Well, with April arriving this coming Friday, and the Major League Baseball season beginning on Thursday, you know that our C.O.M.B.L. season is not too far away either.  And while the Niagara Metros (along with the rest of the Central Ontario "AAA" Major teams) are busy with indoor workouts and player recruiting for the upcoming season, we thought we'd bring you a few random updates here at metrosbaseball.ca.

1.  The website updates for 2011 are in full swing.  Last week we mentioned that our regular season and tournament schedule has been posted on our website.  This is just a reminder that you can access this information by clicking on "Schedule/Results" to the left of the page.  Any players who need to arrange work schedules later in the summer can do so with this information.  Also this past week, we updated the "Management Team" page, with a few new tidbits of information about our fearless leaders.  Look for more updates to the site as April progresses.

2.  In February, we posted information about the 2011 Hap Walters Tourney, and how we are in the process of accepting applications from all the Ontario Senior "AAA" teams for entry into the tourney.  To jog your memory, this tournament will take place the weekend of July 15-17, and take place in Mississauga, Oakville and Etobicoke.  It is slated to be an unprecedented 20-team event.  The response has been quick and sure, as no fewer than 13 teams have responded with either an application or a cheque for their entry.  And, while there are still 7 openings available, the tournament organizers have yet to hear back from 11 of the teams that invites were sent out to.  If you are reading this and are associated with one of those teams, to avoid the disappointment of being too late and missing out on the fun, please get in touch with Tournament Chair Mark Walters.  His email address is available on the "Contact Us" page of this website.

3.  Metros indoor workouts continue this Thursday evening at the Bullett-Proof facility in Welland.  The team has had a couple of very good workouts to date, and hopefully there will be another good turnout on March 31.  A reminder that the time is 9:00 PM, but players should get there a bit early, as the 7:00 session has ended a little early the last couple of times we were there.  The Bullett facility is located at 1100 Niagara Street, and is in the Welland Fairground complex.  See you then.

4. Finally, we have added another new film to our "Top 10 Baseball Film Showcase" series.  During this one, you might want to move the kiddies out of earshot, as Crash Davis (played by Kevin Costner) vents his frustrations at a nearby umpire in the 1987 movie classic "Bull Durham".  The dialogue may be X-rated, but the scene gets an "A" for laughs, as Crash lets us know the one thing you can't call an umpire.  Just scroll to the bottom of the page, and press "Play".

That's it for this week.  Till we talk in April, stay on the field!
   

We thought we'd take a few paragraphs this week, to update you on the progress of our Metros players, as they ply their trade in the various U.S. College Spring Baseball campaigns.  In addition, we're going to take a look back to let you know how our boys did during the Canadian College Fall season, in September and October.  First up, the boys that are playing south of the border.

Actually, we take that back with the first one.  Our fine young shortstop, Matt Spillman may be playing N.A.I.A. baseball against some of the best college programs on the west coast, but he's doing it from his home country.  Matt transferred from Walsh (Ohio) to the University of British Columbia over Christmas, and he has been "as advertised" for the Thunderbirds.  Spillman currently sits in second place on the team in batting, with a very good .321 average, based on his 18 for 56 record thus far.  He has added a HR and 9 RBI's, batting primarly out of the 7 hole in the UBC batting order.  He also has a superb 12 - 6 walk to strikeout ratio, for a .438 OBP.  Way to go, Matt!

Our outstanding young Catcher, Evan Baglieri, got off to a very slow start...but is now just heating up for the Gannon University Golden Knights.  Gannon (located in Erie, Pennsylvania) has started their NCAA - Division 2 season in Winter Haven, Florida and is just now planning to play their first home game of the season.  The team went 4-8 in the Florida trip, with "Bags" starting all 12 games.  And after getting off to an 0 for 18 start, it's looking like Evan is starting to get his feet under him.  After that horrendous start, he has gone 8 for 24 (.333) to bring his season average up to .190.  Batting mostly in the 6-hole, Mr. Baglieri has hit the only HR for his team thus far, and also leads his team with 3 doubles.  Defensively, "Bags" has been fantastic, having not made an error, yet this year (to lead his team in Fielding Pct.) and has thrown out 4 would-be base stealers in 14 tries, a fine 28.6 percent rate.

Three other members of the Metros were big parts of their respective teams this past fall in the Canadian Intercollegiate Baseball Association.  Twenty year-old lefthanded pitcher, Brandon Beattie, led his Waterloo Warriors in innings pitched this past fall, with a total of 25 2/3...good enough for 7th place in the O.U.A.  He also produced a very good 2.15 ERA, which placed 9th in the conference.  Brandon showed very good control, walking just 7 batters on his way to a 1-1 record.

