Canadian League Baseball

bestbrother · 12-01-2015, 03:20 PM

Background:
Formed in 1957, Canadian League Baseball was the nations effort to cash in on not only the success of the sport across the border, but also the rise of interest due to the relative impact made by the Triple-A offshoot Montreal Royals. With plans firmly in place for the inaugural season to play in 1960 with 6 franchises, the CLB received its first blow when the Montreal Royals were folded by the Dodgers organisation due to poor attendance.

The CLB had already decided against placing a franchise in a potentially lucrative market in order not to compete with the Royals, but in the year of their launch, the Royals would be no more. However plans were in action, the 6 franchises awarded a place in the 1960 CLB season were ready to take part and this is where we begin a look back at the history of the CLB from its origins.

Writers Note: Hello everyone, long time browser of these boards and im always inspired yet a little scared/tentative to try and share anything ive done due to the quality of writing and reports here. However ive found something that I enjoy and am going to brave it....

bestbrother · 12-02-2015, 04:36 AM

Things you need to know - The CLB in 1960.

Structure
6 teams are split into 2 divisions of 3 teams each, they will play a total of 76 games
The Winners of the 2 divisions (known as the National Division and Federal Division) will advance to the Canada Cup. This is a 'best of 5' series to decide the League Champion.
Spring Training will last for 1 week before the season.

Roster
The teams are allowed to have as many players on their active roster as they wish.
There are no International player limits.
Currently there are no Minor League teams or plans to put them in place.

Draft
There is an Amatuer draft run in March of each year. This gives each team 2 picks.

Disabled List
Teams can place players on the disabled list, the minimum period is set to 15 days.

Gameday
Teams will use a Designated Hitter in their lineup at all times.

Financial
Teams are subject to a $3,000,000 salary cap.
The salary floor per player is $15,000.
There is no league revenue sharing policy in place.

Contractual
Players can file for free agency after 2 years service.
There will be no trades allowed between teams.

Awards
There is only 1 award, this is called the 'MVP of Canada' and is awarded at the end of each season.
There will not be an All-Star game held.

bestbrother · 12-02-2015, 04:46 AM

Meet the Teams:

National Division

Toronto Cardinals

Code:

Stadium		Cardinals Park
Owner		Kane Kerr
General Manager	Larry Corbitt
Manager		Randy Tait

London Gems

Code:

Stadium		Field of the Gems
Owner		Kurt Prowse
General Manager	vacant
Manager		vacant

Markham Bears

Code:

Stadium		Markham Fields
Owner		Dan Reader
General Manager	vacant
Manager		Trent Tomlin

Federal Division

Quebec City 60s

Code:

Stadium		60s Ballpark
Owner		Dominique Plessis
General Manager	Francis Colson
Manager		Jim Davey

Ottawa Chops

Code:

Stadium		Chops Park
Owner		Casey Harper
General Manager	vacant
Manager		Nicholas Denis

Winnipeg Storm

Code:

Stadium		Storm Grounds
Owner		Lesley MacPherson
General Manager	Fares Moreau
Manager		Pat Gilbert

bestbrother · 12-02-2015, 06:06 AM

1960 - As it Happened:

January
The London Gems hire Steve Perkins to be their General Manager, he in turn brings in 38 year old Harry Tomlin to manage the Gems on a 1 year contract.

Tony O'Leary takes the GM reigns at Markham, as Owner Dan Reader entrusts O'Leary with a 2 year contract and limited goals.

Stone Dand becomes the leagues highest earner and the first player to break the $30,000 barrier, as Toronto pen the 28 year old Pitcher to a 1 year term earning $32,800

The leagues first draft pool is revealed for the upcoming event in March. At the same time lots were drawn to decide the draft order, as follows:

1 - Toronto, 2 - London, 3 - Winnipeg, 4 - Ottawa, 5 - Quebec City, 6 -Markham

February
Winnipeg announced the leagues first foreign player as 19 year old Japanese 1st baseman Kiyoshi Ando inks a 1 year deal at the league minimum.

Draft experts predict that 17 year old Corentin Guo, a shortstop out of Queens College (ON) will be the first draft pick ever in the CLB.

March
Toronto surprise the league by selecting (C) Curt Killy out of Wilfrid Laurier (ON) as theirs and the leagues 1st draft pick. 16 year old Killy has signed and joined up with the Cardinals for the 1960 season.

April
Spring Training begins as the teams have 1 weeks worth of games to prepare themselves for the upcoming season.

Pre-season predictions are in and it looks like the 'big spenders' are those favoured as the Toronto Cardinals (the only team with a payroll exceeding $1,000,000) are set fair to win the National Division. Surprisingly Ottawa are given the nod in the Federal League over Q.C. and Winnipeg.

May
25 games played and there is a definite shape appearing in the National Division as the 15-10 Markham Bears are just 1 game ahead of Toronto (14-11). London have fallen apart and hold a CLB worst' 9-16 record.

In the Federal League things remain as close with Winnipeg (14-11) just a game up on Q.C. (13-12). Whilst its the fancied Ottawa Chops at 10-15 who have all the work to do.

16 year old Yves Hennequin (TOR) has surprised the league with his showing in the month of May as he posts a .418AVG, driving in 9RBIs. Selected in the 2nd round of the draft by Toronto, it appears they may have found themselves a future star.

Only 3 homeruns are clubbed this month as London smack 2 of them via Burton and Kowalchuk. The 3rd comes off the bat of Winnipeg's Tim Rancourt.

Jacques Colborne etched his name into the leagues history books as he started hot and only got hotter as he rattled of a 21 game hitting streak. Unfortuately for the Chops 1st baseman his streak ended in a 9-3 loss to Markham.

June
Toronto and Markham continue to dance at the top of the National Division as they swap places but remain within a game of each other. London meanwhile slip further back and at 21-31 are unlikely to break the .500 plateau.

