News and Announcements
Major Rookie B - St. Thomas - Champions
Major Rookie D - Dorchester - Champions
Minor Mosquito A - EBBA - Finalists
Minor Mosquito B - St. Thomas - Finalists
Major Mosquito D - Dorchester - Champions
Minor PeeWee B - St. Thomas - Champions
Major PeeWee C - Delaware - Champions
Midget AAA - London Badgers - Champions
Midget A - North London - Finalists
Midget B - St. Thomas - Champions
Midget C - Ilderton - Champions
Junior A - St. Thomas Tomcats - Champions
When the temperature rises, be sure to stay cool!
Extreme heat puts some people at risk for heat-related illnesses such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Know the symptoms of these illnesses and take steps to protect yourself and your family.
It is expected that the number and intensity of extreme heat days will increase as a result of climate change.
Check this link for more information ...
http://york.ca/services/public+health+and+safety/environmental+health/extreme+heat.htm
PLAYING NON-REGISTERED TEAMS AND PLAYERS
Teams are reminded that playing non-registered teams and players will result in suspensions. If you are not sure if the team is a registered OBA team, please contact Dan Haugh at danhaughwfc@live.com We do not want to see any team or player suspended from play.
Section P7.1 PLAYING NON-REGISTERED TEAMS AND PLAYERS
a) Any registered team or player shall automatically suspend themselves upon playing with or against any team or players which are not registered with the OBA without first securing written permission from the OBA Board of Directors or the OBA Office; except where an entire team is playing an exhibition game(s) with teams up to and including Midget age, permission may be granted by the secretary of the Affiliated Association to which the team belongs.
b) Any OBA team participating in a non-OBA sanctioned tournament without permission of the OBA shall be liable for a fine of up to $500 and may be suspended from further participation in any OBA sanctioned tournament and the OBA play-offs.
Emslie Field and Labatt Memorial Park Make the List of the Top 16 in "Canada's Favourite Ball Park" Contest!
Baseball Canada has identified the 16 finalists for the title of "Canada's Favourite Ball Park". LDBA is proud to have two parks, Emslie Field in St. Thomas and Labatt Memorial Park in London make the list. Onlyfive out of the 16 parks are in Ontario.
The 16 ballparks stretch from coast to coast and have been randomly placed into four groups with four entries in each group. Beginning July 11th, Group One, a group of four ballparks, including Emslie Field, will be showcased on baseball.ca where fans will be able to vote for their favourite ballpark amongt the group of four. The ballpark with the most votes each week will advance to the semi-final round where again they will be matched-up against another park where voting will determine the two finalists. The final round voting will then determine 'Canada’s Favourite Ballpark'
Voting for Labatt Memorial Park will occur August 1st to August 8th. If both Emslie and Labatt are successful in getting out of their group, they will not meet in the semi-finals so there is a possibility if we can get enough people to visit baseball.ca and vote, both parks may end up going head-to-head in the final.
The full story about the contest is available at www.baseball.ca The enthusiastic support of all members of LDBA is needed to help both Emslie and Labatt make the final four. Voting for Emslie takes place July 11th to July 18th and Labatt is August 1st to August 8th.
We ask ALL members of LDBA, the affiliate Reps to contact their teams; players, coaches, parents, executives, to make sure all their members vote.
Thanks,
Joe O'Neill
President
London & District Baseball ASsociation
BASEBALL ONTARIO NAMES TROPHIES AFTER TWO LONDON BASEBALL MEN
Bob Humphries and Bob Stark have both been involved in the London Baseball scene for over 35 years. Bob Stark has been involved with the competitive t-ball and Rookieball programs with the Oakridge Optimists Baseball Association, while Bob Humphries' involvement began in the east end of London with the Eager Beaver Baseball Association and has evolved into several years as a member of the Baseball Ontario Board of Management.
Baseball Ontario has recently named championship trophies after both men. The Rookieball 'A' trophy will be known as the Bob Stark Trophy, while the Rookieball 'AAA' trophy will be named the Bob Humphries Trophy.
Stark's involvement started in 1972 when someone from the Oakrdige Optimists asked him if he would form a competitive t-ball team that his son would end up playing on. Bob didn't think that it would end up being a lifelong coaching career, but he talked about the relationships that evolved from staying at the same age group for the next 35-plus years, "I have great relationships in the community and you learn a ton about yourself when you coach young kids and deal with a new set of eager parents every year. I never got tired of this. Every season was a fresh challenge. After a while, it was just part of the spring routine. Maybe if I had moved up with the kids as they aged I would have deeper relationships with kids and parents, but I think it was a good trade-off."
Bob Stark coached a lot of the Oakridge kids in hockey as well as baseball. One of his players from Rookieball days who also played hockey is Brock Kjeldgaard who is currently playing in the Milwaukee Brewers minor league system and recently was named the Florida State League 'Player of the Week' for the third consecutive week. Brock has fond memories of his days playing for 'Mr. Stark' as most people still call Bob, "Mr. Stark was a very positive influence on me. He instilled a sense of commitment, respect and love for the game at a very early age. His dedication was evident and he really cared about each player and teaching them the importance of teamwork. He was well known for teaching the basics and he gave me a strong foundation for my baseball career."
Bob Humphries started out with EBBA and served in different capacities including President. He also served on the LDBA executive. He is currently in his 26th year as a member of the Baseball Ontario Board of Directors, 15 years as the LDBA representative and since 1995 he has been an elected member of the Basball Ontario board of management. Humphries has been the Rookiball series chairman for the past nine years and the chairman of the Baseball Ontario Risk Management Committee for the past 10 years.
Bob also spoke of the relationships that were developed through his years of being involved in baseball as a coach and administrator, "I am not much for personal awards, but like any volunteer, it's nice to be recognized once in a while and know that someone or some group, appreciates the work you do. I just want to thank 'Baseball' for everything it has done for me over the years. I've met a lot of great people, gained a wealth of knowledge and have had many rewarding experiences."
Neither of these men being honoured by having trophies named after them, would have imagined 35 years ago that they would have continued as long as they did, but there are a lot of young baseball players and parents who can be very grateful for all the time and energy that they have both contirbiuted to baseball in the London area and throughout Ontario.
THANK YOU BOB! TWICE!
