Recently a treasure trove of photographs, newspaper clippings and stat
sheets have appeared in my inbox, with more to come! Eventually, they will
make their way into the History section of this website, but until, just a
little taste.

Here is the 1982 KFL champs, Tien Hoa.

The 2010 ISC World
tournament will be held in Midland Michigan, August 14-21 and the ISC
has released the list of tournaments available to teams to qualify.

The list is here and also indicates the berths that have already
been awarded.

And it is important to remember that this year there will be no ISC II
(Intermediate) tournament as the ISC has combined the two tournaments
together.

Happy new year to all. As it is with all previous years, the beginning of
the new year also brings the beginning of a new ball season. Talk turns to
getting together and finding somewhere to throw a ball around and to how
the new season will go.

And with January also comes the AAU Men's International Fastpitch
Tournament. From January 21 to 24 at the Disney's Wide World of Sports
complex, teams from all over with meet up in Florida to compete in this
warm-weather tournament.

The list of teams competing this year and the schedule can be seen here. I see a couple familiar team names (Outlaws,
Force, Fury) and wish them the best of luck in the tournament.

The Wilfrid Laurier University (WLU) women's fastpitch team is hosting the
2nd ever Intercollegiate Womens Fastpitch Championships this weekend at
Peter Hallman Ball Yard. 

Womens fastpitch is yet to be considered a varsity sport and does not
receive any school funding (all costs are from the players pockets). It
promises to be an entertaining weekend of ball however, as WLU looks to
improve on last years silver medal. 

The tournament will feature nine teams all competing for the title of 2009
Canadian Champions. This list includes the defending champions from
University of Saskatchewan, University of Ottawa, McMaster University, St.
Claire College, University of Calgary, Durham College, University of
Regina, University of Western Ontario (UWO), and the defending silver
medalists and host, Wilfrid Laurier University. 

Games will start Saturday morning and the gold medal game will be Monday
at 1:30pm. WLU will be playing arch-rival UWO in what could be the game of
the tournament on Saturday morning at 10:45am followed by a match with St.
Claire Colllege at 12:30pm and then finish round robin play vs University
of Calgary on Sunday at 10:45am. The playoff round will commence
immediately after.

Please visit www.oiwfa.org to keep updated on the weekend. 

In 2007 the Kings finished ninth and went on to win the B side
championship. Every team that wins the B side is showing notice to the
league that in the next few years, they plan on making a run for the
championship. Thats exactly what they did.

After finishing second in the Black division, tied for first with the
Smoke in points but having fewer wins, the Kings blazed a trail threw the
playoffs. 

The first round saw them take on and defeat the lower-ranked but
highly-feared Classics, who were the defending champions. It took all three
games in the best-of-three series but they managed a 2-1 victory to finish
the series.

The semi-finals didn't get any easier as the had to face the 2008
finalists Bell Cartage but the Kings pitching and defense took over as Bell
did not create a single run in the two game series. Wins of 1-0 and 4-0 put
them in the finals.

And this is where it gets fun. The Kings dropped the first two games of
the best-of-five series against the Diamond Jaxx before storming back to
win the next three and the title.

Congratulations Kings.

In game five of the finals (game 162 of the season), with the weather at
its coldest and windiest of the season, the Diamond Jaxx got the bats going
and took a 4-0 lead into the 6th inning only to see the Kings strike back
and score seven in the bottom half. 

The Jaxx managed to plate one more in the top of seven but it wasn't
enough as the Kings secured their first KFL championship.

It was a great game that capped off a fantastic series and I would like to
congratulate both teams on such a well-played set of games.

That's it for the 2009 season and I would like to extend congratulations
and thanks to every player, coach and fan that came out this season. Keep
an eye on the website as updates will be made in the next few days about
the year-end meeting and over the next couple months as planning has
already started for 2010.

Thank you.

The Diamond Jaxx jumped out to a two game lead in these finals, and the
Kings have stormed back to even it up.

It was a tight game with little room for error and the Kings managed to
come out on top with a 2-1 final. This evens up the series and we go to
game five. 

Its been a long time since a KFL final has been this close and next
Tuesday night at 8pm, the 2009 season will come to an end. Come out and
join us in seeing if its the Kings or the Diamond Jaxx who walk away with
the title.

The Kings want this final to go the distance and tonight they took the
first step towards that goal. A 5-3 win over the Diamond Jaxx means that
this series will go to game four on Thursday night.

A win by the Jaxx on Thursday will cap off a great season and a fantastic
playoff run, but a Kings win will push the final to a decisive game five
next Tuesday, and give the Kings a chance to claim that KFL crown.

Congratulations to the Erb Electric Expos on repeating as the Ontario
Challenge Cup champions and receiving a berth to the 2010 ISC championships
in Midland MI next year.

The Expos were undefeated over the course of the weekend (5-0) but were
tested often, most notably in the final where the Wellington Sox went
toe-to-toe with them for 11 innings. Both teams looked tired but still
played all-out ball till the end, with Elmira scoring an unearned run on a
play put in motion by a fantastic drag bunt.

The KFL was represented by the Selects and Reds, who ended up facing each
other in an elimination game with the Reds getting the better of the
Selects.

The Selects went 1-2 in the tournament with a 1-0 win over the Waterdown
Target, a 6-0 loss to eventual finalists Wellington Sox and then the 7-2
loss to the Reds.

The Reds lost their first game on Friday night, 4-0 to the Hickson Reds,
then beat the Zurich Rangers 7-3 (in 8 innings after an inside the park
grand slam in the top of the 8th), then the win against the Selects before
losing to Glencoe, 9-2.

After winning game one 9-1, the Diamond Jaxx look to take a stronghold on
the championship series tonight as game two gets underway at 8pm. If they
get down 2-0, the Kings will certainly have their work cut out for them
next week.

The schedule for the series:

Game 2 (home team first)
Diamond Jaxx v Kings
Thursday, Sept 17, 8pm

Game 3
Kings v Diamond Jaxx
Tuesday, Sept 22, 8pm

Game 4
Diamond Jaxx v Kings (if)
Thursday, Sept 24, 8pm

Game 5 
Kings v Diamond Jaxx (if)
Tuesday, Sept 29, 8pm

After a couple very close series (three of the four games saw 1-0, 2-0 and
4-0 shut-outs), the finals have been set. The Diamond Jaxx and Kings will
face each other in a best of five series to start next Tuesday.

Only two years removed from winning the B Side, the Kings find themselves
in their first KFL championship. They have taken a very tough road to get
there as they faced and beat the 2008 champion Classics in the first round
then went on to face the 2008 runner-up Bell Cartage in the semi-finals.

On the other side of the park will be the Diamond Jaxx who do not believe
anything you may read about the terrible "sophomore jinx". In their very
successful second year, they took on the #1 seed from the opposite
division, Smoke, in the first round and then defeated the #1 seed from
their own division and regular-season champion Selects in the semi-finals.

Both teams are looking to claim their first KFL title so expect these
games to be close and maybe even go to the maximum five games.

The regular season meeting between the two teams resulted in a 3-2 win for
the Kings.

Good luck to both teams.

Game one (home team first)
Kings v Diamond Jaxx
Tuesday Sept 15, 8pm

Game 2
Diamond Jaxx v Kings
Thursday, Sept 17, 8pm

Game 3
Kings v Diamond Jaxx
Tuesday, Sept 22, 8pm

Game 4
Diamond Jaxx v Kings (if)
Thursday, Sept 24, 8pm

Game 5 
Kings v Diamond Jaxx (if)
Tuesday, Sept 29, 8pm

The KFL's Cambridge Materials Testing Reds played in the 41st annual
Goderich Fastball Tournament this past Labour Day weekend and went all the
way to the finals of the AB division before losing to the Shakespeare
Falcons, coming away with second place for a second tournament in a row.
The Reds defeated Mt. Elgin, Stratfordville and Mississauga before
succumbing to the Falcons.

Opening the tournament vs. the Mt. Elgin Mets the Reds sent Derek Mitchell
to the rubber and he threw a three-hit shutout as the offence mercied the
Mets 7-0. Paul Clemens led the offence with two hits and Mitchell helped
himself scoring twice on a hit and a walk.
 