Meanwhile its Q.C. who have taken a grip of the Federal Divison by 3 games as they hold the divisions only winning record at 29-23. The Chops at 26-26 have rallied, but Winnipeg who are now 6GB are in a miserable slump.

Christian Mullally (WIN) ignites the league with a mammouth 36 game hitting streak, to surpass the achievement of Colborne from May. He will take this run into June, although the Storm will need more than this effort to save their season.

Relief Pitcher Bill Bagnall of Ottawa deserves a mention this month as he held his opponents to a .369AVG, posting a 3.84ERA and a 6-3 record from 24 appearances.

Just 2 more homeruns this month as 16 year old Curt Killy of Toronto slugs his first in his career. The other also came from a Card' in the name of Kyle Lappin.

The league which is becoming known for its 'contact over power' lineups, has yet to see a Pitcher keep a shutout. Its a hitter friendly league, with smallball at the point.

July
Toronto and Ottawa confirm what the experts thought to be true as they won their respective divisions in an anti-climatic final week. The Cardinals raced on to 41 wins, beating out Markham by 4 games. Whilst Ottawa bounced back to edge out Q.C. by 2 games as both breached the 40 win barrier but it was the Chops who got their fill.

Mullallys hitting streak came to an end at 40 games as London finally shut down the Storm outfielder.

Pascal Dubois of Toronto claims 2 home runs in the month as he tops the charts to end the season as the only player with more than one hit to go the distance. In total the league saw just 9 homerun blasts this season.

Numbers to Chew on
Only 3 of 43 stolen base attempts were successful!

The combined league batting average was .375

The leagues pitchers combined for an ERA of 4.45, with just 202Ks and no Pitcher completing a game

Toronto led the league with just shy of 200,000 attendance for the year. At the other end of the spectrum, London barely break the 6 figure sum.

Final Standings

bestbrother · 12-02-2015, 06:33 AM

How the Cup Was Won:

Game 1
Ottawa sneaks a 2-1 win as the teams share 22 hits on the day. 4480 fans packed into Chops Ballpark to watch their team snag it in the 5th inning thanks to a Mike Pennell RBI single.

Game 2
Still in Ottawa and the Chops take full advantage of another sellout crowd by blistering to a 4-0 lead in the opening inning. Toronto would rally but with the Chops adding a solo run every time Toronto came back, it was the hosts who claimed a 2-0 series lead thanks to a 6-4 win.

Game 3
Finally the Cardinals come to life back home as they win 5-3 in another close encounter. This time the Chops coughed up 2 errors as they allowed Toronto to race ahead 5-1. A late rally provided little relief and Toronto keep the series alive.

Game 4
Its over! The Chops put up 19 hits and 5 runs as they survive a 9th inning scare to overcome the Cardinals 5-4 and win the Canada Cup 3 games to 1. Once again Ottawa relied on a heavy opening frame by putting 3 on the board, but at 5-2, the Cardinals came alive in the 9th and would leave 2 men stranded at they fought back to 5-4.

Series MVP

Brian McAskill (OTT): 9/17, .529, 2RBI

bestbrother · 12-02-2015, 11:24 AM

1960 - Wrap Up:

Canada Cup Winners:

Ottawa Chops 3-1 over Toronto Cardinals

MVP of Canada:

Dave Bonneau (Q.C.) - .434, 34RBI, .441OBP

League Leaders:

*Note: G.Jolly was at Markham Bears

bestbrother · 12-02-2015, 03:56 PM

1961 - As it Happened:

Offseason
London make the first splash in Free Agency by snapping up Argentine outfielder Jose Escobar on a league hugh $48,400 2 year deal. Escobar had recently been playing in various Caribbean leagues and became available this off-season for Canadian teams to sign.

Georges Jolly who led the league with the only sub 4.00ERA in 1960 has signed for Toronto on a 1 year deal earning him just shy of $35,000. This doubles his salary he held at Markham and immediately propels Torontos pitching staff upward.

Quebec City become the first team to break the $50,000 barrier for a player as they award 27 year old Harry McDermid a 5 year contract after he left the London Gems. McDermid who drove in 44 runs last year will hope to help Q.C. compete with the Chops in the Federal League this time round.

1961 Player Draft
London get the 1st pick and with that they acquired (SS) Doug Townsend out of York (ON). However it could be Markham who have picked the real 'Gem' as their pick of Olivier Dupuis appears to be getting all the hype as the draft gets wrapped up.

April
Spring Training again begins and predictions have Markham and Winnipeg winning their respective divisions. Once again Toronto will be the only team entering the season with a salary combined of over $1,000,000. However the gap is closing with Winnipeg, Q.C. and Markham all now just shy of the mark.

May
Markham Bears are flying and have built up an impressive lead in the National Division as their 16-9 record puts them 7 clear of London and 8 of Toronto. The Federal league sees Q.C. hold a league best 17-8, but with Winnipeg just behind at 15-10 there is all to play for. Canada Cup Champions the Ottawa Chops are 10-15 and will need another 'comeback' season to make an impression once more.

Current League MVP Dave Bonneau continues to impress as he hits just under .400 and has driven in 10RBIs.

More excitingly (for the Storm at least) is the continued development of 17 year old LHP Bob Feist. Feist did pitch for the Storm at the tender age of 16, however this year has seen him put up unheard of numbers for the CLB as his ERA is sub 3.00 and he holds a 3-1 record with 4 saves.

As we saw in the opening season, the league is devoid of power hitters. This year is no different as there is just a solitary HR in the league, that coming off the bat of Bill Farnell (Q.C.).

June
The Bears remain in control of the National Division but are hardly igniting the imagination as they hold a 'shoddy' 26-25 record. Alas it still keeps them 5 games ahead of nearest rival London, whilst big spending Toronto have mustered just 19 wins and are 7.5GB.

