HUMBER RIVER DEFEATS ROUGE RIVER IN BATTLE OF TITANS
How could we know back in 2018 that the matchup between the Humber River Humdingers and Rouge River Blush would be the start of a steamy Field of Dreamers rivalry? When the Humdingers won their first ever Discus Cup and had their name etched into the mantel, it began an era of Rouge and Humber staking claim to the championship – eclipsed only last year when Garrison Creek broke through the Red/Yellow ceiling. In 2019, the Rouge River Raccoons fleeced victory from the Humber River Haze. And last night, with beautiful weather, a boisterous crowd, and charismatic commentators, the Humber River Hungry Hippos won their team’s second championship thanks to elite fielding and potent hitting!
FIELD OF DREAMER CHAMPIONSHIP RING TREE UPDATED
Twenty players from Humber River teams have one 1 championship (2018, 2023). Twenty players from Rouge River teams have one 1 championship (2017, 2019, 2021). Six players from Garrison Creek teams (2022) have one 1 championship. These are represented by the gold, red, and green rings in the first graphic below and the names of those players are written below.
Kirsten Dick, Chris Yates, Victoria Barnett, and Terrance Luscombe joined a prestigious group of Field of Dreamers players who have won 2 championships in the league. The other players on this list include: Andy Smith (2017, 2022); Jo Jefferson (2018, 2022); Kate Uffelman (2017, 2019); Lainie Basman (2017, 2022); LJ Robinson (2019, 2022); Ness Dixon (2017, 2019); Rachel Small (2018, 2022); Ryan Hayes (2018, 2021); Sena Hussein (2019, 2021); Shelagh Pizey-Allen (2017, 2019); Stuart Schussler (2017, 2019).
Only one player in Field of Dreamers history has won more than 2 championships, and their streak finally came to an end this season. Nat Saavedra won championships with the Humber River Humdingers (2018), Rouge River Raccoons (2019), Rouge River Rainbow Rebellion (2021), and Garrison Creek Gamma Rays (2022).
Will Credit River or Don River break through for their first championships in 2024? Will Humber River defend its title? Will Garrison Creek return to form? Will Rouge River continue to expand its early dynasty? Will your name finally make it onto the hallowed RINGS page? Only time will tell.
Don River Celine D’On (5th Place)
Do not grieve the last place finish for the Celine D’Ons. For if you’ve been a longtime follower of the Field of Dreamers you’ll know that the purple of Don has proved to be a cursed colour. But if you look beyond the record, a season of magic happened for Don. It’s all coming back to me now. There were nights when the wind was so cold, but Rachele Clemente, RT Titus and Dao Le were causing havoc on the base paths. And if I just listened to it just outside my window, I could hear the voices of Seb Higgins and Rob Jackson calmly steering their team to victory. There were days when the sun was so cruel, and yet Nat Saavedra and Janice Lee would not simply withstand the heat but turn it up with clutch hits! And I just knew my eyes were drying up forever when I witnessed the beautiful split seasons of new parents Annelies Cooper & Devin Clancy and Rachel Small & Jo Jefferson. Don: I finished crying in the instant that you left, because I knew that rookies Kai Somerville and Paul Pritchard were now core players. And I can’t remember when or where or how Finn MacLeod became one of the breakout hitters in the league. I banished every memory of the game Garrison Creek lost 23-4 against Don River. Because….when you touched the league like you did, Don River Celine D’ons, when you held us like that, we just had to admit that it’s all coming back, it’s all coming back to us noooooowwwwwwwwwwwww.
Garrison Creek Good Griefers (4th Place)
For a team that seemed to be created out of Phoebe Bridgers’ Saddest Factory, the Garrison Creek squad brought a lot of joy to each game they played. The team rallied around their Garden Song. And someday their gonna live in your house up on a hill, that’s where you’ll find Darren Puscas tracking down fly balls that don’t appear catchable or where you’ll find Lainie Basman pulling the team together with so many positive vibes. Meanwhile Stu Schussler, Mercedes Lee, Travis Silverman, and Ness Dixon are planting gardens in the yard as they created a solid core of hitters in the middle of the Garrison lineup. Gluing roses on a flatbed in the thousands, Jenny Chan, Krysta Williams, and Kira Kastner provided both the style and substance needed for the GGs of GC to excel. And despite it going all up in flames, Syd Gilchrist turned in an elite rookie season, Laura Windhorst returned from a mid-season injury to give the team a needed boost. Michelle Kidd, Robyn Letson, and Craig Fortier saw their reflection in the water of a team that played wacky shifts, communicated well, and played with the most joyful sadness, the most bittersweet success, that is a 4th place finish.
Credit River Riot (3rd Place)
A riotous season came to an end for the Credit River Riot with a thrilling victory against the Garrison Creek Good Griefers in the Consolation Game. And for a moment, I was brought back to April 29 1992, while you were sitting home watching your tv, the Credit River team was participating in some “small a” anarchy! The final game saw Claire Heese-Boutin, Yosnai Mena Mora, and Colin Hastings all do their best Phill Morgan impressions with extra base hits galore. On defence Jill Aoki, Sam Ponting, and Manjeet Bedi played solid throughout the game. Shannon Dunham and Claudia Calabro paired up to buttress the team core and Brianna Greaves and Peter Demakos sped around the bases for old time’s sake. Camie Koo and Paula John continued to play like the heart and soul of the team. While the team missed Carianne Leung and Nate Kulasinghe in the final game, the team as a whole found their stride mis-season and were a fierce challenger for every team that they faced.
