Intercounty Baseball League
 Intercounty Baseball League logo | |
| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1919 |
| No. of teams | 9 |
| Country |
 Canada |
| Most recent champion(s) | Brantford Red Sox |
| Official website | www.theibl.ca |
The Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) is an independent baseball league located in the Canadian province of Ontario. The league was formed in 1919.
History
The IBL was founded in 1919 with just four teams—Galt, Guelph, Stratford and Kitchener—and is believed to be the oldest amateur men's league in Canada and also one of the best, regarding quality of play. During the early years, the league expanded to include the cities of London, Brantford, Preston and St. Thomas, Ontario.
The league's first commissioner in the 1950s was John Gillies, a London, Ontario, lawyer and former pitcher in the league for the London Majors.
It was previously known as the Intercounty Major Baseball League and the Senior Intercounty Baseball League. The teams play for the Jack and Lynne Dominico Trophy, which is awarded to the league champions. Jack and (and the late Lynne) Dominico own the Toronto Maple Leafs Baseball Club.
On July 8, 2006, in Barrie, Ontario, the league's "New Era IBL All-Star Classic" game between the Barrie Baycats and the IBL all-stars was played with Barrie defeating the IBL all-stars 7–2.
On August 21 and 22 2010 in Ottawa, Ontario, the Ottawa Fat Cats hosted the "New Era All-Star Classic" between the IBL All-Stars and the All-Stars from la Ligue de Baseball Senior Élite du Québec (LBSEQ).[1]
Current member teams
| Intercounty Baseball League | ||||
| Team | City | Stadium | Capacity | Founded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barrie Baycats | Barrie, Ontario, Canada | Schmidt and Shaw Stadium at Barrie Community Sports Complex | 1,500 | 2001 |
| Brantford Red Sox | Brantford, Ontario, Canada | Arnold Anderson Stadium | 2,000 | 1911 |
| Burlington Bandits | Burlington, Ontario, Canada | Nelson Park | 1,000 | 2011 |
| Guelph Royals | Guelph, Ontario, Canada | David E. Hastings Stadium at Exhibition Park | 1919 | |
| Hamilton Cardinals | Hamilton, Ontario, Canada | Bernie Arbour Memorial Stadium | 3,000 | 1953 |
| Kitchener Panthers | Kitchener, Ontario, Canada | Jack Couch Baseball Park | 1,400 | 1919 |
| London Majors | London, Ontario, Canada | Labatt Park | 5,200 | 1925 |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Dominico Field at Christie Pits Park | 3,000 | 1969 |
†Ottawa Fat Cats will not be participating in the 2013 season.[2]
Past teams
| Former Intercounty Baseball League Teams | |||||
| Team | City | Stadium | Founded | Folded/Moved | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burlington Twins | Burlington, Ontario, Canada | Nelson Park | 2011 | 2012; renamed Burlington Bandits | |
| Galt Terriers – later as Cambridge Terriers | Galt, Ontario | Dickson Park | 1919 | 1984 | |
| Guelph C-Joys | Guelph, Ontario | Exhibition Park | 1964 | renamed Guelph Royals | |
| Hamilton Cardinals | Hamilton, Ontario | Bernie Arbour Memorial Stadium | 1958 | 2005; renamed Hamilton Thunderbirds | |
| Hamilton Thunderbirds | Hamilton, Ontario | Bernie Arbour Memorial Stadium | 2005 | 2012; renamed Hamilton Cardinals | |
| Kitchener Legionnaires | Kitchener, Ontario | Victoria Park | 1957 | renamed Kitchener Dutchmen | |
| Kitchener Dutchmen | Kitchener, Ontario | Jack Couch Stadium | 1957 | renamed Kitchener Panthers | |