Over in the Federal Division its shaping up to be a battle to the wire as just .5 games seperate Winnipeg and Q.C. The Storm at 33-20 hold the edge, whilst although the Chops are 8GB at 25-28, they are on a 6 game tear and who knows where that could lead them come the run in.

Winnipeg Pitcher Chris Briggs is the current favorite to claim the leagues MVP award as he holds a 2.26ERA from his 17 starts, adding a league high 6Ks to that effort. Briggs who only signed with the Storm this off-season has impressed alongside a young rotation that puts Winnipeg atop their division.

July
Unsurprisingly the Bears won the National Division, putting on a spurt to claim 43 wins and remain clear of Toronto and London.

The Federal Division came down to the final week, however Winnipeg's late 4 game winning streak wasnt enough to stop the Q.C. 60s winning the crown by a solitary game and advancing to the Canada Cup.

Hubert Mayer of the Cardinals made history this month as he surpassed the 40 game hit streak held by Mullaley, as he reaches 43 before falling short in an outing at Markham.

Jose Escobar made waves in the off-season as he penned the biggest deal in the league for a foreign player, when the Gems picked up his salary tab. He finally began to pay some of that faith back as although the Gems looked out of sorts once more, Escobar would top the HR Charts with a pair as he rattled off an impressive July in terms of numbers.

Numbers to Chew on
Teams find their running shoes as 45 bags are stolen from 113 attempts. A huge increase from the meagre 3 seen in 1960.

The leagues ERA dropped a tad to 4.19, whilst strikeout numbers rose from 202 to 245 for the year

Toronto saw a huge loss in attendance numbers, whilst the rest of the league saw increases that bought all the teams into line at around 145-160K for the year. The league total for the season still sits below 1,000,000 however.

Final Standings

bestbrother · 12-02-2015, 04:08 PM

How the Cup Was Won:

Game 1
The 60s steal the series opener at home as they rally back from a 2 run deficit to win in 11 innings as Tanner Corcoran proved to be the hero with 2RBIs.

Game 2
Almost a repeat of the previous nights events as Markham race to a 3 run lead in the opening inning, before Q.C. rally back and score 2 runs in the 9th to win again 4-3. Corcoran again drove in a run, as he sparked the 9th inning respite.

Game 3
We head to Markham, the Bears are desperate and they show their true worth in a thumping 10-3 rout of the 60s. The Bears collect 19 hits and put up 9 runs in a magical 4th inning that gives them hope.

Game 4
Its hope that kills you and thats true for the Bears as Q.C. win a thriller 12-7, that saw them collect 28 hits, combining with the Bears for 48 total. Once again Corcoran proved his worth with 2RBIs, whilst Dave Bonneau came alive with a pair himself. However series MVP Joe Cadonau led the way going 5-6 with 3RBIs to seal the deal.

Series MVP

Joe Cadanou .545, 5RBI, .545OBP

bestbrother · 12-05-2015, 01:46 PM

1961 - Wrap Up:

Canada Cup Winners:

Quebec City 60s 3-1 over Markham Bears

MVP of Canada:

Ray Lapointe (OTT) - .409, 43RBI, .412OBP

League Leaders:

bestbrother · 12-05-2015, 02:26 PM

1962 - As it Happened:

Offseason
Winnipeg make the first major move in the off-season by acquiring Cuban defective 'Antonio Gonzalez. The 24 year old penned a 3 year deal earning him a total over $130,000.

The Storm however lose out in the leagues next big story as Ottawa snag reliever Nathan Chiang from free agency as the 25 year old tested his arm. Chiang who pitched 28 innings for just 8ER last year, will commaned over $100,000 in his 3 years with the Chops.

John McNutt becomes the 1962 1st draft pick as the London Gems take a punt on the school kid from British Colombia. McNutt drove in 36 runs in his final year at school and will hope to play a part in the Gems outfield.

Pre-season algorithims have Toronto and Winnipeg going toe-to-toe in the Canada Cup this year, however with the numbers showing just a 5 game swing from 1st to worst, it could be the most open season yet in the CLB.

May
Toronto lead the way in the National Division as expected as they hold a 14-12 record, 4 games up on both London and Markham.

Winnipeg ride high in the Federal equivalent, as at 18-7 they are comfortably in charge above reigning Champions Q.C.

Offense appears to be the order of the day this year as we already have 6 home runs on the board, 2 of which come from the 'Cuban' with Antonio Gonzalez lighting thigns up in his rookie year.

He may not be as exotic as their Cuban, but homegrown Tim Rancourt is hitting an incredible .510. Whats more impressive by the Storm outfielder is that he never had an at bat in 1961 with the team overlooking his talents.

June
Markham look set to return to the Canada Cup after last years misery, as they top of the division with a 26-28 record. Thats right, the National Division is the sub.500 division.

The Storm are running riot in the Federal Divison now as at 38-16 they could well be the first team to break the 50 win barrier.

The ERA disparity across the 2 divisions has become more evident this year as all the Federal Division teams are currently posing an ERA of sub 3.80. Across in the National, all teams are above 4.00, whilst both London and Markham are closer to 5.00 than they are to the 4.00 bar.

Attendance in London continues to shrink this year as another bad season homes in on the Gems. Current projections show them to not even break the 100,000 mark, a 40,000 drop on last years numbers.

July
As expected its the Cardinals who win the National Division for the 2nd time in 3 years. However their 36-40 mark is embarrasing for a Canada Cup representative.

Surprisingly Winnipeg fall short of 50 wins as they can only finish 48-28, but they will head into the Canada Cup as firm favourites to win their first series.

Antonio Gonzalez becomes the leagues home run king as he finishes the year on 3, as power appears to be coming through more and more.