The Reds then faced the ISC II ranked Mitchell Mets losing a heartbreaker
4-0 which slotted them into the AB division. Kevin Buckley threw a gem
giving up only 1 earned run on 6 hits while striking out 8 but the Reds
hitters couldn't muster much as they replied with only 4 hits of their own
including a rare triple from catcher Jason Feil. This game was closer than
the score shows as some of/most of the offence the Mets got were plays the
Reds could have/should have made.
 
Up next was an elimination game vs. Stratfordville which the Reds won 3-0.
Kevin Buckley was call upon again and he delivered with a perfect game
performance into the 6th inning before giving up a single. One more single
was all Stratfordville could generate. Corey Tinline and Matt Gregory led
the Reds offence with two hits each. Ryan Ferber's sacrifice fly in the 4th
inning scoring Jason Farrelly was the only run Buckley needed. This win put
the Reds into the semi-finals.
 
Between the Reds and the finals was Mississauga. Kevin Buckley did his
usual....keeping the Reds in the game giving up only one earned run on four
hits while striking out 11 in a 3-2 Reds victory. This game went back and
forth and wasn't decided until Frank Gatten's two-run blast plating himself
and Derek Mitchell in the 6th inning put the Reds up for good. Jason
Farrelly had two hits including a solo homer and Matt Gregory also had two
hits.
 
The Reds now had to get past the ISC II #21 ranked Shakespeare Falcons to
cash in the $1000 winners cheque. An exhausted Kevin Buckley toed the
rubber yet again and gave what he had left but gave up 6 runs in 4 innings
with his tank on empty. Derek Mitchell pitched the last three innings and
not giving up any more runs but the damage was done. The Reds offence was
hitting the Falcons pitcher with Ryan Ferber getting 2 hits and Corey
Tinline, Jason Farrelly, Jason Feil and Carl Kavanagh getting singles but
the Reds couldn't put them together losing 6-1. 
 
Matt Gregory led the weekend offence with seven hits with Jason Farrelly
getting five. Pitcher Kevin Buckley went 2-2 in his four starts striking
out 32 and only walking one.
 
The coordinators of the annual Goderich Tournament need to be
congratulated for and excellently run weekend with even the weather
co-operating. This was a great four days and a wonderful way for the Reds
to finish off the 2009 season.

Reds management

Game one of the semi finals went into the books last night and two great
games were played. 

The Kings pulled out a pitchers duel as Fred Follings and Mel Ross went
toe to toe. Only one run was scored by the Kings and despite Bell
threatening on a couple occasions, that was enough to secure the win.

The Diamond Jaxx scored two in the first and two in the third and held
that lead until the bottom of the seventh when the Selects scored four but
left the bases loaded to go to extra innings. The Jaxx scored two right
away and the Selects could not answer.

Game two for both series will be next week.

Here is the opening draw for the annual Goderich tournament. 28 teams this
years. Looks like its going to be fun.

Friday night games

Shakespeare Falcons v Goderich Orioles
Orangeville Kings v Blyth Barons
Shedden Mission v Goderich Gators
Harwood Corners v Brussels Trigers
Norwich Storm v Exeter Braves
Woodstock Kelseys v Arthur Merchants

Saturday Morning games

Keady Hawks v Belmore Jr Stingers
Hickson Reds v Innerkip Jrs
Windsor Photo v Mitchell Mets
Mount Elgin Mets v Cambridge Reds
Straffordville v Morpeth Magic
Goderich v Kitchener Selects
Windsor Forest Glade v Kitchener Outlaws
Zurich Rangers v Mississauga Ale Stars

Remaining games taking place all day Saturday, Sunday and well into
Monday.

The teams in the KFL are very close in terms of talent and ability. That
was proven throughout the regular season and multiple times in the first
week of the 2009 playoffs. Three of the four A side playoff series are
going to game three.

The Black Sox, after dropping game one to the Selects, fought back and won
game two, 1-0, when a bottom of the seventh 1-out, bases loaded sacrifice
fly ended the game.

The Kings and Classics battled in what ended up as a 6-4 win for the Kings
in game two. This tied their series at one game apiece.

The Diamond Jaxx, who won game one over the Smoke, scored a run in the
first inning of game two but watched the Smoke scrape out two over the next
six innings, to send their series to the deciding game as well.

Only Bell Cartage, taking advantage of an injury depleted Reds team, took
their series in the minimum two games. They now sit and wait to see who
moves on to face them.

One the B side, the miracle-kids of the KFL, the Wizards, after going
winless all season, topped the Bulldogs and the Paris Predators, only to
face the Cardinals in game one of the finals. A game the Cardinals wanted
badly, and took, with a final score of 12-1. The Wizards have a chance to
fight back, with game two going Tuesday night and (the Wizards hope) game
three on Thursday.

Week two playoff schedule (home team listed first)

Monday Budd 1, 7pm
Selects v Black Sox, game 3

Monday Budd 1, 9pm
Kings v Classics, game 3

Tuesday Budd 1, 7pm
B Side final game 2
Wizards v Cardinals

Tuesday Budd 1, 9pm
Smoke v Diamond Jaxx, game 3

Thursday Budd 1, 7pm
B Side final game 3 (if necessary)

Thursday 
Game 1 of both A side semi finals

The Wilfrid Laurier Women's Fastpitch Team will be hosting the 2nd ever
Intercollegiate Womens Fastpitch Championships on October 10-12 at Peter
Hallman Ball Yard. 

Womens Fastpitch is yet to be considered a varsity sport and does not
receive any school funding (all costs are from the players pockets). It
promises to be an entertaining weekend of ball as Laurier looks to avenge
last years National Silver Medal against the University of Saskatchewan.
Please visit our site at www.oiwfa.org. 

To volunteer, sponsor, or any questions...please contact matt_allen44 at hotmail dot com

Paul and Jeff Clemens, both playing for the Reds, pose after a game.

The Port Elgin Blue Devils are the 2009 ISC II World Champions. They
finished the tournament yesterday, defeating another fine Ontario team, the
KW Cubs, 6-0 in the final.

Port Elgin finished 3-1 in round-robin play to give them first place in
their pool. Playoff wins over Ohsweken , Decatur and Donnaconna propelled
them to the finals.

A 2-2 record was good enough to give the Cubs a 3rd place finish in their
pool. They then went on a tear, upsetting Palermo, their South Perth rival
Expos and then Waterdown before meeting up with the Blue Devils.

Despite the rain, the tournament seemed to go fairly smoothly. Full
results can be seen here.

The Senior ISC World championships were also held this past week and our
very own Kitchener Rivershark Twins once again lay claim to the title. Full
results for that tournament can be seen here.

Congratulations go out to all teams involved in the two tournaments.

The 2009 playoffs began Tuesday night, so this report is a little behind
but hopefully still enjoyable.

2009 KFL playoffs

This year, the KFL went to a two-division format due to our increase to 14
teams. This means the top four from each division would move forward into
the playoffs, while the remaining three from each would play on the B side.


The first round of the playoffs will have teams crossover divisions to
face their first opponent.

Red division #1 - Selects
vs.
Black division #4 - Black Sox

These two teams have some history as it was only five years ago that the
Selects and Black Sox met in the B side finals. The Black Sox came back to
win that series after dropping the first two games, and hope that they can
repeat the result in this series. In addition, the Black Sox have a recent
history of taking out the number one seed, a feat they managed in last
years playoffs.

Result of this years regular season game: 2-0 win for Selects

Red division #2 - Reds 
vs
Black division #3 - Bell Cartage

The Reds finish the season only one point out of first place overall and
look to avenge an early exit from last years playoffs. Bell finished the
season undefeated in their last eight games and plan to continue that
streak into the second season.

Result of this years regular season game: 5-0 win for the Reds

Black division #1 - Smoke 
vs
Red division #4 - Diamond Jaxx

The Smoke and the Diamond Jaxx appeared to be headed in opposite
directions at the end of the year with the Smoke winning their last three
and the Jaxx losing their last two. But, the playoffs begin from scratch
and the Jaxx are looking to win their first KFL playoff series ever, while
the Smoke are looking to do something they haven't done in three years, get
out of the first round.

Result of this years regular season game: 3-1 win for the Smoke

Black division #2 - Kings
vs.
Red division #3 - Classics

The Classics, last years KFL champions, are set to defend their title,
opening the playoffs this year against the Kings, which is exactly how they
opened last years playoffs. The Kings however, would like to changed the
result of last years opening series, which they lost two games to zero.

