Hot enuff fer ya?
Makes ya feel like - playing baseball! Yes, it's that time of year again, and soon the Ping! of horsehide on aluminum will be heard again in the land!
The Badgers will play their first (exhibition) game of 2002 against Bain Coop Bantams at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 8 at Withrow Park! The regular season will start the following week. We will again play a full, fifteen game schedule plus playoffs.
That's the good news. Due to the general decline of western civilization over the last decade, we now have to pay for the use of the ball fields. (Your Tax Dollars at Work!) Actually, we had to pay last year, but they forgot to tell us, so now we have to pay for this year and last year.
Yes, I know, this sucks, but if we don't pay, we won't get any permits. So, there will be a League Levy of $20 per player, as well as the usual $10 team levy for balls and such, so I will need $30 from each of you if you want to play, and this year, I'm not kidding!
Quit whining, it's still dirt cheap! Where else can you have this much fun for thirty bucks and not get a disease?
Final permit arrangements are still being made. So far, we have Riverdale again. Since we are paying for the parks, we are trying to upgrade to get our money's worth! You will have final schedule and park info as soon as I do.
As usual, we need more women for the Badgers. Sheila is taking the year off to have another baby! Some people just can't get their priorities straight! Does anyone have current contact info for Deanna Wong?
The Jack Lord (Memorial) Fan Club is struggling to field a team. Although I want to stress that we have no players on the Badgers who are not indispensable, I feel duty bound to mention that, if you want more field time, or the opportunity to manage, you might consider changing teams.
I would be grateful if you would let me know whether you are intending to play this year or not.
Rule changes:
This year we are going to get really tough (grrr!) about the no leadoff rule. You are not allowed to leave the base until the bat has made contact with the ball. That means that, if the batter swings and misses, and your foot leaves the bag, you are out! This is not a rule change, but we have been very lax about this in the past.
We have clarified the rule which says that, if you are one woman (or, theoretically, man) short, the two remaining women must bat three times in the batting order. The rule now specifies that the two women must alternate if possible. This has been standard Badger practice, but some teams have been batting their best batter twice! This will no longer be allowed.
Infielders are now allowed to stand up to three meters from the baseline, instead of two.
All the Captains agreed that the seven-run mercy rule worked very well, and it will be continued.
Be sure to bookmark the Toronto Arts League website at
http://www.100bain.com/~videovic/TAL/
The website will soon have all the info you need about schedules, parks, rules and scores. This year, let's get the Badger web page together!
I don't know, I just have this funny feeling that this could be the year we win it all!
Remember, if your uniform's not dirty, you're not having enough fun!
Semper arribare,
Wayne Smith