Chris Briggs of Winnipeg once again comes out with the leagues best ERA at 3.10, in total the Storm see 3 pitchers post sub 4.00 ERAs this year.

Numbers to Chew on
14 home runs shatters what we have been used to in the CLB, Winnipeg club 5 as power becomes more prevalent in the league.

Walks are also on the up as for the first time the combined efforts in the legaue saw the 100 mark reached and breached.

Winnipeg post a team ERA of 3.72, whilst Ottawa who finished at .500 also broke the 4.00 mark.

Final Standings

bestbrother · 12-05-2015, 02:30 PM

How the Cup Was Won:

Game 1
After going 4-11 vs the Storm in the regular, no one would have expected Toronto to win the Canada Cup opener in Winnipeg. Well they did and they did it with ease, slugging to a 7-2 win.

Game 2
Miracles can happen and it appears the 36-40 Cardinals are set fair to win the Canada Cup back home as they in again in Winnipeg, this time 2-0 and the Storm are blowing their chance.

Game 3
Nerves get the better of Toronto as Winnipeg go for 16 hits, putting up 4 runs in a decisive 9th inning to claw a game back 5 to zip.

Game 4
And we are tied again, road teams are on top it seems in 1962 as the Storm chip away at the Cards to win 7-3 and force the series back to Winnipeg for a decider.

Game 5
The teams combine for 34 hits as they put on a show, however its the hosts day in the sun as Winnipeg seal a series comeback'er' by winning 8-2 and condemning the Cardinals to another Canada Cup nightmare.

Series MVP

Ren-qing Liu .435, 2RBI, .435OBP

bestbrother · 12-05-2015, 02:43 PM

1962 - Wrap Up:

Canada Cup Winners:

Winnipeg Storm 3-2 over Toronto Cardinals

MVP of Canada:

Bing-de Zhang (OTT) - .400, 41RBI, .415OBP

League Leaders:

Note: Georges Jolly played for Toronto and Robbie Matkin Winnipeg

bestbrother · 12-05-2015, 03:13 PM

1963 - As it Happened:

Offseason
Q.C. upgrade their pitching by adding both Robbie Matkin and Georges Jolly to their staff. Both pen 1 year deals with the 60s.

Financially the Gems are struggling to make ends meet, their revenue is a mere 3rd of that of Toronto and they are projected to end 1963 with a negative balance. CLB officials have stated they will not intervene but will be happy to listen to any proposed relocation.

Predictors once again have the Storm doing well, this time facing Markham in the Canada Cup as Winnieg are slated to have 6 of the top 10 pitchers in the league on their roster for 1963.

1963 Player Draft
For the 3rd year on the spin London get first dibs and this tmie they go down the route of pitching by picking Garrett Brushett from Durham College (ON). Surprisingly Brushett was the best of a relatively weak bunch of pitchers in this years draft and as such, this may not be a 'Gem' of a pick.

May
We are under way and once again its going to be a long year for the National Divison teams as they all sit below .500 with Toronto the best of a bad bunch at 12-14.

Ottawa lead the Federal Divison by a half, as their 17-10 just bests Winnipegs 16-10 at this stage.

Gonzalez keeps on pinging them, he has already added a pair of long balls to his career tally to lead the league once more.

Who is Matthieu Calvet? Well in 1962 his 2nd year in the league, he would lose 10 game for the Chops, pitching to a 4.27ERA. Yet this year, in 10 starts he sits with a league best 1.16ERA and at 18 could well be coming of age. (Calvet is in his arbitration year with the Chops)

June
London, thats right, London are top of the National Divison by virtue of holding a tiebreaker over Toronto. Both teams are 26-29 and with Markham 25-30, anything can happen in the final month here.

Winnipeg are just that good, they are 34-21 and unless they have a meltdown should be back in the Canada Cup this year.

33 year old Fei Liu has joined Hubert Mayer in the CLB record books by hitting for 43 straight games. Liu of the 60s lost that streak vs Toronto earlier this month.

July
Losing cant be bad if you can still win it all, can it? Well Markham will hope so at least as they are back in for their 2nd shot at the Canada Cup by winning the National Division with a 36-40 record.

Winnipeg are back and this time just 1 game shy of 50 wins as they dominate as expected to a 49-27 record, as once again the pre-season predictions ring true in the CLB.

Sad news in the league as 18 year old Catcher Bill Lockyer hangs up his cleats due to a career ending Concussion. Lockyer who had been with the Storm since 1962 has a CLB ring to his name, but will be unable to add to his career total of 237 hits and 83RBIs.

After failing to win a series in his 4 years at the team, Toronto fire GM Larry Corbitt and look to move forward with an 'as yet' named successor.

Numbers to Chew on
With walks rising, teams batting averages are slipping ever further down as a league .360AVG is the lowest yet.

Ottawa post an unbelievable 3.05 team ERA, that includes Calvet finishing with a 1.51 return, putting him at the forefront of the leagues pitching talent.

However the league has still yet to see a Complete game from a pitcher.

Finally Drew Bradbury breaks an unwanted record as he losses 13 games for Q.C. in a miserable effort by the young RHP.

Final Standings

bestbrother · 12-05-2015, 03:24 PM

How the Cup Was Won:

Game 1
The Storm prevent a repeat of 1962 by winning their home opener this time as they overcome Markham 5-2.

Game 2
Markham bounce back in game 2 as although Winnipeg rally with 3 runs in the 7th, they were unable to overcome the Bears lead and the series is all-square heading back to Markham.

Game 3
3-2 Winnipeg and the Storm do enjoy playing on the road under a bit of pressure. This time Markham led by a pair, but 3RBIs by Ken Winters sealed the deal.

Game 4
Repeat complete as the Storm win 7-3 and Markham lose for the 2nd time in the Canada Cup Finals.

