SEASON RECAP SO FAR…

As our second season has eclipsed the three game mark, the Field of Dreamers emerge from one of the longest winters groggy, strike-weary, and sombre…but ready for the summer season to bring us the joy of making baseball. Trinity Bellwoods remains a place where dogs chase their leashes in the outfield, where frisbees fly in the night’s sky, where house music from the 90s thumps like a soundtrack to an underground rave – but also where a small piece of our hearts are laid down each week as we build community.

As teams still get used to their new formations, the Humber River Humdingers and Rouge River Blush have provided us with some clear moves towards pun-worthy mashups, while the league awaits the final names for the great Credit and Don River franchises.

But let’s not forget that there have been games played!

CREDIT RIVER

In the first three weeks Credit River looks to be a potential top dog winning all three of their games and playing some spirited ball!  Yogi Acharya currently leads the league with 15 ABs and has been the sparkplug for the Credit squad that features such oldtimey vets as LJ Robinson and Johann Juarez and some friendly rookies like Jill Aoki-Barrett and Tanis Franco.  Can they hold on to this advantage or will they have to incur some debt with all their Credit?  Credit River starts the season 3-0-0 (3 wins, 0 losses, 0 ties)

DON RIVER

Don River’s season so far has been a roller coaster ride! In the first game against the Humdingers, down by 7 in the final inning, the Don squad played a game of pass the baton tallying 13 runs to win in Week 1.  In week 2, the team was hushed by the potent Rouge River lineup, and in week 3, Don River dropped a nail biter to the Humber squad in their second match-up of the year despite playing some of the most stellar defence ever seen on the Dreamers’ diamond.  Special mention should go out to Janine Caster who players might be apt to call “Dyson” after she vacuumed up every ball hit to her at 3B and made an excellent catch on a Phillip Morgan special delivery at 1B.  The game despite the loss was a resounding success for the hard work of a team building on the two great early season skillshares. Don River starts the season 1-2-0 (1 win, 2 losses, 0 ties)

HUMBER RIVER

Like a game of Cranium at 2am on a bleary Saturday night, we are still not sure what a Humdinger is and whether or not our vocal chords are prepared to find out….but what we are sure of is that if any team thus far has represented the heart and soul of the league, it’s been Humber.  After two tough losses, the Humdingers are hmm…hmmm….hmmmmmm…..ing their way in to the win column, with an ecstatic display of agility, teamwork, and defensive genius.  Last week’s game was capped off by Colin Hastings beautiful slip and slide on the Humber glide double play and the barrage of hits off the bats of the Humber chorus…Robin Smillie, Alex Brant, Annelies Cooper, Brianna Greaves, Meg Wright, Karen Campbell, Ryan Hayes, Jo Jefferson, and Rachel Small all found ways to make the needle drop and pile up the hits as the power of the Hustle gave wave to the droning consistency of the Humdinger brand of ball.  Humber River starts the season 1-2-0 (1 win, 2 losses, 0 ties).

ROUGE RIVER

If any team will make you blush this summer, you’ll need to be watching the Rouge.  You may at first mistake these lovelies for fans of the great 1998 Jennifer Page song, Crush, or with this nationalistic rallying chant, but don’t be fooled! It’s not just a little crush, it’s a lot of blush! It’s not U-S-A, it’s B-L-U-S-H….and they’re Blush, hush, hush, hush, hush…..The Rouge River Blush have been bringing the Red Light Special  to the SkyDome for three straight weeks as they dropped two heartbreakers to the Credit River squad sandwiched in-between a love affair with home runs against the Dons.  Captained by the fabulous duo of Terrance and Merle, the team has embraced style, snacks, and the bugle as its official mascot. If you hear Lainie Basman or Sarah Weinberger trumpeting their team, you can have the delicious fried corn snack to thank! But on the ballfield Rouge is easy, breezy, and beautiful, as they use the power strokes of Andy Smith and Umar Saeed to combine with the electric speed of Jenny Chan, Rocio Velasquez, and more. Rouge River starts the season 1-2-0 (1 win, 2 losses, 0 ties).

See the game box scores here

See player stats here

See league standings here

MILESTONES

ODDITIES

AN ALMOST CYCLE 

Phillip Morgan’s (DON RIVER) first game started with a single, double, triple, and then another single and despite this feat Phill’s first game did not get recorded in the books and so the rookie is still in search of a first extra base hit!

Strange But True

Through their first 77 at-bats Janine Caster (DON RIVER) and Karen Campbell (HUMBER RIVER) have been mirror images:

Janine Caster 77AB 46HITS  44SINGLES  2DOUBLES
Karen Campbell 77AB 46HITS  44SINGLES  2DOUBLES

At this point in their career, Alex Brant (HUMBER RIVER) and Robin Smillie (HUMBER RIVER) have posted nearly the exact same batting line:

Alex Brant 74AB  40HITS  39SINGLES 1DOUBLES
Robin Smillie 73AB 40HITS  38SINGLES 2DOUBLES