. If there is an issue with those diamonds we also now have the possible options of other parks that will now be available.

So of course it is up to each team if they wish to wait a week to get in some final baseball or if you wish you can ask for a refund and we will be sure to honour that request.

We need to know no later then Tuesday night October 18th if your team still wishes to take part in the Fall Classic on the weekend of October 21st to 23rd.

Again my apologies for this turn of events but Mother Nature had to have her way. I hope all of the teams will stick around for next weekend and for what should be a great weekend of baseball, just a week late. :)

Sincerely,

Rod Holinaty
Brooklin/Whitby Fall Classic
Co-Convenor

It has been a rough past week with issue after issue popping up to make the setting up and organizing of the 2011 Brooklin/Whitby Fall Classic, one very difficult endeavour. However each hurdle has been over come, many of the issues with the help of coaches from teams within the tournament itself and it is very much appreciated by co-convenors Steve Smith and Rod Holinaty.

So the 16 teams are all confirmed, the 4 divisions are set, the games are scheduled and booked at their parks, the umps have been assigned their games and we are ready to go. All we need and ask is that Mother Nature looks down on us this weekend and finds her love for baseball! :)

So first pitch is set for 8:00am on Saturday morning with four games going at the same time in Whitby, Clarington and Kendal.

Let's Play Ball!

Well it has been a busy few days for the organizers of the 2011 Brooklin/Whitby Fall Classic tournament. Not all of it has been good but more ont hat later, first the good news. The total number of teams has officially reached 16 and there are at least 2 possibly 3 teams on a waiting list, in case the tournament convenors decide to increase the amount of teams.

The teams that have just recently been confirmed are the Mississauga Red Sox of the Mississauga Mens Baseball League, a returning team that made it to the Quarter-finals in 2010 and most recently made it to the finals of the "B" Championship in the MMBL.

The second team is the 4th member of the Ontario Senior Baseball Association to take part in the tournament this year. The Vaughan Vikings will be making their first appearence in the Fall Classic. Their most recent success was making the finals of the Baseball Ontario "AA" Finals, losing to the Bolton Braves.

The 16th team entered looks to be one of the more interesting teams in the tournament if for no other reason then because of where they come from. The Fall Classic is proud to welcome the Toronto Police Double Blue baseball team. The team was just formed this past summer and while they have not gotten much game action this summer, having only taken part in the New York Police/Fire games, going 0-4, they have been practicing all summer and many of their players do currently play on Senior teams in and around the GTA.

So with the full 16 team goal having been met the organizers will now start working on dividing the teams up into divisions and then getting the schedule completed this coming weekend.

Of course with all good news some bad news must follow it seems. This past week has seen the Fall Classic lose two of the marquee diamonds it intended to use and also lose another diamond at night due to the lights not being available. The tournament still has 5, possibly 6 diamonds at its disposal, only 2 now have lights, so the scheduling will now have teams doing a little more travelling around then what was originally hoped. As well it is possible that games could again be put out in Port Hope as it was last year.

There will be more news on the diamond issues and other news such as the posting of the revised 2011 tournament rules, so stay tuned!

Today could be a busy day for tourney co-convenor Steve Smith as he heads to the bank having already received one cheque in the mail for the 2011 Brooklin/Whitby Fall Classic tournament and is expecting at least 1 if not 2 e-mail transfers tonight as well.

The Fall Classics 13th team is the Kendal Crunch (formerly Eagles). The Crunch play in the Eastern Ontario Baseball Association (EOBA). They are a strong team that most recently hosted the Baseball Ontario Senior "A" Championship, eventually losing in the final. Another strong team for what looks to be one of the strongest group of teams that the Fall Classic has ever had.

Earlier today tournament co-convenor Steve Smith was handed a deposit cheque from Jeff King while attending the OSBA Championship Finals in Burlington between the Bulls and Clarington Cubs. This brings the total number of teams confirmed for the 2011 Brooklin/Whitby Fall Classic tournament to an even 12.

Jeff Kings' team which currently is going under the name of Ajax Reds, is a combination of players from the OSBA Ajax Indians and players from the Scarborough Adult Baseball League (SABL). Jeff was able to put the team together rather quickly after only deciding to do it just over 10 days ago.

The drive for 16 is now on!

As the deadline dawned today for the 2011 Brooklin/Whitby Fall Classic tournament, the total number of teams stood at 10 but it did not stay at that number for long, as number 11 was confirmed this morning. The 11th team in the Fall Classic is a team put together from the Richmond Hill/Thornhill Men's League (RHTML) and will be called the Thornhill Jays.