| Kraven Knits | Stratford, Ontario | National Stadium | 1974 | 1976; renamed Stratford Hillers | |
| Listowel Legionnaires | Listowel, Ontario | John Bell Memorial Park | 1940s? | ||
| London Chester Pegg Diamonds | London, Ontario | Labatt Park | 1960 | 1962; renamed London Majors | |
| London Pontiacs | London, Ontario | Labatt Park | 1963 | 1970; renamed London Avcos | |
| London Avcos | London, Ontario | Labatt Park | 1970 | 1974; renamed London El-Morocco Majors | |
| London El-Morocco Majors | London, Ontario | Labatt Park | 1974 | 1975; renamed London Majors | |
| Mississauga Twins | Mississauga, Ontario | Meadowvale Baseball Complex | 2009 | 2011; moved to Burlington and became the Burlington Twins | |
| Niagara Falls Mariners | Niagara Falls, Ontario | Oakes Park | 1985 | 1989 | |
| Oakville Oaks | Oakville, Ontario | 1956 | 1958 | ||
| Oshawa Dodgers | Oshawa, Ontario | Kinsmen Stadium | 2002 | 2009 | |
| St. Thomas Elgins | St. Thomas, Ontario | Emslie Field | 1948 as the Legion until 1953 | 1961; re-emerged in 1976 and folded again in 1996 | |
| St. Thomas Storm | St. Thomas, Ontario | Emslie Field | 2000 | Moved to Stratford in 2004 | |
| Stratford Hillers | Stratford, Ontario | National Stadium | 1976 | ||
| Stratford Storm | Stratford, Ontario | National Stadium | 2004 | 2006; renamed Stratford Nationals | |
| Stratford Nationals | Stratford, Ontario | National Stadium | 2006 | 2008; moved to Mississauga and became the Mississauga Twins | |
| Waterloo Tigers | Waterloo, Ontario | Bechtel Park | 2000 | 2003 | |
| Windsor Chiefs[3] | Windsor, Ontario | Mic Mac Park | 1979; 1969 in the EssexCounty Senior League | 1981; left for Detroit Federal League in 1982 | |
League staff
- Commissioner: Dr. Stuart Smith
- Deputy Commissioner: John Kastner
- Registrar: Jason Little
- Treasurer/Statistician: Herb Morell
- Umpire in Chief: Rich Panas
Champions
The winning team is awarded the Jack and Lynne Dominico Trophy.
Other awards presented include:
- Rawlings IBL Player of the Year Award/John Bell Memorial Trophy
- IBL Rookie of the Year/Brian Kerr Memorial Trophy
Standings
Notable past players
- This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
- John Axford – (Brantford Red Sox)
- Rich Butler – (Toronto Maple Leafs)
- Rob Butler – (Toronto Maple Leafs)
- Frank Colman – (London Majors)
- Ferguson Jenkins – (London Majors)
- Mike Kilkenny – (London Majors)
- Roy McKay – (London Majors)
- Denny McLain – (London Majors)
- Pete Orr – (Toronto Maple Leafs)
- Dave Rozema - (London Majors)
- Paul Spoljaric - (Toronto Maple Leafs, Barrie Baycats)
- Jesse Orosco - (Galt Terriers)
- Rob Thomson - (Stratford Hillers) New York Yankees
- Mike Gardiner - (Stratford Hillers) Tigers/RedSox/Expos/Mariners 1990-1995
- Rob Ducey - (Cambridge) Phillies/BlueJays/Mariners/Rangers/Angels/.. 1987-2001
- Larry Landreth - (Stratford Hillers) - Montreal Expos
- Chris Speier - (Stratford) SF Giants, St. Louis, Minnesota,Chicago Cubs & Montreal
- Joe Krakauskas - (Brantford Red Sox) 1937-46 - Washington Senators & Cleveland Indians
- Wilmer Fields - (Brantford Red Sox) 1939-50 - Homestead Grays
- Lester Lockett - (Kitchener) Baltimore Elite Giants
- Don Beaupre - (Waterloo Tigers) - Minnesota North Stars
- Lester B. Pearson – (Guelph Maple Leafs)
References
- Intercounty Major Baseball League's 1998 Record Book by Editor Herb Morell and Dominico Promotions Inc.