Baseball Ontario, officially known as the Ontario Baseball Association (OBA), is the provincial governing body for baseball in Ontario. The Ontario Baseball Association was founded under the name “Ontario Baseball Amateur Association” which was organized at a meeting held in Hamilton at the Central YMCA on Saturday, May 4, 1918. In 1938, the name was changed to “Ontario Baseball Association”, and in 1982, the organization was incorporated as “Ontario Baseball Association, Inc”. Baseball Ontario currently has its headquarters in Cambridge, Ontario.[1]
| Baseball Ontario | |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Area of jurisdiction | Ontario |
| Formation date | 1918 |
| Headquarters | Cambridge |
| Location | 3 – 131 Sheldon Drive
Cambridge, Ontario N1R 6S2 Tel: 519.740.3900 Fax: 519.740.6311 |
| President | Mark ORTON |
| Sponsor | Sport Canada |
| Replaced | Ontario Baseball Amateur Association |
| Official website | |
| baseballontario.com | |
In order of priority, the objectives of the OBA as clearly stated in the Constitution & By-Laws of Baseball Ontario are:
To be eligible to play in a particular category, a player must fall within the age group indicated next to the category listed in the table below. It is possible for a younger player to play with an older age category, such as a Mosquito-aged player with a Peewee-aged team; however, the player will be considered as a player of the older series and cannot be called up to the younger series team.[3]
| Category | Age Group |
|---|---|
| T-Ball | 8 and under |
| Junior Rookie Ball | 8 and under |
| Senior Rookie Ball | 9 and under |
| Minor Mosquito | 10 and under |
| Mosquito | 11 and under |
| Minor Peewee | 12 and under |
| Peewee Girls | 13 and under |
| Peewee | 13 and under |
| Minor Bantam | 14 and under |
| Bantam | 15 and under |
| Bantam Girls | 16 and under |
| Minor Midget | 16 and under |
| Midget | 18 and under |
| Junior | 21 and under |
| Women’s | Unlimited |
The links below provide summaries and approved interpretations of the following Baseball Ontario rules.
Please note that as a result of the Board of Directors meetings held April 15, and May 27, 2007 the following clarifications are being provided to the membership:
The Baseball Ontario Umpires Committee is one of the hardest working committees in the OBA, working year-round to improve umpiring across the province. They are always available to answer any questions or comments about the Ontario Baseball Association’s umpiring program. The following individuals currently form the Baseball Ontario Umpires Committee.[7]
The following chart describes the OBA’s umpire certification program, and how one would go about becoming an umpire. First, one must be certified as a Level 1 umpire. At this level, no previous experience is necessary, and to meet the requirements one must simply attend a Level 1 clinic. The chart also demonstrates final examination requirements; the levels of baseball that a Level 1 umpire is certified to umpire; and, the requirements necessary to maintain certification. The evaluation column refers to required live evaluations from highly trained umpires during an actual game.
| Level | Experience | Requirements | Examination | Application | Evaluation | Maintaining Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | None | Attend a level 1 clinic | None | All levels of House League and up to and including Peewee Rep | None | Attend clinic yearly |
| 2 | Have a Level 1 for a min. of 2 years | Attend a level 2 clinic | Obtain 60% or more (yearly) | Provincial level baseball up to and including Midget | None | Attend clinic yearly |
| 3 | Have a level 2 for a min. of 3 years | Submit a level 3 exam yearly and attend a level 3 clinic every three years | Obtain 76% or more (yearly) | All levels of provincial baseball | 1 base and 1 plate evaluation recommended | Submit an exam and registration fee yearly. Attend a clinic every three years |
| 4 | Have a level 3 for a min. of 1 year | Attend a level 4 clinic by invitation (need to be evaluated first) | Obtain 86% or more | All levels of baseball in Canada | Obtain 86% on 1 base and 1 plate evaluation | Attend clinic yearly and complete base and plate evaluation yearly |
| 5 | Have a level 4 for a min. of 1 year | Attend a Level 4 clinic by invitation | Obtain 86% or more | All levels of international baseball | Obtain 86% on 1 base and 1 plate evaluation | Attend clinic yearly and complete base and plate evaluation yearly |
By the end of the First Year Player Draft in 2009, 1521 players were drafted by the 30 Major League Baseball teams. From the 1521 players drafted, forty were Canadian, with fourteen coming from Ontario. First, the Toronto Blue Jays selected Newmarket native Jake Eliopoulos as their second pick and number 68th overall. In total, the Toronto Blue Jays selected four players from Ontario. Furthermore, in the 41st round the Detroit Tigers selected Chatham’s Larry Balkwill, who was named Baseball Ontario’s 2008 Adult Player of the Year.