Series MVP

John Guillemin

12-01-2015, 03:20 PM	#1
bestbrother Major Leagues Join Date: Dec 2015 Posts: 371	Canadian League Baseball Background: Formed in 1957, Canadian League Baseball was the nations effort to cash in on not only the success of the sport across the border, but also the rise of interest due to the relative impact made by the Triple-A offshoot Montreal Royals. With plans firmly in place for the inaugural season to play in 1960 with 6 franchises, the CLB received its first blow when the Montreal Royals were folded by the Dodgers organisation due to poor attendance. The CLB had already decided against placing a franchise in a potentially lucrative market in order not to compete with the Royals, but in the year of their launch, the Royals would be no more. However plans were in action, the 6 franchises awarded a place in the 1960 CLB season were ready to take part and this is where we begin a look back at the history of the CLB from its origins. Writers Note: Hello everyone, long time browser of these boards and im always inspired yet a little scared/tentative to try and share anything ive done due to the quality of writing and reports here. However ive found something that I enjoy and am going to brave it.... Last edited by bestbrother; 12-05-2015 at 01:39 PM.

12-02-2015, 04:36 AM	#2
bestbrother Major Leagues Join Date: Dec 2015 Posts: 371	Things you need to know - The CLB in 1960. Structure 6 teams are split into 2 divisions of 3 teams each, they will play a total of 76 games The Winners of the 2 divisions (known as the National Division and Federal Division) will advance to the Canada Cup. This is a 'best of 5' series to decide the League Champion. Spring Training will last for 1 week before the season. Roster The teams are allowed to have as many players on their active roster as they wish. There are no International player limits. Currently there are no Minor League teams or plans to put them in place. Draft There is an Amatuer draft run in March of each year. This gives each team 2 picks. Disabled List Teams can place players on the disabled list, the minimum period is set to 15 days. Gameday Teams will use a Designated Hitter in their lineup at all times. Financial Teams are subject to a $3,000,000 salary cap. The salary floor per player is $15,000. There is no league revenue sharing policy in place. Contractual Players can file for free agency after 2 years service. There will be no trades allowed between teams. Awards There is only 1 award, this is called the 'MVP of Canada' and is awarded at the end of each season. There will not be an All-Star game held. Last edited by bestbrother; 12-05-2015 at 01:40 PM.

12-02-2015, 06:06 AM	#4
bestbrother Major Leagues Join Date: Dec 2015 Posts: 371	1960 - As it Happened: January The London Gems hire Steve Perkins to be their General Manager, he in turn brings in 38 year old Harry Tomlin to manage the Gems on a 1 year contract. Tony O'Leary takes the GM reigns at Markham, as Owner Dan Reader entrusts O'Leary with a 2 year contract and limited goals. Stone Dand becomes the leagues highest earner and the first player to break the $30,000 barrier, as Toronto pen the 28 year old Pitcher to a 1 year term earning $32,800 The leagues first draft pool is revealed for the upcoming event in March. At the same time lots were drawn to decide the draft order, as follows: 1 - Toronto, 2 - London, 3 - Winnipeg, 4 - Ottawa, 5 - Quebec City, 6 -Markham February Winnipeg announced the leagues first foreign player as 19 year old Japanese 1st baseman Kiyoshi Ando inks a 1 year deal at the league minimum. Draft experts predict that 17 year old Corentin Guo, a shortstop out of Queens College (ON) will be the first draft pick ever in the CLB. March Toronto surprise the league by selecting (C) Curt Killy out of Wilfrid Laurier (ON) as theirs and the leagues 1st draft pick. 16 year old Killy has signed and joined up with the Cardinals for the 1960 season. April Spring Training begins as the teams have 1 weeks worth of games to prepare themselves for the upcoming season. Pre-season predictions are in and it looks like the 'big spenders' are those favoured as the Toronto Cardinals (the only team with a payroll exceeding $1,000,000) are set fair to win the National Division. Surprisingly Ottawa are given the nod in the Federal League over Q.C. and Winnipeg. May 25 games played and there is a definite shape appearing in the National Division as the 15-10 Markham Bears are just 1 game ahead of Toronto (14-11). London have fallen apart and hold a CLB worst' 9-16 record. In the Federal League things remain as close with Winnipeg (14-11) just a game up on Q.C. (13-12). Whilst its the fancied Ottawa Chops at 10-15 who have all the work to do. 16 year old Yves Hennequin (TOR) has surprised the league with his showing in the month of May as he posts a .418AVG, driving in 9RBIs. Selected in the 2nd round of the draft by Toronto, it appears they may have found themselves a future star. Only 3 homeruns are clubbed this month as London smack 2 of them via Burton and Kowalchuk. The 3rd comes off the bat of Winnipeg's Tim Rancourt. Jacques Colborne etched his name into the leagues history books as he started hot and only got hotter as he rattled of a 21 game hitting streak. Unfortuately for the Chops 1st baseman his streak ended in a 9-3 loss to Markham. June Toronto and Markham continue to dance at the top of the National Division as they swap places but remain within a game of each other. London meanwhile slip further back and at 21-31 are unlikely to break the .500 plateau. Meanwhile its Q.C. who have taken a grip of the Federal Divison by 3 games as they hold the divisions only winning record at 29-23. The Chops at 26-26 have rallied, but Winnipeg who are now 6GB are in a miserable slump. Christian Mullally (WIN) ignites the league with a mammouth 36 game hitting streak, to surpass the achievement of Colborne from May. He will take this run into June, although the Storm will need more than this effort to save their season. Relief Pitcher Bill Bagnall of Ottawa deserves a mention this month as he held his opponents to a .369AVG, posting a 3.84ERA and a 6-3 record from 24 appearances. Just 2 more homeruns this month as 16 year old Curt Killy of Toronto slugs his first in his career. The other also came from a Card' in the name of Kyle Lappin. The league which is becoming known for its 'contact over power' lineups, has yet to see a Pitcher keep a shutout. Its a hitter friendly league, with smallball at the point. July Toronto and Ottawa confirm what the experts thought to be true as they won their respective divisions in an anti-climatic final week. The Cardinals raced on to 41 wins, beating out Markham by 4 games. Whilst Ottawa bounced back to edge out Q.C. by 2 games as both breached the 40 win barrier but it was the Chops who got their fill. Mullallys hitting streak came to an end at 40 games as London finally shut down the Storm outfielder. Pascal Dubois of Toronto claims 2 home runs in the month as he tops the charts to end the season as the only player with more than one hit to go the distance. In total the league saw just 9 homerun blasts this season. Numbers to Chew on Only 3 of 43 stolen base attempts were successful! The combined league batting average was .375 The leagues pitchers combined for an ERA of 4.45, with just 202Ks and no Pitcher completing a game Toronto led the league with just shy of 200,000 attendance for the year. At the other end of the spectrum, London barely break the 6 figure sum. Final Standings