Rouge River Bad N Rougee
The Rouge River Bad N Rougee spent the whole year Walking it Like they Were Talking it backing up a boisterous season with great energy. Led by the dynamic coaching duo of Andy Smith and LJ Robinson, the team didn’t disappoint in front of a crowd decked out in red! The Nell Khayutin cheering squad spread the love to elite hitters like Jenni Klonteig, Huấn Nguyen, Sabrina Benoit, and Johann Juarez; they screamed with delight when speedsters Kat Kleine, Rhiannon Cobb, and Soren D’Alimonte raced around the bases. They ooed and awed when Qui Alexander, Sarah Peek, and Emma Cuddy laced hits in key moments, and they sent good vibes to Yazi Peer who provided a lot of heart and energy to the team all season. Despite a fantastic season, the Bad N Bougee fell a tad short in their comeback against Humber River, and can hold their head up high as runner’s up this season.
Humber River Hungry Hippos
The Hippos chomped their way to win after win this season. The team led the league in attendance and it showed by the end of the season as they played with such cohesion and coordination. Much recognition needs to go to the coaching team that included Victoria Barnett, Oskar Eliashevsky, Marty Fink, and Matías Contreras. Terrance Luscombe belted some key hits for the Hippos in the final game. Lucky Visvanathan got them on their board after a leadoff hit. Marisa Tran made some stellar defensive plays and got a key hit to blow the game open. Beth Austerberry, Amanda Hollingworth, and Jasper Walton were consistent hitters throughout the season and Kirsten Dick and Chris Yates provided power when they were on the field. Kaela Sanborn-Hum and Claudia Vergara mixy-matchyed their way to a great season. Fianna Dirks pitched perfectly. Carly Boyce cheered from the stands in the final game and contributed key hits throughout the year! Humber was a well-oiled unit, the most fearsome of foes, and the slickest of fielders. A victory against them this year meant that your team was playing at its peak!
See the game box scores here
See player stats here
See league standings here
MILESTONES & ODDITIES
Credit River
Phill Morgan – see oddities below
Camie Koo – ranked tied for 2nd this season with 62 at-bats, tied for 90th on the all-time list
Paula John – currently tied for 68th place on the all-time list with 52 career hits
Peter Demakos – becomes 16th player in league history to reach 180 career hits
Claire Heese-Boutin – currently tied for 40th on the all-time list with 2 career triples
Manjeet Bedi – currently tied for 40th on the all-time list with 9 career doubles
Brianna Greaves – with 193 career at-bats, currently ranks 27th on the all-time list and is the closest active player looking to reach 200 career at-bats
Yosnai Mena Mora – in the last game of the season, became the 61st player in league history to hit a home run
Sam Ponting – becomes 44th player in league history to reach 125 career at-bats
Shannon Dunham – see oddities below
Claudia Calabro – see oddities below
Jill Aoki – currently ranks 28th in league history with 97 career singles
Carianne Leung – currently tied for 170th on the all-time list with 19 career at-bats
Nate Kulasinghe – currently tied for 191st on the all-time list with 11 career at-bats
Don River
Rob Jackson – currently tied for 36th on the all-time list with 53 career runs batted in
Sébastien Higgins – currently tied for 64th on the all-time list with 58 career hits
Nat Saavedra – currently tied for 12th on the all-time list with 11 career doubles
Annelies Cooper – becomes 9th player in league history to reach 325 career at-bats
Jo Jefferson – currently ranks 13th on the all-time list with 149 career singles
Janice Lee – is one of only 60 players in league history to hit a home run
RT Titus – becomes 94th player in league history to reach 60 career at-bats
Rachele Clemente – becomes 13th player in league history to reach 300 career at-bats (302)
Kaleigh MacGregor-Bales – currently tied for 40th on the all-time list with 88 career hits
Paul Pritchard – currently tied for 27th on the all-time list with 3 career home runs
Finn MacLeod -currently tied for 100th on the all-time list with 33 career hits
Dao Le – currently tied for 40th on the all-time list with 2 career triples
Kai Somerville – currently tied for 100th on the all-time list with 2 career doubles
Devin Clancy – currently tied for 11th on the all-time list with 35 career doubles
Rachel Small – currently tied for 10th on the all-time list with 310 career at-bats
Humber River
Victoria Barnett – becomes 20th player in league history to reach 250 career at-bats (252)
Terrance Luscombe – currently tied for 6th with Devin Clancy on the all-time list with 252 career hits
Lucky Visvanathan – currently tied for 21st in league history with 25 career doubles
Oskar Eliashevsky – currently tied for 34th in league history with 57 career at-bats
Marisa Tran – becomes 157th in league history to reach 25 career at-bats
Kirsten Dick – currently tied for 24th in league history with 4 career home runs