Listed below are all of the Ontario players selected in the 2009 First Year Player Draft.
| Team Pick | Overall | MLB Team | Position | Name | Home Town |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd | (68th) | Toronto Blue Jays | LHP | Jake ELIOPOULOS | Newmarket |
| 12th | (359th) | Cincinnati Reds | OF | Josh GARTON | Guelph |
| 15th | (445th) | Pittsburgh Pirates | C | Peter BAKO | Mississauga |
| 15th | (457th) | Los Angeles Dodgers | 3B | Jeff HUNT | Cambridge |
| 19th | (569th) | Cincinnati Reds | LHP | Mitch CLARKE | Kitchener |
| 20th | (604th) | Texas Rangers | RHP | Jerome WERNIUK | Toronto |
| 29th | (886th) | Milwaukee Brewers | OF | Chandler McLAREN | Guelph |
| 30th | (903rd) | Oakland A’s | OF | Royce CONSIGLI | Welland |
| 41st | (1230th) | Detroit Tigers | C | Larry BALKWILL | Chatham |
| 42nd | (1270th) | Toronto Blue Jays | C | Mike REEVES | Peterborough |
| 43rd | (1300th) | Toronto Blue Jays | INF | Maxx TISSENBAUM | Toronto |
| 45th | (1345th) | Seattle Mariners | 2B | Kevin MAILLOUX | Tecumseh |
| 48th | (1434th) | San Diego Padres | OF | Andrew RUCK | Pickering |
| 48th | (1450th) | Toronto Blue Jays | RHP | Jeffrey GIBBS | Toronto |
Since its inception as a non-profit, charitable foundation in October 1983, the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum has been dedicated to preserving Canada’s rich baseball heritage. Originally located in Toronto at both Exhibition Place and then Ontario Place until 1989, the Hall then moved to its current location in St. Marys in 1994 and opened in 1998.[10]
The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum has 90 Inductees (including the 2010 Inductees). They range from players to administrators to amateurs to umpires to trainers and to builders.[11]
Listed below are the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum Inductees from Ontario:
| Year | Name | |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Philip Joseph “Fidgety Phil” “Babe” MARCHILDON | |
| 1983 | James Edward "Tip" “The Woodstock Wonder” O'NEILL | |
| 1983 | George Alexander “Twinkletoes” SELKIRK | |
| 1984 | John Gladstone “Jack” GRANEY | |
| 1984 | Goodwin George "Goody" “The Toronto Tidbit” ROSEN | |
| 1985 | Richard John “Dick” FOWLER | |
| 1985 | John Frederick HILLER | |
| 1985 | Ronald Wesley “Ron” TAYLOR | |
| 1986 | Robert Daniel EMSLIE | |
| 1986 | Thomas William Oscar “Ossie” “Lefty” JUDD | |
| 1987 | George C. “Mooney” GIBSON | |
| 1987 | Ferguson Arthur “Fergie” “Fly” JENKINS | |
| 1988 | Reno Peter BERTOIA | |
| 1988 | John Geoffrey “Jeff” HEATH | |
| 1989 | Arthur Albert “Foxy” “Doc” “Sandy” IRWIN | |
| 1991 | James Bernard “Jimmy” WILLIAMS | |
| 1992 | Thomas Roland “Tim” BURGESS | |
| 1996 | Jay Justin "Nig" CLARKE | |
| 1996 | James Francis “Frank” “Blackie” O’ROURKE | |
| 1998 | George "Knotty" LEE | |
| 1998 | Sylvan "Ron" RONCETTI | |
| 1999 | Frank Lloyd COLMAN | |
| 1999 | George SLEEMAN | |
| 2002 | William Henry “Bill” SLACK | |
| 2003 | Kirk Edward McCASKILL | |
| 2006 | Ronald Duncan ”Ron” STEAD | |
| 2009 | Roy Oscar “Doc” MILLER | |
| 2009 | Bernie SOULLIERE | |
| 2010 | Paul “Q” QUANTRILL |
| 1838 | Beachville & Zorra Amateur Teams – First Recorded Baseball Game |
| 1988 | Induction year into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame |
On June 4, 1838, a year before Abner Doubleday was recognized with inventing baseball in Cooperstown, New York, two teams from Oxford and Zorra townships met in Beachville, Ontario in what is now known as the first documented game in North American history. It was Dr. Adam Ford, a former resident of St. Marys, Ontario, now home to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, who later reported details of this game in a letter published in the May 5, 1886 issue of Sporting Life magazine.