Result of this years regular season game: 6-1 win for the Kings

I hope everyone gets out to watch a few games. See you at the diamond.

The playoff schedule for the first round of the A side and the complete B
side is now official.

Here is the schedule, by series.

Red #1 Selects v Black #4 Black Sox
Game 1 - Tues Aug 18, 9pm
Game 2 - Thurs Aug 27, 9pm
Game 3 (if) - Mon Aug 31, 7pm

Red #2 Reds v Black #3 Bell Cartage
Game 1 - Tues Aug 18, 7pm
Game 2 - Tues Aug 25, 7pm
Game 3 (if) - Tues Sept 1, 7pm

Black #1 Smoke v Red #4 Diamond Jaxx
Game 1 - Thurs Aug 20 - 7pm
Game 2 - Mon Aug 24 - 9pm
Game 3 (if) - Thurs Aug 27, 7pm

Black #2 Kings v Red #3 Classics
Game 1 - Mon Aug 24, 7pm
Game 2 - Tues Aug 25, 9pm
Game 3 (if) - Mon Aug 31, 9pm

B side
First round
Mon Aug 17, 7pm - Cardinals v Moonshiners
Rain date - Tuesday Aug 18, Budd 2, 7pm

Mon Aug 17, 9pm - Bulldogs v Wizards
Rain date - Tuesday Aug 18, Budd 2, 9pm

Second round
Wed Aug 19, 9pm, Predators v (team advancing with highest league points)
Rain date - Thursday Aug 20, Budd 2, 9pm

Wed Aug 19, 7pm, Paris v (team advancing with lowest league points)
Rain date - Thursday Aug 20, Budd 2, 7pm

Finals 
Game 1 - Wed Aug 26, 9pm, ?? v ??
Game 2 - Tues Sept 1, 9pm, ?? V ??
Game 3 (if) - Thurs Sept 3, 7pm, ?? V ??

This past weekend the KFL's Wizards were in the Niagara Falls Men's
Fastball Tournament. With some additional players on the roster for the
tournament, the Wizards opening game was a 10-3 loss Saturday morning
against the Udney Storm. Pete Albercht was assigned the loss. Highlights
included junior aged pick-up Ben Hodgins hitting a two-run home run in the
top of the 4th. 

In their 2nd game against the Vaughn Steelers, the battery combo of
catcher TJ Runhart and pitcher Jamie Ridley lead the way and combined with
steller defense the Wiz pulled off a 3-2 win. Ridley had two hits and a run
scored. Runhart had a two- out, two-rbi single that tied the game and
D'arcy Smith finished it off with an infield hit to score the winning run!

Game three, a 3-2 lost to Goulding Park (from Markam) was an eventful one
at least with two Wizards being ejected while the rain poured down. With a
1-2 record, the Wizards were sent to the D Championship side where they
would face a familiar enemy in the KFL's Predators! The Wizards jumped out
to a quick 6-3 lead, thanks to a towering two-run home run by TJ Runhart,
triples by Ben Hodgins and Bevan Mathieson and a double by Darryl
Manchurek. The Predators fought back though and eventually won 12-8.

All players that were at the tournament hit well and played great defense
which led the Wizards to compete in all four games! Thanks to D'arcy Smith
and Rob Musselman for organizing the tourny and all the guys who went for
the priceless moments at the hotel, park and last but certainly NOT least
the bars!

It was a great expireance and the Wizards are now looking forward to their
second annual trip in September down to Pittsburgh Pennsylvania for the
wooden-bat-only tournament! 

The organizers of the annual Labour Day tournament in Goderich are still
looking for two teams to round out their draw. 

The cost is $350 to enter and you are guaranteed three games. The top
prize is $1250, and a total of $7,150 is being given out that weekend.

The tournament takes place September 4-7, 2009.
 
For spectators it's $5 for a weekend pass, kids under 12 are free.
 
Contact Mike Millian millianmike36
at yahoo dot ca

This weekend in Waterloo, the OASA held its Intermediate Men's Provincial
A's (known as the Eliminations) and its Senior Men's Provincials. I managed
to get up to Hillside on Friday night to catch some of the Bridgeport
Braves/Ingersoll Crush and the Shakespeare Falcons/Erb Electric Expos
games. Though Friday night was sparsely attended, the games were good
(though neither really close) and from those games, I expected a fantastic
tournament. 

The Kitchener Outlaws, KW Cubs, Waterdown Hammer, Cobourg Force, Georgian
Bay Axemen and Wellington Sox, along with the four teams mentioned above,
rounded out the ten-team tournament that offered not only a berth to the
2010 ISC Worlds in Midland, Michigan but also a chance to qualify for this
years Eastern Canadians.

On the Senior side, the Kitchener Hallman Rivershark Twins, the First
Ontario Jarvis Gamblers, the St Thomas Evergreen Centennials and the Owen
Sound Verge Selects competed for the chance to represent Ontario at the
Senior Canadians in St Thomas.

However, updates and information on this tournament was very difficult to
find. Nothing was posted over the course of the weekend and only an email
from a player (to tell me his team had been eliminated) and a facebook
posting from another, provided me any information. 

Until about 10pm tonight (Sunday) when I checked OASA's tournament page
(which sat blank all weekend) to find that our congratulations go out to
the Waterdown Hammer for becoming the OASA Intermediate Men's Provincial A
champions, beating the Erb Electric Expos in the final.

The rest of the results for the Intermediates can be seen here.

Other then the facebook posting telling me that the Riversharks qualified
for the Canadians, I can find no other information on that tournament. 

Budd Park is closed due to excess rain in the past 24 hours.
Tonight's games will be postponed.

Thank you.

Budd Park is closed due to rain.
Tonight's games will be postponed.

Thank you.

With week eleven behind us, the eight playoff spots available are still a
mystery. There are only three weeks left for teams to stake their claim to
the second season and a possible championship.

The Selects continue a hot streak as they have now won seven in a row and
have climbed up the standings to challenge the Classics and Reds (both of
whom they face in the next two weeks) for the top spot in the Red division
while Paris is hoping to string together their own streak as they only have
five games left to catch up and get themselves into the playoffs. 

In the Black division, Bell Cartage has attempted to shake off a slow
start to the season and have won their last three. This still has them in a
tie with the Cardinals for the last playoff spot and the Smoke and Black
Sox (currently second and third, respectively) are trying their best to
catch up to the Kings. The Kings still have a game left against both of
those teams so wins there could result in a big leap forward (and losses
would mean a big step back!)

Going forward, week twelve is heavy with playoff implications. Wins and
losses this week could mean the difference between first and fourth or
making the playoffs and not. Big match-ups include Bell Cartage against the
Cardinals and Black Sox, Classics against both the Selects and Diamond Jaxx
and the Predators, only two points out of a playoff spot, face both the
first-place Kings and the last-place Wizards. The Preds will have to
careful though, as the Wizards are going to do what they can to play
spoiler.

There are still six previously postponed games to be rescheduled for the
week after the Civic holiday, so all teams (and fans) will need to pay
attention to the online schedule as they will be updated this week.

Thank you.

With Kings runners at first and second, Eric Johnson of the Wizards gets
set on defense.

Congratulations to Owen Sound for winning the Junior eliminations this
weekend in Mitchell by coming up the one-loss bracket and beating Waterloo
twice in the final.

Special congratulations go to the Cardinals and Predators, both KFL teams,
who competed this weekend and came away with valuable experience and both
managed to eliminate a team in the tournament before bowing out. Also to
Waterloo (I see at least one KFL name on that roster) for a great second
place finish.

All of the results can be seen here

ISC II Commish Blair Setford has some great clips of the action at the
2009 ISC II qualifier in Innerkip. Click here to see the list of videos.

Budd Park is closed for due to rain.
Tonight's games will be postponed.

Thank you.

I realize that some people who read this site may have never seen our home
diamond. This photo of the #1 diamond in Budd Park was taken by Bryan
Reeve, in July of 2008 just after an occurrence that has become fairly
common in our season, rain.

The Paris Predators Midgets entered the Waterloo Invitational tournament
last week and came away with a B Championship. 

