There's lots going on in Metroland, so we decided to keep things short and sweet this week, and just give you a few important updates.  Here's what's new...

1.  General Manager Mark Walters, and Field Manager Kerry Hedden (along with their better-halves) are leaving this weekend for a well-earned one-week vacation in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.  As such, there will be no update to the website next week.  Everything should be back in order the week of March 8th.  Until then, enjoy the snow!

2.  Speaking of the Metros "Management Team", we hope to announce the name of the newest member of that team, sometime in the near future.  There are just a few details to be worked out before the Metros announce the signing of a new (and long overdue) business manager.

3.  A reminder about the Metros' Annual "Season Kickoff Meeting".  The meeting will take place tomorrow night (Wednesday, February 24), at the Thorold Legion on Ormond Street.  Start time is 7:30.  Any and all current and would-be future Metros are urged to attend this informational get-together.

4.  Once the "Kickoff Meeting" is in the books, the Metros annually begin their indoor workouts...and that is once again, the case this season.  The "Indoor Season" begins on Tuesday March 2, at Thorold High School, where we've been for 7 years now.  The indoor workout begins at 7:00.  Once again, any current or new Metros are urged to attend, and start to shake off the rust.  As mentioned, Kerry and Mark will be in Mexico, so Captain Joe Roach has agreed to take charge of the practice.  After the first indoor on March the 2nd, there will be a couple of weeks off, March 9 (Parent-teacher night at the school) and March 16 (March break - school closed).  We'll pick it back up on March 23.

5.  The Metros are very much into the "recruiting season" and have been talking to many potential new players.  This is always an exciting time of year for the Management team, and this year's prospects are shaping up to be one of the most impressive crops in a long time.  But we are still (and always) on the lookout for more talent!  If you have played Baseball at the Professional, College, or Elite Junior level, and plan to be in Niagara for the summer, we'd love to hear from you.  Just email or call a member of the Coaching staff via the information on our "Contact Us" page.

6.  We are also on the lookout for help with our "Gameday Operation", in the form of a P.A. announcer and scoreboard operator.  The job entails just giving us 3 hours of your time, over the course of 13 Thursdays (or Mondays) during the season.  The job is unpaid, but you would be entitled to the grateful thanks of the team, along with a few "other perks".

I guess that's it for now.  We'll talk to you again in a couple of weeks.  Till then, stay on the field. 

After a long, long fall and winter, it's time to get the 2010 season officially started...and we always do that with our annual winter kickoff meeting.  The first event on the Niagara Metros calendar for this season will be Wednesday, February 24 at the Thorold Legion, beginning at 7:30.

The Branch 17 Legion, for those who don't remember, was the location of our past few players get-togethers (including the year-end meeting last November), and is on Ormond Street in Thorold. 

A few of the topics for discussion at the meeting are...

1. "The State of the Metros"

2.  Fundraising and Registration

3.  Changes to the Team

4.  Changes to the League

5.  Prospective Schedule and Tournaments

6.  The newly reformatted "Hap Walters Tourney"

...as well as any topics that arise out of the discussions.

We invite all current and prospective Metros to attend the meeting...and bring your ideas and thoughts.  This is an interactive process, and as you know, most of the decisions we make as a team come from you.  You must attend in order to be heard.

Once again, that's Wednesday, February 24...7:30 at the Thorold Legion, on Ormond Street.  We just can't wait to get started.  See you there!


NEW BASEBALL FILM FEATURE

By the way, this week (and for the next 3 weeks), we're featuring a film on metrosbaseball.ca, that is guaranteed to get you pumped up about the 2010 MLB season getting underway in Florida and Arizona.  The folks at ESPN assembled this incredible compilation film, featuring the highlights (and lowlights) from the 2009 MLB season.  It's a great piece...and we hope you enjoy it!  Just scroll to the bottom of this page, and press "Play".

That's about it for now.  Till next week, "Stay on the field".  

You're probably asking yourself, "How can there be lots happening about baseball in the dead of winter?"  Well, there is!
The Metros Coaching staff are in the process of meetings to prepare for the 2010 season.  The team is still on the lookout for one or two coaches...to handle first base, and perhaps to work with the pitchers.  Kerry Hedden will be back in the dugout for his 10th season (after 11 seasons as a player), while Mark Walters will return to the field for his 26th.  The team is also in the market for a PA announcer for the home games...which will be primarily Thursday nights from May to August.