While living in Denver, Colorado, he wrote of his recollections that the match was played on a square field in a pasture. The game included five bases, fair and foul balls, players using a hand hewn stick as a bat and a ball made of twisted yarn and covered with calf skin. Ford's account was researched by the Beachville District Historical Society and it was concluded that the information in his letter is authentic.
The following are the names of the players on the Beachville and Zorra teams that participated in the historic game:
| George BURDICK | Harry KARN |
| Almon BURCH | Peter KARN |
| Gordon COOK | Reuben MARTIN |
| Henry CRUTTENDON | Edward McNAMES |
| William DODGE | Nathaniel McNAMES |
| Old Ned DOLSON | Neil McTAGGART |
| William FORD | James PIPER |
| William HARRINGTON | Henry TAYLOR |
| William HUTCHINSON | I. Van ALSTINE |
| Adam KARN | Abel WILLIAMS |
| Daniel KARN | John WILLIAMS |
The members of the Ontario Baseball Association Board of Directors includes the President, first Vice President, second Vice President, the Immediate Past President, six elected Directors, the Treasurer, Life Members, Honourary Members, Past Presidents and one appointed Director from each Affiliated Association who is appointed by his or her own Affiliated Association.[14] Each member is responsible, through a series of meetings, for making various decisions that affect the OBA, including but not limited to organizing league tournaments, coaches, sponsorships, and management of funds. The Board of Director meeting minutes for both current and past meetings can be found at Baseball Ontario's official website.[15] The following table lists the current members of the OBA's Board of Management.
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Mark ORTON | President |
| David HUCTWITH | First Vice President |
| Dirk DRIEBERG | Second Vice President |
| Don McKNIGHT | Immediate Past President |
| Jeffrey ALBAUM | Elected Board |
| Allan EBERT | Elected Board |
| Bob HUMPHRIES | Elected Board |
| Tony JASINSKI | Elected Board |
| Stan PAGONIS | Elected Board |
| Bobbi REIVE | Elected Board |
| Howie BIRNIE | OBA Registrar |
| Ed QUINLAN | Treasurer / Supervisor of Umpires |
| John MILTON | Director of Coach & Player Development |
Life Members are recommended by the OBA Board of Directors once the individual has continuously served the OBA for fifteen years or more and if the OBA Board of Directors want to reward the active service of the individual with an official status. Only previous Honourary Members are eligible to be appointed Life Members. The maximum number of Life Members that can serve at any one time is three; however, Life Members appointed prior to 1972 will maintain their status during their lifetime.[16] When necessary, Life Members may be called upon to rule on matters not covered in the OBA Constitution and By-Laws and their decisions on these matters are final.[17] The following individuals currently hold the Ontario Baseball Association's Life Members' positions.
Honourary Members are given their title by the OBA Board of Directors for their endless commitment and commendable service to the Ontario Baseball Association. Honourary Members have the right of delegates at all Annual and Special Meetings of the OBA, including the right to vote.[18] The following is a list of the current Ontario Baseball Association's Honourary Members.
As an experienced member, Immediate Past Presidents may be assigned other duties by the active President, such as offering advice and guidance to all members of the Board of Management. The Immediate Past Presidents of the OBA, who currently hold the right to vote, are the following two members:[19]
Like Honourary Members, Past Presidents have the right to vote at all Annual Meetings and Special Meetings of the OBA.[20] With Life Members, Past Presidents can be called upon to make final decisions on matters that are not addressed in the Ontario Baseball Association Constitution and By-Laws.[21] The following two members are the OBA's Active Past Presidents.
The following table lists the head representatives from each affiliate association within the Ontario Baseball Association.
| Name | Affiliate |
|---|---|
| Mike LEBEL | Algoma Baseball Association |
| Bill ARBUTHNOTT | Central Ontario Baseball Association |
| Steve MOORE | Eastern Ontario Baseball Association |
| Glenn OSTROSSER | Hamilton District Baseball Association |
| Greg COUGHLIN | Inter County Baseball Association |
| Dan HAUGH | London District Baseball Association |
| Mike LUMLEY | North Central Baseball Association |
| Al DOBBIN | Niagara District Baseball Association |
| Ted WILLIAMS | Select Ontario Baseball Association |
| Ric DUWYN | Southern Counties Baseball Association |
| Paul AMES | Sun Parlour Baseball Association |
| Rock RICE | Timmins Area Baseball Association |
| Dave BLACK | Toronto Baseball Association |
| Reg GALBRAITH | Thunder Bay Baseball Association |
| John VASEY | Western Counties Baseball Association |
| Ron BERLETT | Western Ontario Baseball Association |
| Cathy LAMARUCCIOLA | York-Simcoe Baseball Association |
Series Chairs act as the liaison between their identified league and/or title and the OBA Board of Management. Series Chairs are responsible for reviewing the proposed team(s) classifications submitted by the Affiliated Associations to ensure all the information is complete and correct. The Series Chairs must also make certain that each team is properly classified based on the performance of the team, the quality of its competition, and the size of the community. The Series Chairs are responsible for making final recommendations with regards to team classifications.[24] The following table lists the OBA's Series Chairs and their respective positions.