The Predators finished pool play with a 2-1 record with wins over
Newmarket thanks to 2 RBI from Dan Mitchell. The Preds then took a 3-2 win
over Wiarton thanks once again to two runs scored from Mitchell. Joe
Carvaggio and Reid Morrison helped the cause with 2 singles apiece. Cory
Alkerton had 16 Ks in the two games. 

Paris then took the diamond with the Owen Sound Selects and
it was once again had a pitchers dual as Dan Mitchell kept the Selects
off the scoreboard until the bottom of the 6th when Owen Sound finally tied
the game 1-1 and took the lead in the 7th with a walk-off single to end it.
Brad Maunder was 2/3. This lost put the Predators in a tie for second place
but was relegated to the B side due to the tiebreaker rule. 

Sunday saw the Predators' bats finally come alive in the semi-final as
they defeated Keady Jets 5-2 thanks in part to three consecutive singles in
the second inning. Paris then took on the host KW Twins in the final game
and once again bats were lively in 6-3 victory. Tom Baily and Kristian
Knapp, and Maunder combined for 8 hits. Alkerton threw 4 games and was
stellar for the Predators. 

Paris will now compete in the OASA Midget Eliminations as a definite
favourite next weekend in KW.

Although missing some key players, and struggling to field a full team for
every game, the Waterloo Classics went to the Monkton Masters Tournament to
defend their title from 2007.

Friday night the Classics defeated Shakespeare 6-0 with strong pitching
from Don Stebbings and timely hitting throughout the lineup. Glen and Steve
Hall from the Selects joined the Classics for the first time. Their support
was appreciated very much.

Saturday the Classics lost a 3-2 heartbreaker to New Hamburg. Larry Cox
threw a great game and the Classics led 2-1 going into the bottom of the
final inning. A missed grounder, a bloop and then a two-RBI hit to the
fence gave New Hamburg the win.

In the second Saturday game, the Classics got out to a 1-0 lead, but could
not hold it. The Classics bats went south and Mitchell cash in a couple of
runs in the middle innings to take the 2-1 victory. Although throwing well,
Sean Geehan took the loss.

(note: To any KFL teams entering tournaments, please send write ups of
your experiences to me. I am very interested in seeing what tournaments our
teams enter and how they do and publishing those write ups on this site.
Click on the executive link on the left and there is an email link for me.
Thanks)

The 2009 Hillsburgh tournament saw the KFL’s Wizards face some fierce
competition. Late Friday night the bats woke up as the Wizards fought hard
but lost to the Mississauga AleStars. From top to bottom the line-up played
hard and some excellent fielding by Mike Suarez kept the Wizard’s close,
but they failed to seal the deal as the AleStars
eventually put the hurt on the Wizards.

Following Friday’s game, the Wizard’s suffered a loss to the South
Perth League’s, KW Cubs. The Cubs two pitchers combined for a no-hitter,
but the loss brought with it a minor victory as some fine pitching by Joe
Horvath held the powerful Cubs to 7 runs.

Not one to cower in a corner and lick their wounds, the Wizards geared up
for game three and played their best game of the season against one of the
tournament’s final four, the Mississauga Lumberjacks. Again, stellar
pitching by Wizard’s ace, D’arcy Smith, kept the Wizards in a tight
game, but they just couldn’t bring home enough runs when the thirsty
umpires prematurely called the meaningless game in the sixth inning and the
Wizards lost 3 to 1.

Despite being sent to the beer tent early, the Wizards feel more united
and hope to bring back some very valuable experience to the KFL…and
sincerely hope that their left fielder will find his car in time for the
next game.

All rain out games, prior to last Thursday, have been rescheduled. Most of
them will be played during the designated rain out week (week of June 29,
no games on July 1) though a couple were scheduled in open slots prior to
that week and one was added to the end of the current schedule.

Please take a look at your team's page or at the full schedule to see
where your games are now scheduled.

Thank you.

Budd Park is closed for tonight due to rain.
Tonight's games will be postponed.

Thank you.

Week five saw a full slate of games being played and still we sit with two
undefeated teams.

The Reds saw action only once and won their game to go 5-0-1 yet still sit
in second place in the Red division (with two games in hand) as the
Classics have an additional win in their scorebooks. They have a tough week
ahead though as the Selects on Tuesday and the Diamond Jaxx on Wednesday
are waiting patiently to put that first loss in the Reds column.

The Kings are seemingly running away with the Black division as they are
now four points up on the surprise second place Cardinals. This week, the
Kings see action against Bell Cartage and the Selects.

In other action, the Bulldogs managed their first win of the season
against the winless Wizards, Bell Cartage dropped another game, this time
to the Predators and the Paris Predators added two more wins to their
season to start making a run into the top four.

The upcoming week sees a couple enticing match-ups as the Classics and
Cardinals, both having great seasons, face-off on Tuesday night, the
Bulldogs try to continue their new winning streak against Bell Cartage on
Wednesday and our two Predator teams face each other on Thursday.

Good luck to all teams.

We managed to get further along in the season than last year before the
rain struck, but strike it did.

Week four in the Kitchener Fastball League was shortened to half of its
intended games with only Monday and Tuesday night games getting played.

But within those six games, another undefeated team fell. The Cardinals,
sitting at two wins and two ties, were beaten by the other junior team in
the league, the Paris Predators in an offensive tilt, 9-7.

That leaves only the Kings and Reds, both winners in their games in week
four, as the last of the lossless teams.

Week five brings some flair to the table by having some very even and
likely tough match-ups. The Bulldogs and Wizards, the Smoke and Diamond
Jaxx and my perennial favourite, Reds vs. Preds all pit teams of fairly
equal strength against each other.

Good luck to all teams this week and I hope to see you at the diamond.

Budd Park is closed again tonight due to rain.
Tonight's games will be postponed.

A full week of games (minus one holiday Monday) and we still have three
undefeated teams.

The Reds and Cardinals, who only had one game this week and it was against
each other, managed a 4-4 tie to keep them both without a loss so far this
year.

The Kings managed to keep out of the loss column by handing the Classics a
6-1 loss.

The Classics, who were the fourth of the undefeated teams to start the
week, actually went into the Kings game having already lost that title.
Earlier in the week, they were handed a loss by the Black Sox.

The coming week has its share of match-ups to keep an eye on.

The Diamond Jaxx and Selects will face each other in the first game of the
week. These two have some history and after last years set, which included
a very close game and a "fantastic pitching duel", some bets are still to
be settled.

The two new junior teams will see each other for the first time as the
Cardinals and the Paris Predators lock up.

And a rematch of last years finals will take place as the Classics and
Bell Cartage will tangle on Tuesday night.

Another good week ahead. Hope to see you at the diamond.

Most OASA men’s tournaments this year will use the optic (yellow) K
Master ball (except Masters).
 
OASA Masters Provincial Tournament is in Niagara Falls, July 17 – 19.

Waterloo Classics defending champs. 
More info from Bob Abbott at 705-789-2439   rda44 at sympatico dot ca 
or Rob Greatrix (tourney host) at 905-325-6341   rob at integrityhealth
dot tv
 
OASA Intermediate B/C Provincial Tournament is in Wiarton, Aug.
15-16.
This tournament is for teams not in the OASA Elimination tourney.
More info from Brett Miller at 519-924-1568  bhmiller at sympatico dot ca
 
OASA Senior and Intermediate Eliminations will be held in Waterloo,
July 31- Aug. 2. 
More info about entries and/or to volunteer for the tourney is available
from Brad Thomson at Thomson.Brad at gmail dot com. 
Intermediate winner gets 1st place prize money and a guaranteed spot in
the 2010 ISC II Tournament of Champions.
 
OASA affiliation deadline is June 10. Forms and more info on the OASA web
site at www.oasa.ca

In an attempt to help familiarize all of our current players and fans with
the individual rules of the KFL, I would like to specifically point out a
few that have been discussed recently. I would also ask that in addition to
reading these, players and coaches take a look through the FAQ as there are
other rules addressed there.

Lineup cards
We use a 3-part lineup card in every game in the KFL. A team fills out the
lineup card prior to the start of every game and hands the white copy to
the plate umpire. One of the coloured copies goes to the opposing team (for
records and to fill out their scorebook) and the other coloured copy is
kept (for records).