Tournament organisers have extended the deadline for teams to get their money in, as the optimum number of 12 teams taking part, looks to be a certainty, so the goal has been now changed back to what it originally was when the 2011 Fall Classic weas first announced, of 16 teams.

Currently there are 4 teams that have all said they will be sending money in, with another 2 that have said the same but have been dragging their feet a little. Organisers are beating the bushes and doing all they can to get to 16 teams.

Stay tuned for more updates.

Well it had to happen eventually, the 2011 Brooklin/Whitby Fall Classic tournament received confirmation on their 10th team and that puts the tournament into double digits for the 3rd year in a row. The new team is a team that has been put together specifically for the Fall Classic, with players from around the Scarborough Adult Baseball League (SABL) and will go under the name of SABL All-Stars.

Tournament organizers also expect this list to jump by a few team names in the next day or so as at least 3 to 5 other teams have indicated that the entry fee is on it's way to them. So the drive for 16 teams in the tournament is still on and may just mean a little extra work will need to be done in the next week.

Well they said the cheque was in the mail and it really was! lol The organizers for the 2011 Brooklin/Whitby Fall Classic were pleased to find in the mail today a cheque from their 9th team the Peterborough Riley's of the Peterborough Recreational Baseball Association (PRBA).

The Fall Classic has been trying to get a team from Peterborough for a few years now, so we are very pleased at the Riley's entry.

Deadline is fast approaching, only 3 days away.

If you are a team that may be short players to be able to enter the 2011 Brooklin/Whitby Fall Classic or you are a player(s) wanting to take part but don't have a team, then take a look at the "Forum". Players that wish to take part in the tournament can list themselves on the forum and allow for teams to contact them to see if a match can be made. As well teams that may be short players can have a look and possibly shore up their roster for the tourney.

Good luck to all!

The 2011 Brooklin/Whitby Fall Classic tournament is happy to offer several hotels for teams wishing to stay overnight at this years Fall Classic.

Our main hotel is the Quality Hotel and Conference Centre (Oshawa) and our secondary hotel is Holiday Inn Express (Whitby)

#1 - Quality Hotel & Conference Centre (Oshawa) - Has given us a group rate of $131 per room. This hotel is the most central located to all the diamonds we will be using. http://www.qualityhoteloshawa.com/ It is right off of Hwy. #401 at the East end of Oshawa.

If you wish to book here, please contact Amanda Basque either at 905-576-5101 ext: 6649

or via e-mail at hioshawagroupsales@whg.com or amanda.hannah@whg.com

#2 - Holiday Inn Express (Whitby) - They are able to give teams a group rate when you contact them directly. This hotel is located right off of Hwy. #401 in Whitby and is a stones throw from the Whitby diamonds.

If you wish to book here, please contact Aprile Edwards either at 905-665-8400

or via e-mail at sales@whitbyexpress.com

http://www.hiexpress.com/hotels/us/en/whitby/ywtca/hoteldetail

#3 - Other hotels in the area that you might prefer:

- Motel 6 (Whitby): http://www.motel6.com/reservations/motel_detail.aspx?num=1907&utm_source=googleplaces&utm_medium=local&utm_campaign=local

- Quality Suites (Whitby): http://www.choicehotels.ca/en/quality-hotel-cn316?tab=0&cid=651860

- Travelodge (Whitby/Oshawa): http://www.travelodgeoshawa.ca/

- Comfort Inn (Oshawa): http://www.choicehotels.ca/en/oshawa-hotel-comfort-ontario-cn285-en?cid=652402&tab=0

- Best Western (Oshawa): http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/CA/ON/Oshawa-hotels/BEST-WESTERN-PLUS-Durham-Hotel---Conference-Centre/Hotel-Overview.do?propertyCode=66094&cm_mmc=GooglePlaces-_-BW-_-ON-_-66094

- Holiday Inn Express (Bowmanville): http://www.hiexpress.com/hotels/us/en/bowmanville/yyzbm/hoteldetail

The 2011 Brooklin/Whitby Fall Classic tournament secured it's 8th team this past weekend. While not an established team in any league (neither were the Banana Slugs last year and they made it to the Quester-Finals), the Toronto Brewers are compromised of players from a variety of teams and look to do some damage in this years addition of the Fall Classic.

Well it's official, the team with the most original name from the 2010 edition of the Fall Classic tournament is making a repeat appearence in the 2011 Brooklin/Whitby Fall Classic tournament.