Marty Fink – led the league this year with 10 triples, tied for 15th on the all-time list
Matías Contreras – finished second this year with 8 triples, tied for 20th on the all-time list
Amanda Hollingworth – becomes 146th player in league history to reach 30 career at-bats
Chris Yates – becomes 39th player in league history to reach 10 career doubles
Jasper Walton – currently tied for 40th in league history with 2 career triples
Beth Austerberry -becomes 92nd player in league history to reach 20 career runs scored
Carly Boyce – currently tied for 142nd in league history with 31 career at-bats
Kaela Sanborn-Hum – currently tied for 111th on the all-time list with 28 career hits
Fianna Dirks – currently tied for 21st in league history with 25 career doubles
Claudia Vergara – see oddities below
Rouge River
Andy Smith – currently ranks 3rd among all qualified hitters with a .797 career batting average
Johann Juarez – currently tied for 2nd on the all-time list with Ryan Hayes with 326 career hits
LJ Robinson – becomes 8th player in league history to reach 250 career hits (251)
Jenni Klonteig – currently ranks 35th on the all-time list with 94 career hits
Sabrina Benoit – currently tied for 42nd on the all-time list with 1 career home run
Soren D’Alimonte – currently tied for 86th on the all-time list with 40 career hits
Huấn Nguyen – currently tied for 59th on the all-time list with 99 career at-bats
Sarah Peek – currently tied for 53rd on the all-time list with 106 career at-bats
Rhiannon Cobb – becomes 63rd player in league history to reach 30 career runs scored
Yasmeen Peer – currently tied for 124th on the all-time list with 38 career at-bats
Emma Cuddy – led the league this year with 38 singles, 12th highest in a single season in league history
Nell Khayutin – currently tied for 97th on the all-time list with 29 career singles
Qui Alexander – had 14 hits in 18 at-bats after starting the season 0/14, ranks tied for 153rd all-time in hits
Kat Kleine – see oddities below
Garrison Creek
Darren Puscas – currently ranks 4th on the all-time list with 199 career runs batted in
Craig Fortier – led the league with 62 runs batted in this season, the 4th best single season mark in league history
Robyn Letson – currently ranks 31st in league history with 12 career doubles
Ness Dixon – currently tied for 31st in league history with 3 career triples
Travis Silverman – currently tied for 116th in league history with 1 career double
Laura Windhorst – currently tied for 68th on the all-time list with 25 career runs batted in
Michelle Kidd – currently tied for 28th on the all-time list with 4 career triples
Mercedes Lee – currently tied for 129th on the all-time list with 21 career hits
Jenny Chan – see oddities below
Lainie Basman – currently tied for 10th on the all-time list with 310 career at-bats
Krysta Williams – currently ranks 35th on the all-time list with 136 career at-bats
Kira Kastner – currently tied for 120th on the all-time list with 23 career hits
Sydney Gilchrist – was 1 of 10 players to reach 50 at-bats this year, with 51 career at-bats now ranks tied for 106th on the career list
Subs
Keaton Taylor – went 8/9 on the season helping a couple teams to victory!
David Primack – was only 1 of 2 subs to hit a home run this year!
Madison Taipalus – joined Don River mid-season and raked! 16 hits led all subs in 2023
Matthew Burashko – racked up 20 at-bats as a sub this year and was consistently available all season!
Colin Hastings – made a glorious return to the league with 11 doubles in 24 at-bats ranking tied for 4th
Rachel Tomasic – picked up career hits 1 and 2 while wearing the red of rouge!
Christelle Thibault – scored 3 runs and picked up 9 at-bats as a sub this year!
Rees Nam – 16 at-bats ranked 4th among subs this season!
Max Godwin – became the 250th player in league history to take an at-bat in the league!
Lee Williams Boudakian – recorded a double in their first game in the league!
Sara MacKellar – went 3/3 with a triple in their first game in the league!
Valerie Soo – became the final player to make their league debut this season, 253rd player all-time!
ODDITIES
29 Reasons to Watch Phill Morgan Play
Phill Morgan (Credit River) who wears the sweet #29 currently ranks 6th on the all-time list with 29 career home runs, closing in on Colin Hastings (30), Adrian Rodill (34), and Karl Gardner (34).
Crab Walk to 84th
Shannon Dunham (Credit River) who wears #84 known for his “crab walk” walk-up song, currently ranks tied for 84th in league history with 22 career runs scored.
Claudias 100
Claudia Calabro (Credit River) and Claudia Vergara (Humber River) are currently tied for 100th on the all-time list with 55 career at-bats each.
Katupult!
Kat Kleine (Rouge River) showed the value of teaching and mentorship in the league, posting career highs in hits (25), singles (22), doubles (3), rbis (12), runs (17) in her second season! Ranks 73rd all-time in at-bats with 78.
Smokin’!
Jenny Chan (Garrison Creek) becomes 4th player in league history to reach the vaunted 420 at-bat mark. Jenny is also the career leader in singles with 247!