Each name on the lineup card is to be printed clearly and
legibly as these are used by our league statistician to record
"games played" for every player in the league. If a name cannot be read or
no last name is given, we cannot credit them with a "game played" which may
affect their playoff eligibility as we have a set number of minimum games
required.

MVP voting
In the KFL, we use a peer-voting system to record a most valuable player
for every team, for every game. We require each team to pick an mvp for
the opposing team at the conclusion of the game.

At the end of every game, the umpires will hand the white lineup cards to
the opposing teams (team A will get team B's and team B will get team A's).
Each team will then pick and circle the name of the player they have chosen
for the mvp.

The winning team will then collect both lineup cards and deposit them into
the drop box located at the bulletin board located between Budd 1 and the
indoor soccer complex.

Ejections
After an ejection occurs, the player is suspended for the remainder of
that game, plus the next game in the teams schedule. A fine of $25 is to be
paid to any member of the executive. The fine must be paid before the
player can resume playing.

If the next game in the schedule is rained out, then the suspension moves
to the next game in the schedule.

If there are any other league rules or policies that you would like to see
discussed or explained, email me and I will try to address them here or on
the FAQ.

We finally had our first taste of rain, getting a slew on Wednesday night
and early Thursday morning. It was enough to cause the city to shut Budd
park down for the day so that no extensive damage was done to the fields.
But before that happened, week 2 still saw eight games completed.

The Kings, Cardinals, Classics and Reds all managed to stay undefeated.
The Classics were the only team of the four to play two games this week
with wins over the Moonshiners and Diamond Jaxx, though the one game the
Reds did play, was a 5-0 shutout of last years finalists, Bell Cartage. 

As a side note, seven of the eight games played this week were won by the
visiting team. Just something to think about.

And for the teams that were rained out on Thursday night, keep an eye on
the the week of June 29 as that is the week we designated to place rainout
games. It will be updated soon.

As for the week ahead, it looks like two of the undefeated streaks will
come to an end (barring a tie) as the Reds and Cardinals face each other on
Wednesday night and the Classics and Kings face-off on Thursday.

There will also be a battle of the rookie teams as the Moonshiners face
the Paris Predators on Wednesday.

Hope to see you at the diamond.

Here are the pre-season ranks for the ISC II. Take a
look and you will see some familiar names in the top 10.

The International Softball Congress (ISC) is pleased to announce that
Kitchener, ON will host the 2011 ISC World Tournament and ISC II Tournament
of Champions.

Normally, bidding for the 2011 tournaments would occur during the ISC
Board of Director meeting in August in Quad Cities. However, we have talked
to each prospective host city for 2011 and all have withdrawn except
Kitchener. It was therefore decided we would award the 2011 tournaments
early, to allow Kitchener maximum time to plan and prepare.

Kitchener has successfully hosted 3-prior ISC World and ISC II tournaments
in 2002, 2006 & 2007 and we have every confidence their 2011 tournaments
will be equally successful.

It is expected that Duncan Matheson will again serve as tournament
director for the World Tournament and Rick Boyd as tournament director for
the ISC II Tournament of Champions.

The contract with Kitchener will be signed later this summer after the
Midland contract for 2010 is signed.

Ken Hackmeister
Executive Director
http://www.iscfastpitch.com/

For anyone interested in supporting the Kitchener Fastball League, we now
have tshirts available with the league logo. Black tshirts with a red and
white logo on the front. $20 each and the money goes directly into the
league. Our goal is to start raising money for the league so that we can
reduce the overall league fees for every team. Email me to reserve
yours (let me know what size, M, L or XL) or try to catch me at the diamond
on a night I play (Selects).

Thanks.

Two weeks from tonight, the 2009 season of the Kitchener Fastball League
begins. This year, we bring 14 teams to the table, making us one of the
only fastball leagues to actually grow in size. 

With 14 teams, and a need to keep our regular season from going into
October, we have divided into two equally balanced divisions, Red and Black
(corresponding with the colour combination in our new logo.) The top four
from each division will make up the A side playoffs with Black one facing
Red four, Black two against Red three, Red two versus Black three and Red
one taking on Black four. The four survivors will then be reseeded by
regular season points for the semi finals. Each series will be a best two
out of three with the finals being three out of five.

The six teams not making the A side, will compete in a single elimination
tournament, with the sixth seeds on each side getting a first round bye.
The finals of the B side will be a best two out of three.

With the opening night close at hand, here is an introduction to the teams
competing in the KFL this year.

Black division

Bell Cartage
Bell Cartage comes back to the league with a little revenge on their
minds. Having made it to the finals of the 2008 playoffs, they then lost
three straight to the Classics. This year, with much of the squad intact,
they plan to take that final step.

Black Sox
One of the upset stories last year. Struggling through the regular season
and finishing eighth, they then surprised everyone by knocking off the
number one seeded Reds. The put up a fight in the semi-finals before losing
to the eventual champions, the Classics.

Cardinals
One of three new teams to the KFL, the Cardinals, a junior-aged team, will
be bringing a youth movement into the league and will try to capitalize on
the young legs and hard-throwing arms to keep up to the more experienced
teams.

Kings
The Kings finished on the A side in 2008 but hope to move further in the
playoffs than they did last year after a first round knock out. Picking up
a new coach to add some knowledge and direction, the Kings should be ready
to play right from the first pitch.

Predators
The Preds have been right on the edge of the A side playoffs for a couple
of years now and are ready to break through this season. Having been in the
league for a number of years, starting out as a junior-aged team, they now
have the experience to face the rest of the league and rack up some runs.

Smoke
Two years in a row, the Smoke have had a fantastic regular season go for
naught as first round playoff losses (to the same team) sent them home
early. This year, with much of the same squad, they plan on having the same
great regular season, followed by a trip to the finals.

Wizards
The Wizards begin their sophomore campaign in the KFL with a new logo and
a years worth of experience. Struggling to find their rhythm last year, the
Wizards are looking forward to competing and causing a stir this year. 

Red Division

Bulldogs
Similar to the Predators, the Bulldogs always seem to find themselves on
the cusp of the A side playoffs. They can compete with any team in the
league but seem to finish just short when the playoffs roll around. This
year, the Bulldogs hope to take that extra step, gather a few more points
and surprise a team or two when the playoffs start.

Classics
Last years champions, the Classics will be bringing back the wisdom and
experience you can only get with many years of playing fastball. They have
been in the top echelon of the KFL for years and have no intention of
giving that championship trophy back. After dominating the 2008 finals,
they Classics will be well prepared to defend their title in 2009.

Diamond Jaxx
This second-year club had a very nice rookie season in the KFL in 2008.
Finishing fourth, the Jaxx then fell to eventual finalists, Bell Cartage,
in the first round. This season, having seen the majority of these teams in
action, the Jaxx will be able to be more aggressive and go after a few more
wins.

Moonshiners
Another new team to the league, the Moonshiners are the X factor in the
league this year. Not much is known about them, besides a built in rivalry
with the Diamond Jaxx, so the rest of the league will be keeping a close
eye on these guys to see what they are capable of.

Paris Predators
The third new team to the KFL, and the second team named the Predators,
this junior-aged squad is another team that will be bringing fresh legs to
the diamond. Look for them to use their youthful energy to attack teams
quickly and letting their pitching hold them from there.

Reds
The 2008 Reds had a great campaign, finishing the regular season in first
place and also representing the KFL at the ISC qualifers in Innerkip. They
were then upset in the first round by the number eight seed. That did not
sit well with them and this year, not only do they intend on leading the
league, but also making a run into the finals.

Selects
Three years in a row, the Selects have made the semi-finals. The first two
years, they were soundly thrashed by the eventual champs, last year, they
just barely lost to the eventual runner-ups. This year, they plan on making
it to the semis for the third year running, then taking that extra step
into the finals.

So, there are your 2009 KFL teams. The entire schedule is now posted so
make sure that you come out and watch a few games, and see how your
favourite team does this year.

That is the date of the first night of the 2009 Kitchener Fastball League
schedule.

This year, the KFL proudly declares that we have 14 teams participating.
Eleven have returned from last year, and three new teams will join us.
Because of the number, we have opted to divide the league into two equally
balanced divisions. Teams will play their division rivals twice, and the
other divisions teams, once. This will make for a 19 game regular season.