12-02-2015, 06:33 AM	#5
bestbrother Major Leagues Join Date: Dec 2015 Posts: 371	How the Cup Was Won: Game 1 Ottawa sneaks a 2-1 win as the teams share 22 hits on the day. 4480 fans packed into Chops Ballpark to watch their team snag it in the 5th inning thanks to a Mike Pennell RBI single. Game 2 Still in Ottawa and the Chops take full advantage of another sellout crowd by blistering to a 4-0 lead in the opening inning. Toronto would rally but with the Chops adding a solo run every time Toronto came back, it was the hosts who claimed a 2-0 series lead thanks to a 6-4 win. Game 3 Finally the Cardinals come to life back home as they win 5-3 in another close encounter. This time the Chops coughed up 2 errors as they allowed Toronto to race ahead 5-1. A late rally provided little relief and Toronto keep the series alive. Game 4 Its over! The Chops put up 19 hits and 5 runs as they survive a 9th inning scare to overcome the Cardinals 5-4 and win the Canada Cup 3 games to 1. Once again Ottawa relied on a heavy opening frame by putting 3 on the board, but at 5-2, the Cardinals came alive in the 9th and would leave 2 men stranded at they fought back to 5-4. Series MVP Brian McAskill (OTT): 9/17, .529, 2RBI Last edited by bestbrother; 12-02-2015 at 04:09 PM.

12-02-2015, 11:24 AM	#6
bestbrother Major Leagues Join Date: Dec 2015 Posts: 371	1960 - Wrap Up: Canada Cup Winners: Ottawa Chops 3-1 over Toronto Cardinals MVP of Canada: Dave Bonneau (Q.C.) - .434, 34RBI, .441OBP League Leaders: *Note: G.Jolly was at Markham Bears

12-02-2015, 03:56 PM	#7
bestbrother Major Leagues Join Date: Dec 2015 Posts: 371	1961 - As it Happened: Offseason London make the first splash in Free Agency by snapping up Argentine outfielder Jose Escobar on a league hugh $48,400 2 year deal. Escobar had recently been playing in various Caribbean leagues and became available this off-season for Canadian teams to sign. Georges Jolly who led the league with the only sub 4.00ERA in 1960 has signed for Toronto on a 1 year deal earning him just shy of $35,000. This doubles his salary he held at Markham and immediately propels Torontos pitching staff upward. Quebec City become the first team to break the $50,000 barrier for a player as they award 27 year old Harry McDermid a 5 year contract after he left the London Gems. McDermid who drove in 44 runs last year will hope to help Q.C. compete with the Chops in the Federal League this time round. 1961 Player Draft London get the 1st pick and with that they acquired (SS) Doug Townsend out of York (ON). However it could be Markham who have picked the real 'Gem' as their pick of Olivier Dupuis appears to be getting all the hype as the draft gets wrapped up. April Spring Training again begins and predictions have Markham and Winnipeg winning their respective divisions. Once again Toronto will be the only team entering the season with a salary combined of over $1,000,000. However the gap is closing with Winnipeg, Q.C. and Markham all now just shy of the mark. May Markham Bears are flying and have built up an impressive lead in the National Division as their 16-9 record puts them 7 clear of London and 8 of Toronto. The Federal league sees Q.C. hold a league best 17-8, but with Winnipeg just behind at 15-10 there is all to play for. Canada Cup Champions the Ottawa Chops are 10-15 and will need another 'comeback' season to make an impression once more. Current League MVP Dave Bonneau continues to impress as he hits just under .400 and has driven in 10RBIs. More excitingly (for the Storm at least) is the continued development of 17 year old LHP Bob Feist. Feist did pitch for the Storm at the tender age of 16, however this year has seen him put up unheard of numbers for the CLB as his ERA is sub 3.00 and he holds a 3-1 record with 4 saves. As we saw in the opening season, the league is devoid of power hitters. This year is no different as there is just a solitary HR in the league, that coming off the bat of Bill Farnell (Q.C.). June The Bears remain in control of the National Division but are hardly igniting the imagination as they hold a 'shoddy' 26-25 record. Alas it still keeps them 5 games ahead of nearest rival London, whilst big spending Toronto have mustered just 19 wins and are 7.5GB. Over in the Federal Division its shaping up to be a battle to the wire as just .5 games seperate Winnipeg and Q.C. The Storm at 33-20 hold the edge, whilst although the Chops are 8GB at 25-28, they are on a 6 game tear and who knows where that could lead them come the run in. Winnipeg Pitcher Chris Briggs is the current favorite to claim the leagues MVP award as he holds a 2.26ERA from his 17 starts, adding a league high 6Ks to that effort. Briggs who only signed with the Storm this off-season has impressed alongside a young rotation that puts Winnipeg atop their division. July Unsurprisingly the Bears won the National Division, putting on a spurt to claim 43 wins and remain clear of Toronto and London. The Federal Division came down to the final week, however Winnipeg's late 4 game winning streak wasnt enough to stop the Q.C. 60s winning the crown by a solitary game and advancing to the Canada Cup. Hubert Mayer of the Cardinals made history this month as he surpassed the 40 game hit streak held by Mullaley, as he reaches 43 before falling short in an outing at Markham. Jose Escobar made waves in the off-season as he penned the biggest deal in the league for a foreign player, when the Gems picked up his salary tab. He finally began to pay some of that faith back as although the Gems looked out of sorts once more, Escobar would top the HR Charts with a pair as he rattled off an impressive July in terms of numbers. Numbers to Chew on Teams find their running shoes as 45 bags are stolen from 113 attempts. A huge increase from the meagre 3 seen in 1960. The leagues ERA dropped a tad to 4.19, whilst strikeout numbers rose from 202 to 245 for the year Toronto saw a huge loss in attendance numbers, whilst the rest of the league saw increases that bought all the teams into line at around 145-160K for the year. The league total for the season still sits below 1,000,000 however. Final Standings

