Wednesday, November 28, 2007
NOVEMBER 26TH C.O.M.B.L. MANAGERS MEETING
The Central Ontario Major Baseball League
held it's 2007 wrap-up meeting on Monday night, and while there were no major changes voted on for 2008, there were a couple
of new concepts brought up for consideration.
The league is looking at a possible change
to its playoff format as well as a couple of minor changes in the league schedule. There will be a number of these various
possibilities disscussed and voted on at the next meeting in January. There was also a short discussion surrounding
the fact that, while the season was not without its blips on the radar, ran as smoothly as it has in years...and that the
umpiring in our league, while not perfect, was also improved beyond measure. The umpiring crews around the league have
made great strides to keep up with the improved play on the field, making for a solid and entertaining baseball product!
All in all it was a very positive meeting
and the league looks to be in great shape heading forward. More after the next meeting in January.
A reminder...the Metros Christmas
party date has been announced. It's hoped that as many current and former players and their wives/girlfriends will be
able to attend the festivities on Saturday, December 29th, as possible. Another reminder about the gala event will
be sent out in email form in the next week or so. Until then, have a great end of November.
Monday, November 26, 2007
A COUPLE OF ANNOUNCEMENTS
With the American Thanksgiving behind
us, it usually means that everyone's now looking ahead to Christmas. We're doing that at metrosbaseball.ca, as well.
So, we're ready to announce the date for our annual Metros Christmas Gala.
The much-anticipated affair will be on
Saturday, December 29...at the home of Metros GM, Mark Walters. We'll be forwarding more information in the form of
emails to the entire team, but for now, the date will be of use to you, so you can make plans to be there.
The other announcement concerns the COBA
League meeting, which is scheduled for this evening at the Mainway Sports complex in Burlington. We're not sure what
the agenda will include, regarding potential topics for discussion (its usaually a wrap-up of outstanding items from the 2007
season). We'll update you later in the week if anything significant comes from this meeting.
Talk to you soon...
Monday, November 19, 2007
SOMETHING NEW FOR metrosbaseball.ca
For a couple of years now, we've been
featuring a "Baseball Comic of the Month" at the bottom of our Home Page. While this has been an excellent feature,
we've decided to try something new and different in that space.
Last year, we posted a short film about
a hockey goalie playing short stop for a baseball team. It was a lot of fun and we received many positive comments about
it. After a recent search, we discovered there are many short films with a "baseball" or "sports related" theme available
for download to our website. Some are funny, some are sad, and some will bring back warm memories from years gone by.
Whatever film we post, we guarentee that you will find it interesting.
So welcome to a new era at metrosbaseball.ca...the
"Showcase Film" era. Every couple of weeks we'll post a new film on our site, and if you have 5 minutes to spare, we're
sure you'll enjoy what we have to offer. We're going to start with one of the most heart-warming scenes in
movie history...the final scene from 1989's "Field of Dreams". And remember, its OK to cry. Just scroll to
the bottom of this page and press "Play".
We just have one question to ask..."Hey
dad, do you want to have a catch"?
Monday, November 12, 2007
KELTOS, GAZZOLA ADDED TO "HALL OF FAME"
It's ironic that we're making this post
on the day that the NHL is inducting 4 new members to their "Hall of Fame".
Back on August 2nd, the St. Catharines
Metros made a special presentation to two former players...two players who made a huge impact on the team and the C.O.B.A.
Major Baseball League for more than 10 years. Prior to the game that night, infielder Frank Keltos and pitcher
Lou Gazzola were presented with a small token of appreciation by the Metros' coaching staff and had their numbers (44
and 28 respectively) retired.
We at metrosbaseball.ca have finally gotten
around to adding them to the "Hall of Fame" page on our website. Frank and Lou's many accomplishments are
now documented on that page, along with the previous 5 members of our "Hall"...Bob Asham, Frank Iker, Tim Krawczyk, Mike Coull
and Dave Lafleur. These bios, along with their career stats make for some interesting reading, and without doubt, show
why these distinguished former Metros have been so honoured for their contributions to the team and the league.
Congratulations Frank and Lou and welcome
to the Metros "Hall of Fame"! You not only made our team better on the field, you made it fun to come to the
park, and it's an honour to now "officially" add you to this select group of individuals.
P.S. - To read these new stories,
please click on the "Metros Archive Pages" link, just above the "What's New" section of this page. Then click on "Hall
of Fame" to the left of the Archive Home Page.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
C.O.B.A. MAJOR LEAGUE 2007 AWARD WINNERS
As promised, we have the entire list of
2007 award winners, announced last week at the C.O.B.A. Major League awards banquet hosted by the Dundas Chiefs. The
affair, by the way, was first class all the way, and Charlie Holman of the Chiefs deserves a big "way to go" for his efforts.