More updates, a schedule, and details about the teams involved will be
coming shortly. There is still one more meeting to be held and then, in a
little more than a month from now, the first pitch will be thrown.

The first meeting of the year will be on March 12. Any teams that would
like to discuss joining the KFL should contact me right
away.

Eteamz is known for hosting sites for individual teams and leagues of many
sports, but they also help teams and players with drills and tips for
improving their skills. This link will take you to their page for fastball.

For those interested, here is the initial list of the qualifiers for the 2009
Worlds.

The KFL held its final meeting of the year tonight. Lots of stuff discussed
to think about for the offseason and lots of good conversations. 

I would like to personally thank every player, coach, manager and fan for
making this season so great. Even the amount of rain we got this year
couldn't dampen the enthusiasm of the KFL.

I hope to see every team back in the fold next year and any team or player
interested in joining up with us, click on the Want to play? link over on
the left and send me an email.

Thanks and see you next season.

Congratulations to the Classics for winning the 2008 KFL championship. They
defeated Bell Cartage 3-0 in the final series to cap off a 20 win -7 loss
-3 tie season.

The Classics were up and down during the year but still managed a third
place finish at the end of the regular season. They were the only high seed
to advance out of the first round of the playoffs and lost the first game
of the semi-finals before their bats came alive. Over the next 5 games to
finish out the season, the Classics scored 44 runs while allowing 13 (7 of
which were in one game). 

A thank you goes to Bell Cartage as well for making it to the finals and
providing some great games throughout the course of the season.

And thanks to every team that made the 2008 season in the KFL a successful
one. I hope to see you all again next year.

The Classics have taken a commanding lead in the KFL finals by going up
2-0.

Game 1 was won by a score of 6-3 while game 2 was a bit more of a slugfest
as the Classics barely pulled out the win by a score of 8-7.

Game 3 will be played this Tuesday at 8pm and if a game 4 is necessary, it
will go on Thursday, also at 8pm.

Budd Park, Diamond #1 has been shut down for up to two weeks to due damage
done to the fields during the rainstorm on the weekend. All KFL games will
be moved to Diamond #2.

The Predators are now the KFL 2008 B Side champions after taking out the
Bulldogs 8-1 in the final.

It started close and was looking to be a tough game but as the 5th and 6th
innings came around, the Predator bats came alive and the score quickly
became too much for the Bulldogs to come back from. They did manage to get
two runners on in the bottom of the 7th and get the crowd thinking that
maybe a comeback was being staged, but the Predators defense shut them down
and went on to win their 2nd B Side title in 4 years.

The A side semi finals got under way this week and the underdogs have
managed to continue their winning ways. 

The #8 Black Sox, the lowest seed in the A side, started the playoffs by
knocking out the #1 Reds and are now up a game on the #3 Classics. A 1-0
win on Wednesday night gave them the start they wanted and they hope to
carry that momentum to game 2.

The #7 Selects, who snuck by the #2 Smoke (1-0 in 8 innings in game 3) are
now ahead 1 game to 0 after a 4-2 win over #5 Bell Cartage.

Both series will continue next Tuesday.

Once again, rain has put a hold on the ball season. The fields were
unplayable tonight. See the playoff schedule for details on when the next
games are to be played.

The playoffs continue next week with two series already finished and two to
go on the A side. The #3 Classics and #5 Bell Cartage have already moved on
and are waiting to see who they face in the semi-finals. #2 Smoke look to
take out the #7 Selects after being shut out in the first game but coming
back to win the second and the #1 Reds hope to finish off the #8 Black Sox
after a very close 3-2 win in game one.

On the B side, the Kolts and Bulldogs sit with one win each while the
Wizards and Predators will have to play catch-up to try to earn a berth in
the finals.

The following is the schedule for the games next week.

Tues Sept 2 7pm
Budd 1
(9) Bulldogs v (11) Wizards

Tuesday Sept 2 7pm
Budd 2
(10) Predators v (12) Kolts

Tuesday Sept 2 9pm 
Budd 1
(8) Black Sox v (1) Reds – game 2

Wed Sept 3 7pm
Budd 1
(1) Reds v (8) Black Sox – game 3

Wed Sept 3 9pm
Budd 1 
(2) Smoke v (7) Selects – game 3

Thurs Sept 4 7pm
Budd 1
(10) Predators v (11) Wizards

Thurs Sept 4 9pm
Budd 1
(12) Kolts v (9) Bulldogs

The Cambridge Materials Testing Ltd. Reds have finished first in the
Kitchener Fastball League in the 2008 regular season. The Reds record of 18
wins, only 1 loss and 3 ties gave them 39 out of a possible 44 points.
Scoring a league leading 162 runs as well as a league best 38 runs against,
the Reds dominated most games they played.

The Reds went into the last game of the season needing a win against the
Smoke to secure a first place finish and relied on Kevin Buckley to pitch
them to victory. Buckley didn’t disappoint giving up only 3 hits and zero
runs while striking out 7. He also batted in the game winning run in a 2-0
victory. The defence led by veteran Paul Clemens was rock solid.

Coach Grant Mitchell stated that this has been a magical season. “Every
player at one point or another has contributed to help keep the Reds on a
roll. Kevin has led the pitching staff with 95 strikeouts and a ERA of 0.79
in 7 starts, while Derek Mitchell led the team with 9 wins, including a
perfect game pitched against the Diamond Jaxx on August 7. Derek and
catcher Jason Feil were really in tune that night. 21 up and 21 down
including 9 strikeouts, 0 walks, 6 groundouts, 3 pop ups and only 3 lazy
fly ball outs into the outfield.
The offence has 10 players batting .328 or higher with Matt Gregory wining
the Reds batting title hitting .414 while Paul has the most hits with 30
followed closely by Ryan Ferber with 29, Jason Farrelly with 28 and newest
Red Cory Tinline with 26. Cory has been a wonderful addition this season.
He has played almost every position on the field and at the plate he has
hammered the ball."

“ I look forward to the playoffs and we’ll see if the boys have what
it takes to sustain the run to the top. It’s going to be tough as we face
a team that has given us trouble the past few seasons in the Blacksox.
Since we entered the league in 2003 most of our losses have come at the
hands of the Blacksox (formerly known as the Majors) and the Classics. The
Classics were the only blemish on an undefeated 2008 season beating us 5-0.
Actually we have a losing record against them this season as out first
meeting was a 6-6 tie. Also this season playing the Diamond Jaxx, one of
the newest KFL teams, has also been a real struggle. There was only 1 run
scored in both games played. The first was a 0-0 eight inning tie and the
second a 1-0 Reds win. The Jaxx have one of the best defences in the league
for sure.”

The regular season is now over. . .bring on the playoffs.

The following is a report on the annual Desboro tournament from the Black
Sox website.

The Sox went and participated in the 34th annual Desboro Mens Fastball
tournament this past weekend, looking to better their third place finish at
least year's tournament. Breslau was one of sixteen teams competing for the
$1,000 cash prize and the Dave Kaufman memorial trophy.

Saturday morning the boys had to sit through a two hour rain delay before
they could take the field against the Kaboni Tigers from Manitoulin Island.
Not knowing much about their opponents, the Sox were looking to get to the
Tigers early. Jeff Kolb got things rolling with a two run homerun and Jeff
Laythorpe followed that up with an RBI triple providing the Sox with enough
offence to get them past their first round match. Marc Geddes was dominant
on the mound giving up no runs and two hits while striking out twelve in
six innings. The Sox would then look forward to facing Bell Cartage from
the KFL in their second game. However, the skies opened up and poured for
the rest of the day forcing the tournament organizers to reschedule the
rest of the games for Sunday.

First thing Sunday morning the Sox finally got to play their second game
of the tournament. Chris Young took the mound for the first game and
pitched a solid three innings before giving way to Marc Geddes to shut the
door. The combination gave up only one run and one hit while striking out
nine batters over five innings. The offence was once again supplied by Jeff
Kolb who hit another homerun. However, Tim Bartram provided the game
winning hit with a clutch RBI triple to welcome Larry Cox, the new pitcher
for Bell, to the game. The Sox went on to win 3-1 and earned a trip to the
semi-finals.

