News and Announcements
Senior Rookie 'A' - North London - Finalists
Senior Rookie 'B' - St. Thomas - Champions
Minor PeeWee 'B' - St. Thomas - Champions
Midget 'B' - St. Thomas - Champions
Senior 'A' - Ilderton - Finalists
London Badgers and LDBA Successfully Host Baseball Canada Midget Nationals
The Baseball Canada Midget Championships were a huge success both on and off the playing field.
For the second consecutive year the London Badgers captured a medal at the Midget Nationals. Although they won bronze and didn't duplicate last year's Gold Medal winning performance the entire event was a huge success and will have people from across the country talking about it for years to come.
Baseball Canada official Tom Valcke had words of praise for the organizers of the event, "It is one thing to coach a top-notch, nationally-respected baseball team. It is another to govern an organization with the size and scope of the London Badgers. It is yet another to run a National Championship baseball tournament. To run all three simultaneously, and with the success that Mike and Cindy Lumley pulled off this weekend, is incredible." Valcke continued his praise of the volunteers, "The quantity and quality of volunteers that London provided to slam dunk this championship, proved yet again that this city is capable of hosting anything. I even mean an international championship, with first class professionalism while maintaining ‘true Canadiana wholesomeness.’ Add to this the three fields that were utilized, and the support provided by the city crews in London and St. Thomas, and you have the recipe for success."
Gold medal winning coach Dave Cooper who has participated in 23 Baseball Canada National Championships as a player and coach had words of praise of his own, "We had a great experience here in London. The parks were top notch and the organization of the tournament was as good as and probably better than any I have been to."
Cooper's Tecumseh Thunder representing Ontario won the Gold Medal by defeating Quebec by a 6-2 score while the London Badgers defeated British Columbia 5-2 to take the Bronze medal.
Four local LDBA umpires will be taking their talents to National and Regional events this summer.
LDBA Umpire-In-Chief Rob Companion will be at the Canada Cup in Kindersley, Saskatchewan August 11 -15 as an umpire.
Jim Cressman who is on a newly created International umpire scouting panel for Baseball Canada, will be Assistant Supervisor of Umpires at the Senior Men Championship in Dartmouth, N.S. - Aug. 26 - 29.
Allyn Ward from Listowel who can be seen around LDBA diamonds during summer tournaments will be umpiring at the Baseball Canada Bantam Boys Championships in Vaughan, Ontario August 26-29.
Oakridge Umpire-In-Chief Eldon Dunseith will be attending the Pee Wee Boys Atlantic Championships in Summerside, PEI September 9 -12 as an umpire.
This is evidence that we have some of the best umpires in the country right here in our own backyard, and we all wish these four gentlemen the best of luck!
FORMER EBBA AND BADGER PLAYER MATT SKIRVING, DRAFTED AND SIGNED BY PIRATES
Matt Skirving who played Mosquito and Pee Wee for EBBA and Bantam for the London Badgers before moving with his family to Midland Michigan was drafted in the 30th round of the MLB Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates on June 9. Matt who just completed his junior season at Eastern Michigan University signed a few days later with the Pirates and was assigned to the State College Spikes in the short-season Single-A New York-Penn League.
Matt's father Rob Skirving was an LDBA vice-president in 2002 and 2003 before taking a job in Midland Michigan where Matt played high school baseball and then moved on to EMU Eagles where last season he hit a college career high 16 home runs.
Dedication of Dan Pulham Memorial Field
Dan Pulham Memorial Field Dedication - June 12, 2010.
A dedication was held on the afternoon of Saturday June 12 at Dan Pulham Memorial Field.
It was a very nice presenttation that fit the occasion. The mayor of the City of London, Ann Marie DeCicco-Best spoke on behalf of the city, Bob Humphries spoke on behalf of Baseball Ontario, Quinton Twohey of the Badger Bantams spoke on behalf of all LDBA players and LDBA president Joe O'Neill was master of ceremonies.
The following is a tribute written by Dan Haugh that was included in the presentation to the city when it was first proposed that LDBA park where Dan Pulham spent many summer nights, be renamed Dan Pulham Memorial Field.
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A wise man once said that, “I turn to the sports pages first because they are a record of a man’s accomplishments, while the front page only records a man’s failures.”
It is fitting that the sports pages are where we can find the accomplishments of a man who came and touched so many people in the London sports community and left us far too soon.
For so many people who organize and play the game of baseball in the City of London, the name Dan Pulham meant fairness and sportsmanship. He was a tireless volunteer and administrator who always had time to listen to concerns and ideas.
In a 2005 London Free Press article acknowledging the top 25 most influential sports people in the city, Dan Pulham was among those people listed.
Born September 28, 1948, Dan Pulham attended Aberdeen P.S. and G.A. Wheable S.S. where he played many different sports. He was employed at the University of Western Ontario for 39 years.
He played Eager Beaver Baseball for the Senators, and began coaching in the association in the early 1980s. Dan held many positions within EBBA. The positions he held ranged from scheduler, umpire, equipment manager, coach, director, to president. In 1989 when Dan Pulham became EBBA president, he was one of only two men who at that time, had played in the organization and later became president.
Dan later sat on the board of directors of the London District Baseball Association, serving as vice-president and then as LDBA president from 1998-2007
Dan’s coaching experiences were far too many to list. He coached in the Eager Beaver Baseball Association, was an original coach and organizer of the London Badger Baseball program, and was very recognizable as the coach of the Junior Hornets. In 1998 Dan coached the St. Thomas Tomcats to the OBA Junior ‘C’ title.
Pulham was named London Sportsperson of the Year in 2001, Volunteer of the Year by Baseball Ontario in 2002, and he was inducted into the LDBA Hall of Fame in 2007.
The long list of Dan’s achievements and contributions to the game of baseball in the City of London could only be surpassed or equalled by a similar list of achievements and contributions to the game of hockey. The London Minor Hockey Association has re-named one of their annual tournaments, the Dan Pulham Memorial Tournament.
Dan Pulham passed away on July 2, 2008 and left behind his wife of nearly 38 years, Jackie, a son Casey, a daughter Christine, and a granddaughter Brooke.
If a man’s life isn’t measured by years alone, but by his accomplishments and what he has left behind for future generations to enjoy, then Dan Pulham’s nearly 60 years were as long and full as they could possibly be.