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Dirk DRIEBERG | Competition Committee Chair |
| Allan EBERT | Technical Committee Chair |
| Dirk DRIEBERG | Tournament Chair |
| Dirk DRIEBERG | Overall Series Chair |
| Don McKNIGHT | Senior Chair |
| Howie BIRNIE | Junior Chair |
| Allan EBERT | Midget Chair |
| Jeffrey ALBAUM | Bantam Chair |
| Bobbi REIVE | Peewee Chair |
| Tony JASINSKI | Mosquito Chair |
| Bob HUMPHRIES | Rookie Ball Chair |
| Jeffrey ALBAUM | Girl’s/Women’s Chair |
Affiliate secretaries and/or registrars deal with general inquiries, concerns, and registrations for their respective OBA-affiliated inner leagues. The following table lists the current OBA secretaries and/or registrars and their respective affiliate association.
| Affiliate | Position | Name |
|---|---|---|
| ABA | Registrar | Chris ELLIOTT |
| COBA | Secretary | Debbie JAMES |
| COBA | Registrar | Andrew WYELD |
| EOBA | Secretary | Carol STEELE |
| EOBA | Registrar | Sheryl PRYCE |
| HDBA | Secretary | Tony BLAINEY |
| HDBA | Registrar | Larry WOOD |
| ICBA | Secretary / Registrar | Rick DOWNTON |
| LDBA | Secretary / Registrar | Diane WAKEFIELD |
| NCBA | Secretary / Registrar | Mike LUMLEY |
| NCSBA | Secretary | Rick BEER |
| NCSBA | Registrar | Andrew McLENNAN |
| SCBA | Secretary | Tracey WALKER |
| SCBA | Registrar | David GLAVES |
| SPBA | Secretary | Bobbi REIVE |
| SPBA | Registrar | Tim MOTRUK |
| TBA Midget-Senior | Secretary / Registrar | Howie BIRNIE |
| TBA Rookie-Bantam | Registrar | Bob WHITAKER |
| TBBA | Secretary | Vicki GALBRAITH |
| WCBA | Secretary / Registrar | Linda LEWIS |
| WOBA | Secretary | Ron BERLETT |
| WOBA | Registrar | Cathy BERLETT |
| YSBA | Secretary / Registrar | Jeffrey ALBAUM |
Both the Administrative Director and the Administrative Co-ordinator are responsible for the daily operations of the Baseball Ontario office in Cambridge, Ontario. Their duties include processing applications and fees from Affiliated Associations as well as expense claims from the Board of Management. They are also responsible for disseminating information to all Board Members, Series Chairs, and Affiliated Associations of the Ontario Baseball Association.[28]
| Name | Position |
|---|---|
| Mary-Ann SMITH | Administrative Director |
| Cindy ROSSIGNOLI | Administrative Co-ordinator |
Affiliated Associations interested in joining the Ontario Baseball Association must send a completed membership application, a list of its officers, and a copy of its constitution and by-laws, to the OBA Office for approval.[30] Once approved, Affiliated Associations are responsible for submitting classifications of the team(s) within their jurisdiction to the OBA Office.[31] With every new membership approval, territorial boundaries for each and every association are re-assessed and determined by the OBA Board of Directors. [32] The following list names the OBA's current Affiliated Associations.
| Algoma Baseball Association (ABA) | North Central Baseball Association (NCBA) |
| Central Ontario Baseball Association (COBA) | Select Ontario Baseball Association (SOBA) |
| Eastern Ontario Baseball Association (EOBA) | Southern Counties Baseball Association (SCBA) |
| Hamilton District Baseball Association (HDBA) | Sun Parlour Baseball Association (SPBA) |
| Inter County Baseball Association (ICBA) | Thunder Bay Baseball Association (TBBA) |
| London District Baseball Association (LDBA) | Timmins Area Baseball Association (TABA) |
| National Capital Amateur Baseball Association (NCABA) | Toronto Baseball Association (TBA) |
| National Capital Senior Baseball Association (NCSBA) | Western Counties Baseball Association (WCBA) |
| Niagara District Baseball Association (NDBA) | Western Ontario Baseball Association (WOBA) |
| North Bay Baseball Association (NBBA) | York-Simcoe Baseball Association (YSBA) |
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