In the semi-finals, the Sox took on the Tara Merchants for a chance to
move into the finals to be played later in the day. In the top of the
second inning, the Merchants got out to an early lead by scoring a quick
two runs. However, the Sox came right back in the bottom when Jeff Kolb hit
his third home run of the tournament followed by a Jeff Laythorpe triple,
and Marc Geddes capped things off with a two run homerun with two outs. The
Sox wouldn't look back cashing in another six runs lead by Steve Jenereaux,
Jason Clayfield, and Scott Perchaluk guaranteeing themselves a spot in the
finals against the two time defending champion Mississauga Sox.

Before the finals, the Black Sox where approached by Mississauga about
splitting the money and giving everyone a chance to head home early from
the tournament. However, the Black Sox didn't cave to the pressure and
rejected the Sox offer. The Black Sox found themselves as the crowd
favourites and didn't disappoint in what turned out to be one of the best
games of the Blacks Sox's year, and probably the entire Desboro tournament.
Down 1-0 in the sixth, the Sox got a clutch RBI double from Marc Geddes
tying the game and forcing it to extra innings. With the international
tie-breaker in effect, the Sox were able to scrap together one run in the
eighth inning. However, Mississauga was able to manage the same outcome in
the bottom half forcing the game to another extra inning. With a runner
again on second base, Scott Perchaluk was able to move him over to third
with a sacrifice bunt setting the table for Chris Dietrich who at the time
was 0 for 4 with four strike outs. However, Dietrich was determined to play
spoiler and ripped an RBI single down the left field line cashing the go
ahead run. From there, Steve Jenereaux moved him into scoring position with
another sacrifice bunt. Jason Clayfield promptly followed that with an RBI
double and the Sox got things rolling scoring seven runs with two outs to
go out ahead 10-2. Mississauga was dejected and only managed to scrap
together a few runs and the Sox were on their way to winning the 34th
annual Desboro tournament 10-5.

In the end, the Breslau Black Sox won their first ever tournament and took
home the $1,000 cash prize. Not only that, but Jeff Kolb took home the
honours of being the offensive star for the tournament. The Sox came
together as a team as well, and each player contributed to each and every
victory. At the end of the year, the boys can look back to this tournament
as a point that defined their season. Hard fought ball games that turned
into hard fought victories. The Sox will look to continue this success into
the regular season and hopefully the playoffs

Congratulations to our own Waterloo Classics on winning the OASA Masters
Provincial Championship. Below, in addition to the stunning team photo, is
the article from the OASA Masters website. And congratulations specifically
go to Dana Seiling for winning the Jack Cook award for best exemplifying
the sportsmanship, leadership and competitive spirit of Masters fastball in
Ontario
__

Waterloo, Ontario – The Waterloo Classics won the Ontario Amateur
Softball Association (OASA) Masters Provincial Fastball Championship with a
6-0 victory over two-time provincial champion Alvinston Indians Sunday
(July 20) in Niagara Falls. 
The Waterloo team, managed by local fastball enthusiast Sam Forbes, got
off to a slow start Friday night, losing 2-1 to the host Niagara Storm’s
Fury, but bounced back with a convincing 9-2 victory Saturday afternoon
over Aurora Shoeless Joes. With three teams ties at a win and a loss
apiece, the tiebreaker rule awarded the Classics first place in their
division and a bye into Sunday morning’s semi-final game. 

After defeating Waterdown Hammer in their quarterfinal game Saturday
night, the Niagara team earned the chance to qualify for the final by
meeting the Classics again. This time the Waterloo bats came alive as the
2007 provincial runner-up team won the game handily by a 14-2 score Sunday
morning. 

The championship game Sunday afternoon was a classic matchup between the
two long-time, friendly rivals, Waterloo Classics and Alvinston Indians.
Alvinston made it to the championship by defeating Aurora in the other
semi-final on Sunday. The Classics prevailed 6-0 behind strong pitching
from Todd Uhrig, timely hitting and errorless defense. After playing in the
annual tournament for 11 years, it was the Classics first OASA provincial
championship. 

Each year, OASA presents the Jack Cook award to the Masters player,
manager or coach who best exemplifies the sportsmanship, leadership and
competitive spirit of Masters fastball in Ontario. Bob Abbott, OASA
Executive Vice President, presented the award to Dana Seiling of the
Waterloo Classics. It was the third time in four years that a member of the
Classics received the award. Sam Forbes (2005) and Jodie Schnarr (2007)
were the previous recipients.

There are openings still available in the first annual Cubs Classic
Fastball Tournament hosted by the Elmira Cubs Men's Fastball Team. 

Date: July 25,26,27 / 2008 

Location: Hillside Park in Waterloo, Ontario 

Entry Fee: $400 

Guaranteed 3 games 

12 - 16 Team Tournament 

No ISC / Senior / Open level pitchers 
Pitchers from the ISC II ineligible list not allowed. 

If interested in playing or looking for more information please contact 

Tournament Contact 
Brad Thomson 
Elmira Cubs 
519-954-1269 
elmiracubs at gmail.com

The Reds continue to dominate the KFL this year. 2 more wins added to their
undefeated season gives them a 1 point lead on the Smoke for the top spot
with a game in hand.

The Black Sox added 2 wins and are starting a mid-season climb up the
leaderboard as well. They had wins over the Kings and Bulldogs this week
and they hope to continue their winning ways against the Kolts and the
Selects.

The Diamond Jaxx also did their best to keep up with the top teams as they
posted wins over the Selects (who, on Monday  night, provided what can only
be described as the most unlikely 1-2 pitching combination ever in the KFL)
and the Kolts.

This week brings us some great games to keep an eye on. The Diamond Jaxx
and Bell face off on Monday night, the Reds and Smoke see action on
Wednesday and the Black Sox and Selects look to continue their yearly
battle on Thursday.

This year, the 2008 ISC World Tournament is being held in Kimberly,
Wisconsin from  August 10 to 16 and the 2008
ISC II Tournament of Champions is being held in Appleton, Wisconsin
from August 10 to 13.

For those who want to keep track of what teams are going to the
tournament, you can find it on the isc site, here.

As week 4 comes to a close, the theme of parity seems to be developing.

The undefeated Reds continue the season with no losses but did have to
work to get a tie with the Classics and had a very close 1 -run win over
the Black Sox, and the previously undefeated Smoke lost their first match
of the season to the Predators and just squeaked out a 3-2 win against the
Selects.

This also seemed to be a week for pitching.

In the previously mentioned Reds/Black Sox game, Kevin Buckley threw an
8-inning, 1-hitter with 14 K and Nick Laurette of the Falcons managed to
throw a no-hitter to the Wizards.

And not to let the pitchers get away with all the glory,  Jason Clayfield
of the Black Sox had a 4-5 night against the Diamond Jaxx in a wild 12-10
win for the Jaxx.

We look to continue the great season next week as some key match ups
include the Diamond Jaxx and Reds on Monday night and the Black Sox and
Bell Cartage on Thursday.

The second week of the season sees the Smoke (3-0) and the Reds (2-0) as
the only undefeated teams left.

The Reds look to continue their winning as they face some young talent in
the Kolts and the Predators in the upcoming week while the Smoke spend the
next week facing the Black Sox and the Wizards.

Those undefeated teams should look out though as Bell Cartage (3-1) posted
back-to-back 8-0 wins this week and is looking to make a charge for the top
spot as they face the Bulldogs and the Selects.

So after the first week of the 2008 KFL season, we have co-leaders in the
Diamond Jaxx and Smoke and 5 teams left undefeated including the two
leaders as well as the Reds, the Black Sox and the Falcons.

The Smoke have started strong, with 10-0 and 9-5 wins, setting a quick
pace for the KFL to follow. The Diamond Jaxx are also 2-0 with both games
being won by one run (6-5 and 5-4). And as fate would have it, these two
teams face off next Wednesday at 9pm. Which one will remain undefeated?

Other key match-ups next week include the Classics and Selects as it was
the Classics who throughly trounced the Selects in the semi-finals of last
years playoffs and the Wizards and Kolts, two of the brand new teams to the
KFL.

Hopefully the rain will eventually stop and the games will continue on
Tuesday night.

Just as a reminder, you can check on the status of Budd Park by calling
519-741-2398 x 2.
They update it as necessary until 5pm.

