It was pretty uneventful last night. We played a few damp innings against half a dozen Beasties and won by default as it were.

We will put our winning streak on the line next week against the Thunderdawgs in the northeast corner of McCleary Park. There are maps on the website.

We are looking for a better turnout, and hope to see all you promised young ballplayers there. Don't wait for the summer to arrive . . . it may be too late.

And for all the holdouts, we're looking pretty strong so don't take your position for granted.

Once again we field a team only to have the opposition pull a no-show. We loaned them our best players so we can still take some pride in easily beating them. The final score was Originals 18 - Thunderdawgs 11, although the official score will be a 1-0 (Win by Default).

We continue to get good run production from unexpected sources, so when we begin firing on all cylinders we should have a potent attack.

The Originals continue to find it hard to attract competition from the rest of the league. We played a new as-yet-to-be-named team last night so it was not a surprise that they failed to have the required number of players. Still more new (or at least re-cycled) members showed up which bodes well for the season.

Next week we are playing last years champions the Allsorts, who are not only sure to field a team but are also sure to want to beat their arch-rivals the Originals.

The game is at Riverdale West. Maps are on the website if you need directions.

This should be our first real test of the season, so let's hope the weather is warm and the team continues to cook.

In the first real game of the season we pasted last years championship team by a score of 20-2. It was the closest thing to a shutout that this league has ever seen, and the fact that they scored with 2 out in the bottom of the last inning added a little drama to an otherwise predictable outcome.

Next week we are at McCleary North (honest, I just checked) against the Sultans, another one of the better teams in the league.

Sorry for the delay, but it's getting pretty hard to find a story line when the other teams keep failing to show.

Anyway . . . last week was a perfect example of experience versus youth! You figure it out.

This week we are playing at McCleary south against the Gorillas. I figure they will be there, so let's hope for good weather and a chance to show our stuff.

If you need schedules or directions they are on the website.

The Originals continue to show their fine form in cruising to a 21-7 win against The Gorillas this week at McCleary Park. The final score actually flattered the losing team . . . it wasn't that close. Especially noted was the solid defensive effort and great turnout at the bar.

The only worry we had was that our third woman didn't show up until that last moment and until then we weren't sure we had enough. So it would be good for any woman who can't make it to try to contact someone else of your gender to make sure we have at least 3 women every week. I will leave that in your capable feminine hands.

For all of those who don't know it, the league bar is The Pilot on Cumberland Ave in Yorkville. They are giving us half price wings and a couple of free pitchers of beer. There are maps to get there on the website. It would be nice to see the whole team there.

Next week we are again at McCleary south versus The Beasties. Hope to see you all there!

In this game we discovered that we can be beaten.

In an torrid affair with the unruly mob known as the Beasties, we came out on the short end of the stick. Wether it was the hot, humid weather or the fact that we had over 100 years of baseball experience missing (okay so it's only two players) we nevertheless scored less runs than the opposition.

Luckily for us, we will get a win (by default) in the win column. But this should be a lesson to those who were anointing us the winners of the league championship at this early date.

Last week felt like the first "real" good game we've had this year. Both teams had good turnouts, the weather was nice, and The Originals played their usual good game both on offense and defense. A steady run production and solid defensive effort left us with a 17-9 win against the Toronto Athletic Club.

This week we are going to be playing at Riverdale East. For the directionally challenged that is the park closer to the Maritimes. Our opponent this week will be RE Sports who have been fielding a very new and stylish looking team.

See you all there. We will be missing our youngest player and our probably our newliest married, so hopefully the rest will show up.

The hi-octane gasoline powered Originals pounded out a 26-17 win over an impressive RE Sports squad at Riverdale park last night. Considering RE Sports had trouble fielding a team earlier in the year they should be commended for having such a good group of young players.

We don't usually point out individual performances, but especially noticeable was Alice's 4 hits (only a HR short of the cycle!), John's performance on the big green monster, and Ian hitting a ball further than anyone else in his family could ever hope to hit one (well you'll just have to believe me since you weren't there to see it yourself).

All in all a good win for the team although we only had 10 and 2 half players available! BTW isn't it nice to see your municipal tax dollars at work :)

Next week we are playing the defending champion Allsorts on the other side of the valley. See you there.

On Wednesday night the Originals overwhelmed the defending champion Allsorts with a very impressive 33-6 victory. In 3 innings we batted through the order and scored 7, 9, and 10 runs. Special mention goes out to Matt who went 6 for 6, and John who was 5 for 6.

The only thing the Allsorts could beat us at was "bar attendance", which has been lagging pretty badly for the Originals the last few weeks.

Next weeks matchup will be against the Sultans back on the east side of the Don Valley. Hope to see you all at the game, and afterwards at the Pilot.

Well in a very sloppily played game the Originals met their match last night, and it is us!!.

The lack of hits and multitude of errors had us down by six runs in the seventh inning to the Sultans. It got so bad that even Mitch's Spirit form booted more than a couple of easy outs and continously popped out softly to their shallowly placed outfielders.

Luckily two timely 3 run home runs by Shawn and Greg in the 8th and 9th innings respectively tied the score. And probably intimidated by our now public perfect record the Sultans were more than happy to walk away with a tie rather than play any further. The final score was 13-13.

My chief statistician, who as you may know has been marking score for this team most of his life, commented that he had never seen such sparse looking scorecard. An pitiful on base percentage of .433 and 7 consecutive outs in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings were some of the highlights we hope to never see again.