12-02-2015, 04:08 PM	#8
bestbrother Major Leagues Join Date: Dec 2015 Posts: 371	How the Cup Was Won: Game 1 The 60s steal the series opener at home as they rally back from a 2 run deficit to win in 11 innings as Tanner Corcoran proved to be the hero with 2RBIs. Game 2 Almost a repeat of the previous nights events as Markham race to a 3 run lead in the opening inning, before Q.C. rally back and score 2 runs in the 9th to win again 4-3. Corcoran again drove in a run, as he sparked the 9th inning respite. Game 3 We head to Markham, the Bears are desperate and they show their true worth in a thumping 10-3 rout of the 60s. The Bears collect 19 hits and put up 9 runs in a magical 4th inning that gives them hope. Game 4 Its hope that kills you and thats true for the Bears as Q.C. win a thriller 12-7, that saw them collect 28 hits, combining with the Bears for 48 total. Once again Corcoran proved his worth with 2RBIs, whilst Dave Bonneau came alive with a pair himself. However series MVP Joe Cadonau led the way going 5-6 with 3RBIs to seal the deal. Series MVP Joe Cadanou .545, 5RBI, .545OBP Last edited by bestbrother; 12-05-2015 at 02:30 PM.

12-05-2015, 01:46 PM	#9
bestbrother Major Leagues Join Date: Dec 2015 Posts: 371	1961 - Wrap Up: Canada Cup Winners: Quebec City 60s 3-1 over Markham Bears MVP of Canada: Ray Lapointe (OTT) - .409, 43RBI, .412OBP League Leaders:

12-05-2015, 02:26 PM	#10
bestbrother Major Leagues Join Date: Dec 2015 Posts: 371	1962 - As it Happened: Offseason Winnipeg make the first major move in the off-season by acquiring Cuban defective 'Antonio Gonzalez. The 24 year old penned a 3 year deal earning him a total over $130,000. The Storm however lose out in the leagues next big story as Ottawa snag reliever Nathan Chiang from free agency as the 25 year old tested his arm. Chiang who pitched 28 innings for just 8ER last year, will commaned over $100,000 in his 3 years with the Chops. John McNutt becomes the 1962 1st draft pick as the London Gems take a punt on the school kid from British Colombia. McNutt drove in 36 runs in his final year at school and will hope to play a part in the Gems outfield. Pre-season algorithims have Toronto and Winnipeg going toe-to-toe in the Canada Cup this year, however with the numbers showing just a 5 game swing from 1st to worst, it could be the most open season yet in the CLB. May Toronto lead the way in the National Division as expected as they hold a 14-12 record, 4 games up on both London and Markham. Winnipeg ride high in the Federal equivalent, as at 18-7 they are comfortably in charge above reigning Champions Q.C. Offense appears to be the order of the day this year as we already have 6 home runs on the board, 2 of which come from the 'Cuban' with Antonio Gonzalez lighting thigns up in his rookie year. He may not be as exotic as their Cuban, but homegrown Tim Rancourt is hitting an incredible .510. Whats more impressive by the Storm outfielder is that he never had an at bat in 1961 with the team overlooking his talents. June Markham look set to return to the Canada Cup after last years misery, as they top of the division with a 26-28 record. Thats right, the National Division is the sub.500 division. The Storm are running riot in the Federal Divison now as at 38-16 they could well be the first team to break the 50 win barrier. The ERA disparity across the 2 divisions has become more evident this year as all the Federal Division teams are currently posing an ERA of sub 3.80. Across in the National, all teams are above 4.00, whilst both London and Markham are closer to 5.00 than they are to the 4.00 bar. Attendance in London continues to shrink this year as another bad season homes in on the Gems. Current projections show them to not even break the 100,000 mark, a 40,000 drop on last years numbers. July As expected its the Cardinals who win the National Division for the 2nd time in 3 years. However their 36-40 mark is embarrasing for a Canada Cup representative. Surprisingly Winnipeg fall short of 50 wins as they can only finish 48-28, but they will head into the Canada Cup as firm favourites to win their first series. Antonio Gonzalez becomes the leagues home run king as he finishes the year on 3, as power appears to be coming through more and more. Chris Briggs of Winnipeg once again comes out with the leagues best ERA at 3.10, in total the Storm see 3 pitchers post sub 4.00 ERAs this year. Numbers to Chew on 14 home runs shatters what we have been used to in the CLB, Winnipeg club 5 as power becomes more prevalent in the league. Walks are also on the up as for the first time the combined efforts in the legaue saw the 100 mark reached and breached. Winnipeg post a team ERA of 3.72, whilst Ottawa who finished at .500 also broke the 4.00 mark. Final Standings Last edited by bestbrother; 12-05-2015 at 02:28 PM.