$350 entry fee per team.
First 32 teams paid are in.
Entry Deadline is July 21.
Contact Mike Millian for more info at e-mail at millianmike36 at yahoo.ca

The North York Knights, along with Steelback Brewry are pleased to present
the first annual Steelback Shootout that will be held in Millgrove from
July 11-13, 2008. The tournament will have a beer garden, along with great
food and concessions. 

We are looking for 12-16 teams and you will be guaranteed 3 games. 
We will have very good cash/prizes to be won for all divisions. Cost to
enter is $350 per team. 

We are looking for ISC II/Intermediate teams. 
No ISC / Senior / Open level pitchers 
Pitchers from the ISC II ineligible list not allowed. 

We look forward to your support in making the first Steelback Shootout a
great success. 

If you are interested in playing, please contact Michael at 416-564-4503
or mike at halpernwine.com or
Adam at 416-727-8947 or asargon
at binsnbinders.com
 

The start of a new season for the KFL is not that far away. Teams have been
contacted already about their involvement in the 2008 campaign and things
are starting to get underway.

As always, I would like to invite any teams interested in playing in the
KFL in the upcoming season to contact me, as well
as any players looking for a team.

More information about the league will be posted and teams will be
informed of the start-of-year meeting very soon. 

Thank you.

The fifth annual Ontario Challenge Cup Tournament will take place this
coming weekend with 12 teams representing 8 leagues across southwestern
Ontario. 

They will be competing for the Laverne Reichert Memorial Trophy and a
chance to win the first berth available for next years ISC II Tournament of
Champions in Appleton, Wisconsin.  

The KFL is proud to be sending two teams to this tournament. Both the
Outlaws and the Falcons will be headed west to try and capture gold.

The Outlaws start the tournament by facing South Perth's Mitchell Mets,
Friday night at 7pm. 

The Falcons also start the tournament Friday night, going up against South
Perth's Elmira Cubs at 9pm.

A complete tournament schedule can be seen here. *Warning: link is a pdf document.

The Outlaws are just one win from their fourth consectutive KFL
championship. With an 11-2 romp of the Classics last night, the regular
season leaders hope to finish the series tonight.
The Classics meanwhile, are trying their best to show why this is the
second year in a row for them to make the finals and push the series into
next week.

The #1 Outlaws continued winning games as they won a pair of 5-0 games over
the #7 Thunder. This sends them to the finals yet again and for the second
year in a row, they find themselves facing the #4 Classics as they advanced
by taking the first two games against the #6 Selects.
Game one, of a best-of-5, has already been played and the Outlaws managed
a 6-5 win in what was a very close, back and forth game.
Game two is scheduled for Tuesday night at 8pm and game three is to go
Wednesday night, also at 8pm.

This year, the Kitchener Fastball League has picked an all-team. 

The executive chose these players based on individual assessments,
comments from individual team coaches and players as well as the mvp votes
that were cast for every game throughout the year. There was no one single
determining factor, but a collection of opinions.

As always, all-star teams are fun to pick and this was no exception. I
introduce to you, the 2007 KFL All-Star team.

P - Scot Crozier - Predators 
P - Casey Halstead - Thunder
P - Chad Halstead - Thunder
P - Doug Hoffman - Selects
P - Nick Laurette - Falcons 
P - Mel Ross - Outlaws

IF - Leighvi Batte - Bulldogs
IF - Ben Blackwell - Classics
IF - Jeff Clemons - Reds
IF - Chris Dietrich - Black Sox
IF - Jason Farrelly - Reds
IF - Steve Hall - Selects
IF - Jamie MacPherson - Bulldogs
IF - Todd Melchin - Smoke
IF - Derek Sabourin - Smoke
IF - John Scopu -  Black Sox

OF - Jim Culling - Outlaws
OF - Tom Gawel - Bell Cartage
OF - Shawn Glaab - Falcons
OF - Nick McIntyre - Predators
OF - Jodie Schnarr - Classics
OF - Troy Stuebing - Bell Cartage

This list can also be found in the sports section of The Record in the
August 29 edition.

Although this will be an "on-paper" team only this year, we looked forward
to talking to any league in the area about getting together next year for
an all-star game.

The first round of the KFL playoffs is very close to being complete. 

The #1-ranked Outlaws finished off #8 Bell Cartage on Thursday night with
a 9-0 win to take the series 2 games to 0. Bell put up a good fight in the
first game losing only 3-2, but the Outlaws came back and finished off the
series with power, putting up 9 runs and allowing none.

The #7 Thunder came into the playoffs as the team no one wanted to face
and they proved why, taking out the #2 Black Sox in two straight games. 

These two teams, who will be the highest and lowest seeds to advance, will
now face each other in the 2nd round, starting next week.

The #4 Classics also advanced, taking 2 straight games from the #5 Reds.

They are now waiting for the final series to wrap up. and if last nights
game 3 is any indication, this may take awhile. The #3 Smoke, after losing
the opening game to the #6 Selects, 4-0, came back and won game 2, 1-0. 

Game 3 went 8 innings and was called due to time limit with the score
still knotted, 1-1. They will play a Game 4 on Tuesday night to decide the
series and see who will advance to play the Classics.

Congratulations to Castro Valley A-1 Taylor, Bakersfield CA Lumberkings,
Niagara Snappers and South Lebanon TNT for being the final 4 of this years
tournament. 

I got a chance to catch some games on Tuesday and even managed to sneak
into the webcast booth during the Tavistock/Outlaws game and I must say
that I was very impressed by the level of play by the teams at the
tournament this year.

I witnessed a couple 1-hit games in the short time I watched and for the
most part, the games were very close with a number of what some might call
"upsets" sneaking in as well.

Make sure to skip out tomorrow, or I guess today if I look at the clock,
and catch the semi-finals at 9am and the finals at 11am, all being played
at Peter Hallman.

And good luck to the 4 teams left.

Thursday will see the end of the 2007 regular season for the KFL. Starting
next Tuesday, August 7, the playoffs will begin.

Not much is left to be decided. A couple of races for final positioning
but most teams seem to had settled nicely into their spots while getting
ready for the playoffs to start.

The schedule will be released very shortly after Thursdays scores have
been entered so keep an eye on the website.

In just a few sort weeks, the ISC World Fastball Championships will once
again, be here in Kitchener. Make sure you get out to a couple games. The
bracket for the world tournament is here, note the host Hallman Twins playing their first
game Saturday at 8pm.
Teams we are keeping an eye on are the Twins and the Elmira Cubs.
The pools for the ISC II Tournament of Champions can be found here, where we can see that the Outlaws drew the same
pool as the defending champs, Tavistock.
The full schedule is here.
The teams we are watching will be our very own Outlaws, as well as
Rockwood, Shakespeare, Bridgeport and I, personally want to get out to
cheer on the Kingston Cowboys as much as I can.

Catch it at the Worlds

Keep an eye out in two weeks for the OASA junior eliminations in Cobourg,
Ontario. The KFL's own Predators will be making the trek to compete against
15 other top teams to claim the provicial honours. The full draw (in pdf
form) can be seen here.

Due to the rain, Budd is closed and no games will be played tonight.
Thank you.

At the beginning of every year, a group of 10 anonymous judges submit their
top 25 ISC II teams to the ISC committee and from that are compiled the ISC
II Pre-season rankings. These rankings are used to help seed the Tournament
of Champions. 

The KFL's own Kitchener Outlaws came out of that process ranked #13. 

Tavistock, last years Championship team, are the #1 ranked team overall.

See the complete list here.

The 2007 season is upon us and we have a new website to help us bring
everyone up to date.

Take a look around the site and make sure to email me with any
suggestions you may have. A special thank you to Chris Young and Tim
Bartram for their help in getting this site up and running.

As for the ball season, we are getting started on Monday May 14 at Budd
Park (as always) with the first game of the season taking place between the
Classics and the Predators. With 11 teams returning for another season, we
have some great matchups taking place over the course of the year.

We also welcome the return of the 3-time defending champion, tied for 5th
at the Tournament of Champions and the #13 ISC II preseason ranked team,
the Kitchener Outlaws. With their imminent return to the 2007 Worlds, every
team in the league will be trying to give them their first regular season
loss in 2 years. They start their season on May 15 at 7pm so make sure to
head out to the field and show some support.

This season is shaping up to be a very exciting one so good luck to every
team in the league and lets play ball.

Trevor Botting - President