In fact, all the league managers deserve kudos for getting their teams' participation level to its highest in years,
as the Dundas Air Force Club was filled to capacity.
As we mentioned last week,
the Metros Brian Essery was honoured as the C.O.B.A. Major League's Top Pitcher for 2007. His 5-0 league record and
1.04 ERA out-distanced the runners-up, Shawn Silk of Etobicoke and R.J. Wild of Glanbrook in a vote of the league managers.
It was Essery's 2nd Top Pitcher award (the other coming in 1999) to go with an M.V.P. trophy from 2001. Brian was also named the Johnson Divison's All-star righthanded starting pitcher, joining 2 other Metros similarly
honoured, Jason Ermers (lefthanded starter) and Tim Collins (3rd Baseman). Check out the 2 new photos from the banquet,
on our "Photo Page".
The rest of the league award winners are
listed below. The St. Catharines Metros would like to congratulate each and every one of the players that received the
well-earned recognition.
The Barry Dobson Award (Playoff Champions)
- Milton Red Sox
The Anson Buck Trophy (Regular Season
Champions) - Etobicoke Rangers
The Dick Imus Divisional Plaque (Andrews
Division Champions) - Etobicoke Rangers
The Pat Brooker Divisional Plaque (Johnson
Division Champions) - St. Catharines Metros
The Todd Perkins Memorial Award (Rookie
of the Year) - Adam Cholewka, Glanbrook Grizzlies
The Len Andrews Trophy (Batting Champion)
- Daniel Jagdeo, Etobicoke Rangers
The Andy Pierce Memorial Trophy (Home
Run Champion) - Geoff Cullen, Erindale Cardinals
The Bill Graham Memorial Trophy (Iron-man
Award) - Greg Urban, Glanbrook Grizzlies
The Chuck Brown Award (Sportsman of the
Year) - Mike Grilli, Glanbrook Grizzlies
The Jack Roberts Award (Pitcher of the
Year) - Brian Essery, St. Catharines Metros
The Ken Johnson Award (Executive of the
Year) - Steve (Whitey) Breitner, Etobicoke Rangers
The Sam Leonard Trophy (Outstanding Playoff
Performer) - Jeff McLeod, Milton Red Sox
The Dick Willis Award (C.O.B.A. Most Valuable
Player) - Geoff Cullen, Erindale Cardinals
The Johnson Divison All Star Team Selections
were:
C- J.R. Crosby, Burlington Brants
1B - Chris Piano, Glanbrook Grizzlies
2B - Adam Cholewka, Glanbrook Grizzlies
SS - Jamal Thelwell, Mississauga
North Tigers
3B - Tim Collins, St. Catharines
Metros
OF - Tim Sogan, Glanbrook Grizzlies
OF - Jason Egbuna, Burlington Brants
OF - Mike Covre, Dundas Chiefs
DH - Ken Collett, Dundas Chiefs
RHP - Brian Essery, St. Catharines
Metros
LHP - Jason Ermers, St. Catharines
Metros
RP - Ang Amore, Dundas Chiefs
Once again congrats to all the players
receiving awards or All-star recognition. It is your talent, dedication and hard work that leads to these impressive
achievements, and helps make the C.O.B.A. Major Baseball League the number 1 league in the province!
Friday, November 2, 2007
ESSERY WINS C.O.B.A. "TOP PITCHER" AWARD FOR 2007
The St. Catharines Metros couldn't be
more proud of their veteran pitcher, Brian Essery, who yesterday was named the C.O.B.A. Major League "Pitcher of the Year"
for 2007. In a vote taken among the 10 league representatives back in September, Essery came first, defeating runners-up
Shawn Silk of Etobicoke and R.J. Wild of Glanbrook.
The award was confirmation that the 32
year-old Essery has come "all the way back" from a devastating arm injury that cost him part of the 2003 season, and almost
all of 2004. This year's Top Pitcher award was Essery's second (the other one coming in 1999) to go with an M.V.P. trophy
from 2001. For the
record, Essery's statistics certainly justified his winning of the 2007 award. His regular season numbers totalled
5 wins and 0 losses with an E.R.A. of 1.04.
In addition to his "Top Pitcher Award",
Essery was also voted to the Johnson Division All-Star Team for the 5th time. Voted the righthanded starting
pitcher, Essery joined teammates Jason Ermers (lefthanded starting pitcher), and Tim Collins (3rd Baseman) on the team.
It was Ermers' 3rd straight election to the Johnson squad, while Collins, in his first year in C.O.B.A., was a first-time
All-Star.
Next week we'll outline all the award
winners from the year-end banquet, and maybe post some photos taken during the event. Until then, have a great weekend!