Meanwhile, in New Brunswick 20 year-old Infielder/Outfielder Dan Proctor also put together a solid fall season.  Playing for the Crandall Chargers of the Atlantic Conference of the C.I.B.A., Proctor batted a solid .289 (13 for 45) with a double, triple, and 7 RBI's, from the top of the batting order.  Dan also showed a great eye at the plate, walking 13 times while striking out just 5...for an outstanding .484 OBP.  He was second on his team in runs scored, as well.

Finally there's our local kid from our local team.  Young infielder Garret Fisher finished the season incredibly strong, while playing for the O.U.A. Champion Brock Badgers.  After not seeing much of the field for the Badgers early on, Garrett showed his team what he is capable of once he got the chance.  He finished with a .360 batting average (5th on the team) and struck out just 3 times.  In addition, he recorded 5 walks, and a couple of stolen bases.  As mentioned, Garrett saved his best for last.  Although the Badgers lost in the C.I.B.A. Finals to McGill, Mr. Fisher did his part, as he collected a double and 2 singles in the 12-9 loss, and was named Badgers Player-of-the-Game.

The Metros would just like to say "Congratulations!" to all of the players who have completed their college seasons, and "Keep up the good work" to the boys still playing.  We'll publish another update later on (in April) and look forward to seeing you all back at Community Park in May.


NEW TOP 10 BASEBALL VIDEO THIS WEEK

We continue with our look back at the Top 10 Baseball Films that have appeared on our website over the past 4 years.  This week we have a classic scene from a classic movie...a movie in which actor Tom Hanks makes a rather harsh but hilarious observation about the game we love.  We're feeling tears welling-up just thinking about it!  Just scroll to the bottom of the page and press "Play".

Talk to you next week, with an update from our latest C.O.M.B.L. managers meeting, scheduled for Monday.  Till then, stay on the field.               

The Niagara Metros are very pleased to announce that they have formed a working agreement with the Bullett Proof Baseball Academy, the only elite minor baseball program in Niagara.  The partnership between the two programs was a natural one, in that the outstanding graduates of the Bullett program had no natural "next step" in their baseball progression.  The Metros will now fill that void, as Scott Bullett (owner, coach and mentor) ensures that his graduates are aware of Metros' program, and know that they will be welcome to try out.  

For their part, the Niagara Senior team will see to it that any players trying out, who cannot meet the physical or time demands of their program, will be made aware of the new Senior team at the Bullett academy, the Bullett Proof Pirates.  The Metros have long been associated with the academy.  Many of the team's players have been employed as instructors, who share their knowledge of baseball with the rising stars in the various Bullett programs.  Currently, Metros players Dave Davidson, Jason Ermers and Jono Marcheterre are members of the Bullett teaching staff, and in fact Ermers is the pitching coach for the 18 and under team.  In addition, several former Bullett-Proof Prospects have made their way to the Metros in recent years.  The 2010 Metros featured no less than 7 Bullett graduates on the roster.  

The partnership seems like a great fit, and is a win-win situation for not only the two organizations, but also the players coming through the systems each year.  And the Metros are pleased that, although there are no more Junior club-team feeders in Niagara any more, the team's future will be secured with this agreement.  The Metros encourage everyone to check out the Bullett website, to find out more about this exciting program, as well as news and events that happen all year long.  The "BP" link is above this blog.


METROS FIRST INDOOR WORKOUT A GREAT SUCCESS

Speaking of the Bullett Proof Academy, the Niagara Metros' 2011 season got underway there, last Thursday evening.  A very enthusiastic group of Metros showed up for the first indoor workout of the season, and  it could not have gone better.  The Metros would like to thank Scott Bullett for the use of his facility, and also for his support and expertise during the practice.  Hopefully, those 200 ground balls you hit to the boys didn't take too much of a physical toll, Scott!

The next indoor workout at the Academy (1100 Niagara Street in Welland) is Thursday, March 24 at 9:00 PM.  There will be two more following that one...on March 31st and April 14th, before the Metros move outside for good.  Any prospective new players are invited to attend these indoor workouts, but should be aware that all players pay a $10.00 fee per session.  We have posted a few pictures of the boys going through their paces on the website.  Just click "Photo Album" on the left of this page, and scroll down to view them.

That's it for now.  Until next week, stay on the field!