Speaking of the schedule, Mr. Walters (as the C.O.M.B.L. schedule-maker) has begun the long process of putting together the league schedule for 2010.  With 10 teams playing 27 games each, it will result in a 135 game schedule, which must fit neatly into 15 weeks...while allowing time for the teams to attend out-of-town tournaments.  It's a big job, but Mark has been successful at delivering a quality schedule since 1999.

As for the Metros, they'll be starting their season sometime in the next couple of weeks, with their annual startup meeting.  As soon as a venue and a date has been etched in stone, the meeting will be announced.  All current and future players are urged to attend, as the team will go over the "ins and outs" of the process of being a "Niagara Metro" for the upcoming season.  The indoor workouts will likely begin shortly after (perhaps in early March).

Oh...and by the way.  Don't forget to stay on the field!

 

As we mentioned last week, the Central Ontario Major Baseball League held their first meeting of the 2010 season, on Monday January 25th.  And during the meeting there were a couple of intersting topics covered (and decisions made), which will greatly effect the League for this season, and hopefully many more.  The two most important decisions involve a new team for the 2010 season, and a re-vamping of the annual "Hap" Walters Tournament, previously run by the Niagara Metros.  Here are the basics of what was decided.

With regard to the new team, the "Mississauga Southwest" Baseball Association has entered a team into the C.O.M.B.L. for the upcoming year.  The new team will be called the "Twins", but will be a completely different outfit from the Clarkson Twins, which represented Mississauga, and played in the league from 2005 to 2006 (without much success).  The new team was represented by GM Bob Kulchyk, and Coach Mike Smith, who promised that the Twins of 2010 will be a stronger entry than their predesessors.

The Mississauga unit will operate out of Clarkson Park, and be placed into the Andrews Division of the League...maintaining the League's "geographical" makeup of the two divisions.  In addition to Mississauga, the Andrews Division will feature Etobicoke, Erindale, Oakville and Brampton.  Meanwhile, the Johnson Division will remain the same, with Milton, Dundas, Burlington, Glanbrook and Niagara back for another year.

The new team will affect the schedule, as well, and will see the league return to a 27-game format...with each team playing the other 9 teams 3 times each.  A random draw will take place to see which teams will get the extra home game for 2010...and then the process will reverse itself in 2011.  Speaking of the schedule, the membership was looking toward a starting date of Saturday May 8th, with a wrap-up date set for Wednesday August 18th.  Included in the plans, is their annual League All-Star game, which will be scheduled for July 25, along with the next topic we're going to cover...the 2010 Hap Walters Memorial Baseball Tournament.

As mentioned, the "Hap" Walters Tournament has become one of the highlights on the Senior Baseball calendar each season, since it's inception in 2002.  It was previously operated out of St. Catharines by the Niagara Metros.  Unfortunately, a change in city policy has cost the Metros the use of Alex MacKenzie Park, one of the primary parks used in the tournament.  With only 2 viable parks left to use in the Niagara area, the Metros were forced to give up operating the tourney.

But with the tournament having such a high profile (and being such an important event each year), the Central Ontario Major Baseball League decided to take over the operation of the tourney, and continue running it for 2010 and beyond.  This year's "Hap" will be played out of the Erindale/ Clarkson / and Etobicoke parks on the same weekend as it has been traditionally held...July 16 to 18.  The the C.O.M.B.L. is especially pleased that, with the glut of available parks in the area, the tourney will be a 16-teamer (assuming enough entries are received), after having been a 12-team tourney for the past several years.

The newly formatted tournament will feature David Huctwith (Mississauga) as Convener, Greg Cranker (Erindale) as Head of Operations, and Bob Wood (Burlington) as Treasurer.  Hap's son, Mark Walters (Niagara) will remain on as Tournament Chairman.  Invitations to the event will be going out via email this week.  Any team that is interested in attending the 2010 "Hap" is urged to contact any of the above listed tournament officers, for information.  All of the details are available on this website, by clicking on the "Hap Walters Tourney" link...to the left of this page.  Further information will be available at the CobaMajor website, later this week...at http://www.cobamajor.com/main.html

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NEW "BASEBALL FILM FEATURE"

Finally this week, we invite you to check out our "Baseball Film Feature" at the bottom of this page.  We have some "bat wizardry" on display for you...featuring semi-pro ball player Josh Womack, who's making quite a name for himself with his unusual but amazing skills.  Just scroll to the bottom, and press "Play".

Till next week, stay on the field.