The Oshawa Banana Slugs were confirmed as official members of the 2011 Fall Classic early this morning. Their first appearence last year while not as successful as they had hoped, was an enjoyable one for all the players and their fans that followed them from diamond to diamond.

This brings the official number of teams up to 7 for the tournament but the unofficial number is at 9 as one team has sent a cheque in and another has said they sent their deposit via e-mail transfer but neither have arrived at this time.

Stay tuned for more news!

The 2011 Brooklin/Whitby Fall Classic tournament will have the 2010 Champs taking part.

The Newmarket Express confirmed their attendence this past Saturday. The team hopes to be the first team to win back to back Fall Classics. This is always tough, with the teams taking part getting better and better.

This bring the total number of teams that have been confirmed up to 6, with just a little under a month to go to the first pitch!

Tournament organizers are thrilled to announce the 5th confirmed team for the 2011 Brooklin/Whitby Fall Classic.

Today we received payment from the Brampton Astros of the Brampton Men's Recreational Baseball League. This is a returning team.

Stay tuned for more updates!

The Brooklin/Whitby Fall Classic has it's 4th confirmed team, as they received a wire transfer from the Guelph Blues of the Royal city Baseball League last night.

This gives us one team in each division and only 4 teams away from making the tournament official!

Teams are reminded to not wait till the last minute as the list of interested teams continues to grow, reaching 20 teams as of yesterday.

Stay tuned for further updates on confirmed teams and also the release of the 2011 Tournament Rules.

This past weekend the Brooklin/Whitby Fall Classic organizers received the first deposit from an interested team, thus confirming their spot in this years tourney.

It may seem a little silly to get excited about 1 team getting their money in and being confirmed but we hope it will be the first of many, as we still have a growing list of teams who have expressed interest in taking part. So the sooner a team gets their money in the better it is for them.

The Scarborough Dragons of the Scarborough Adult Baseball League (SABL) are the confirmed team and have currently been placed in the "B" division. However there is a good possibility that this could change as more teams fill up the divisions and teams are evened out throughout the 4 divisions.

More teams are expecrted to be confirmed this week with a possible few surprises as well.

Stay tuned for more updates and if you have a team interested get your money in ASAP!

It has been a week since the 2011 Brooklin/Whitby Fall Classic Tournament invitation e-mail was sent out to teams across Ontario and there has already been a large number of teams that have contacted the tournament organizers looking to sign up. If every team that has expressed interest had sent in their money this week, the tournament would only be looking for 1 more team.

It is tournament policy to not name teams until they have official been accepted into the tournament. Several of the teams expressing interest in taking part in this years tournament are returning teams but there is also a good number of new teams also wanting to get in on the action.

Remember teams it is a first come first play basis, so get those cheques or e-mail transfers in as soon as possible.

The organizers of the Brooklin/Whitby Fall Classic have broken down their costs for the upcoming fall tournament and have set this years team registration fee at $600. This is an increase over the 2010 tournament fee but it is a required increase as several of the tournament costs have gone up in the past year. Tournament organizers want to continue to provide an excellent tournament with top parks, umpires and good prize money for the tournament Winner and Runner-up.

This year due to an expected strong interest in not only returning teams but also new teams, teams will need to secure their spot with a deposit of $300 or full payment of $600 by September 30th. If a deposit is made then full payment must be received no later then October 5th.

The deposit as well as full or remainder of payment can either made by mailing in a cheque to Steve Smith or the preferred method would be an E-Mail Transfer to stephen.smith@rogers.com

Stay tuned for further updates!

The Brooklin/Whitby Fall Classic Tournament convenors are pleased to announce that they have confirmed and booked the Clarington Fields complex for the tournament on the October 15th/16th weekend.

Teams that have taken part in the Fall Classic in the past will know the Clarington Fields complex very well, with it's two gorgeous diamonds back to back just off Hwy. #401 in Bowmanville, Ontario.

We now hope to make another announcement very soon with our next two diamond bookings, that will ensure that the tournament will be able to host up to a maximum of 16 teams this year.

Stay tuned for further announcements on parks and registration info.

The 2011 Brooklin Whitby Fall Classic Tournament will be taking place at it's usual time of year again in 2011. The weekend of October 15th and 16th in Clarington and Oshawa will again be the placve to be this Fall for some great tournament baseball.

There will be more details to follow in the next week, as organisers nail down the final details for the tournament.

Fell free to contact either of the co-convenors for more info:

Rod Holinaty - r.holinaty@sympatico.ca

Steve Smith - stephen.smith@rogers.com