Next week we need all the women to come out as Gail, Bobbi, and Shawn are not going to be there. They are going to see the Lawrence Welk Orchestra. Ah one, and ah two, and ah three brown sugar . . .

The rest of us will be back at the same park against the Thunderdawgs who are also probably going to be looking for some form of revenge against the league leading Originals.

Game cancelled because of lack of interest . . . Officially tied by default.

Last night, whilst missing our fearless leader and son (somewhere near Ottawa) we still managed to put on a good show vs. the Gorillas and win our first real game in 3 weeks.

The Gorillas protested that our whole team was not wearing our proper "red" uniforms (I won't mention any names . . . GREG) but we quickly overcame that and got down to business. (Greg did hit a HR !)

We had an excellent turn out (especially all the women) some of us still re-cooping from last weeks Lawrence Welk show which I am sure some of the Thunderdawgs attended as well.

John even mentioned the attendance of Mitch's spirit seemed quite evident . . . ha ha . . . hint hint!!

I'm not very good with stats and stuff and I'm just rambling at this point, so I'll sign off!

Don't forget we're at Riverdale West vs. the Beasties next Wednesday (that's the park nearest BC) I think that's our last regular season game, so let's make it a good one!!

Gail

Last night in the final game of the 2003 season the Originals became the first team to ever complete an undefeated regular season in the long and distinguished history of the Royal Canadian Baseball Association.

The game against the Beasties was pretty anticlimactic after the first inning when it was obvious that the opposition was going to do little of anything besides heap good natured taunts and insults our way. The only real scare was before the game with the seemingly unthinkable possibility that we were going to default the game. Whew, just dodged that bullet!

The final score of the game was 26 to 5, but the Originals did not deserve nearly that many runs . . . many of them were simply due to the unwillingness of the Beasties outfielders to catch any fly balls. While our defense was solid, offensively we simply played down to the level of the opposition.

Now the playoffs start. On Wednesday August 20th we will be playing the last place team, RE Sports, in the first round of the playoffs on the SE diamond at McCleary. They are on a one game winning streak (their first of the year), so they have some confidence going into the playoffs. This game determines if we are in the Championship or Consolation round the following Sunday.

We will play 2 games on Sunday the 24th, starting at 1pm. All games will be at McCleary park. The star-studded gala will take place following those games at the Pilot.

We can't afford a let down now. Remember that while being undefeated is great achievement . . . b-b-b-baby we ain't done nothin' yet!

Last night we played R.E. Sports in the first round of the 2003 playoffs. They were on a one game winning streak and were pretty confident. They showed that by scoring 6 quick runs in the top of the first inning. We then showed our overconfidence by managing one base runner and three quick outs in the bottom of the first. There were some nervous Originals at this point (yours truly included). Would the season all come crashing down upon us? Was our regular season just a mirage?

Luckily we regained our footing in the second inning and tied the game up. With our confidence restored somewhat we got to work and steadily built a lead that eventually wore down the opposition.

The final score was 22-9 for the Originals. It was good to see R.E. Sports put on such a respectable show. Considering they barely had a team at the beginning of the year, and managed only one win during the season, they look to have the basis of a good team and should be a factor in the future.

Sunday is the big show. We play our first round game against the Thunder Dawgs. Even though they had a poor season they are looking to redeem that by beating us on Sunday. They are still smarting from last years loss in the final inning of the final game, and want this game badly. I assume they will field a team visibly better than the one they played the season with. I suggest we give them something to remember! The game starts at 1pm, and we would encourage everyone to get there around noon if possible.

Assuming we prevail we would be playing the championship game against the winner of the Allsorts vs. Sultans shortly thereafter.

The Originals finally did it! After 25 years in the league with only one distant championship for one of our ancestral teams (the Odds in 1981) we finally got our hands on the cherished league trophy. And a sweet victory it was.

In the semifinal game against the ThunderDawgs we quickly jumped into a small lead and exploded for 8 runs in the fourth inning that allowed us to cruise to a 15-10 victory. Offensively we didn't play to our potential but we were steady in the field and we were able to keep them from getting back into the game.

On the other hand, in the final against the Sultans we were rocked and quickly fell behind 7-1 by the 3rd inning. Upon taking the field in the 4th after three quick outs in the bottom of the 3rd we were feeling pretty glum and I'm sure it wasn't just me who started to think that the season was over for us. But even though they had some opportunity we kept them from scoring that inning, and then strode to the plate just as in our previous fourth inning and scored 7 runs to take a one run lead that would last through the scoreless 8th inning. In the top of the ninth we produced a few sparkling defensive plays that culminated in wild celebration on the field with the third out and the final 10-9 score.

All in all it was a nerve wracking game against a valiant opponent. Fitting in that they were the only team that managed to tie us all season. Once again our offense was not at its best, but we managed to play well defensively, come up with the plays we needed and hang in there for a tough victory.

There was a great celebration afterwards at the Pilot with a very good turnout by most of the teams. Awards were handed out, the new commissioner was presented, Mitch gave a short and welcome speech on behalf of the league and its values, and a good time was had by all.

A wonderful season for the Originals - a great team with lots of good people. We really won as a team, by playing together, and staying behind each other. First team to ever be undefeated for an entire year.

Shawn who is going to be taking over as our field coach next year is already making out his batting order and looking to build a dynasty, so we hope to see you all out next year ready to defend and extend our championship run.

Thanks for a great year,

Jim