12-05-2015, 02:30 PM	#11
bestbrother Major Leagues Join Date: Dec 2015 Posts: 371	How the Cup Was Won: Game 1 After going 4-11 vs the Storm in the regular, no one would have expected Toronto to win the Canada Cup opener in Winnipeg. Well they did and they did it with ease, slugging to a 7-2 win. Game 2 Miracles can happen and it appears the 36-40 Cardinals are set fair to win the Canada Cup back home as they in again in Winnipeg, this time 2-0 and the Storm are blowing their chance. Game 3 Nerves get the better of Toronto as Winnipeg go for 16 hits, putting up 4 runs in a decisive 9th inning to claw a game back 5 to zip. Game 4 And we are tied again, road teams are on top it seems in 1962 as the Storm chip away at the Cards to win 7-3 and force the series back to Winnipeg for a decider. Game 5 The teams combine for 34 hits as they put on a show, however its the hosts day in the sun as Winnipeg seal a series comeback'er' by winning 8-2 and condemning the Cardinals to another Canada Cup nightmare. Series MVP Ren-qing Liu .435, 2RBI, .435OBP Last edited by bestbrother; 12-05-2015 at 02:42 PM.

12-05-2015, 02:43 PM	#12
bestbrother Major Leagues Join Date: Dec 2015 Posts: 371	1962 - Wrap Up: Canada Cup Winners: Winnipeg Storm 3-2 over Toronto Cardinals MVP of Canada: Bing-de Zhang (OTT) - .400, 41RBI, .415OBP League Leaders: Note: Georges Jolly played for Toronto and Robbie Matkin Winnipeg Last edited by bestbrother; 12-05-2015 at 02:46 PM.

12-05-2015, 03:13 PM	#13
bestbrother Major Leagues Join Date: Dec 2015 Posts: 371	1963 - As it Happened: Offseason Q.C. upgrade their pitching by adding both Robbie Matkin and Georges Jolly to their staff. Both pen 1 year deals with the 60s. Financially the Gems are struggling to make ends meet, their revenue is a mere 3rd of that of Toronto and they are projected to end 1963 with a negative balance. CLB officials have stated they will not intervene but will be happy to listen to any proposed relocation. Predictors once again have the Storm doing well, this time facing Markham in the Canada Cup as Winnieg are slated to have 6 of the top 10 pitchers in the league on their roster for 1963. 1963 Player Draft For the 3rd year on the spin London get first dibs and this tmie they go down the route of pitching by picking Garrett Brushett from Durham College (ON). Surprisingly Brushett was the best of a relatively weak bunch of pitchers in this years draft and as such, this may not be a 'Gem' of a pick. May We are under way and once again its going to be a long year for the National Divison teams as they all sit below .500 with Toronto the best of a bad bunch at 12-14. Ottawa lead the Federal Divison by a half, as their 17-10 just bests Winnipegs 16-10 at this stage. Gonzalez keeps on pinging them, he has already added a pair of long balls to his career tally to lead the league once more. Who is Matthieu Calvet? Well in 1962 his 2nd year in the league, he would lose 10 game for the Chops, pitching to a 4.27ERA. Yet this year, in 10 starts he sits with a league best 1.16ERA and at 18 could well be coming of age. (Calvet is in his arbitration year with the Chops) June London, thats right, London are top of the National Divison by virtue of holding a tiebreaker over Toronto. Both teams are 26-29 and with Markham 25-30, anything can happen in the final month here. Winnipeg are just that good, they are 34-21 and unless they have a meltdown should be back in the Canada Cup this year. 33 year old Fei Liu has joined Hubert Mayer in the CLB record books by hitting for 43 straight games. Liu of the 60s lost that streak vs Toronto earlier this month. July Losing cant be bad if you can still win it all, can it? Well Markham will hope so at least as they are back in for their 2nd shot at the Canada Cup by winning the National Division with a 36-40 record. Winnipeg are back and this time just 1 game shy of 50 wins as they dominate as expected to a 49-27 record, as once again the pre-season predictions ring true in the CLB. Sad news in the league as 18 year old Catcher Bill Lockyer hangs up his cleats due to a career ending Concussion. Lockyer who had been with the Storm since 1962 has a CLB ring to his name, but will be unable to add to his career total of 237 hits and 83RBIs. After failing to win a series in his 4 years at the team, Toronto fire GM Larry Corbitt and look to move forward with an 'as yet' named successor. Numbers to Chew on With walks rising, teams batting averages are slipping ever further down as a league .360AVG is the lowest yet. Ottawa post an unbelievable 3.05 team ERA, that includes Calvet finishing with a 1.51 return, putting him at the forefront of the leagues pitching talent. However the league has still yet to see a Complete game from a pitcher. Finally Drew Bradbury breaks an unwanted record as he losses 13 games for Q.C. in a miserable effort by the young RHP. Final Standings Last edited by bestbrother; 12-05-2015 at 03:17 PM.

12-05-2015, 03:24 PM	#14
bestbrother Major Leagues Join Date: Dec 2015 Posts: 371	How the Cup Was Won: Game 1 The Storm prevent a repeat of 1962 by winning their home opener this time as they overcome Markham 5-2. Game 2 Markham bounce back in game 2 as although Winnipeg rally with 3 runs in the 7th, they were unable to overcome the Bears lead and the series is all-square heading back to Markham. Game 3 3-2 Winnipeg and the Storm do enjoy playing on the road under a bit of pressure. This time Markham led by a pair, but 3RBIs by Ken Winters sealed the deal. Game 4 Repeat complete as the Storm win 7-3 and Markham lose for the 2nd time in the Canada Cup Finals. Series MVP John Guillemin