WITH OPENING DAY A MERE 37 DAYS AWAY, HERE IS SOME IMPORTANT INFORMATION THAT WILL BRING PARENTS AND PLAYERS UP TO SPEED ON WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS AS WE PREPARE FOR THE 2013 SEASON
The TP Baseball Committee would like to take an opportunity to welcome everyone on board for the 2013 Toronto Playgrounds House League Baseball Season.
The Committee would like to extend a special welcome to all our new registrants who will be participating in our baseball program for the very first time. And, we wish to extend a warm and hearty welcome back to all the parents and players who are returning for another season with us.
There will be a lot of things transpiring within the next few weeks as we gear up for another season of house league baseball down at Christie Pits and Bickford Park. In a concerted effort to keep everyone up to speed on what is happening as we prepare for Opening Day on May 21, the TP Baseball Committee has decided to issue this information primer to let parents and players know about some of the important events that will be taking place within the next thirty-seven days:
TEE BALL
The parents of all our registered Tee Ball players will be contacted towards the end of the week of April 22 with the name
of your child’s (or children’s) team; the name of their coach (along with their contact information); and the date and time of their first pre-season practice.
The Tee Ball pre-season practices will start the week of April 29 and go until Thursday, May 16. During this period of Spring Training, the Committee is hoping that each team will be able to have three practices, although we realize that not every player will be able to attend all of the practices. The pre-season practice schedule will be posted on the website and sent to all parents by April 26.
Regular season games for our eight Tee Ball teams will begin on Tuesday, May 21 and Thursday, May 23. The Regular Season Schedule will be posted on the website and sent to all parents by May 10. During the regular season, Tee Ball games take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with games taking place at 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Each team will play once a week at one of those four times.
During the pre-season practice schedule, we will try to hold the Spring Training practices on Tuesdays and Thursdays, weather permitting, of course. If that isn’t possible, practices will take place on other nights and on Saturdays if necessary.
All of the pre-season practices and the regular season games for Tee Ball will take place at the Tee Ball diamond in the north end of Bickford Park.
ROOKIE BALL/MOSQUITO/PEEWEE/BANTAM/MIDGET
Our annual House League Player Evaluations are scheduled for the weekend of April 27-28 at Christie Pits (weather permitting). The schedule for the player evaluations will be posted on the website and sent to all parents within the next week. All players should bring a baseball glove to these sessions. Players will be put through a series of baseball drills (i.e. fielding; hitting; throwing; etc.) to determine their baseball acumen and skill. Data collected from these evaluations will be used by the Committee for the sole purpose of formulating competitively balanced house league teams.
Once our Committee has constructed the various teams, the parents of all registered Rookie Ball/Mosquito/Peewee/Bantam/Midget players will be contacted by May 2 with the name of your child’s (children’s) team; the name of their coach (along with contact information); and the date and time of their first pre season practice.
The pre-season practices will begin on Saturday, May 4 and go until Thursday, May 16. During this period of Spring Training, the Committee is hoping that each team will be able to schedule three practices for each team, although we realize that not every player will be able to attend all of the practices. The pre-season practice schedule will be posted on the website and sent to all parents by May 3.
The Regular Season Schedule for teams in our Rookie Ball/Mosquito/Peewee/Bantam/Midget will be posted on the website and sent to all parents by May 13.
The 2013 TP House League Baseball Regular Season will commence immediately after the Victoria Day long weekend. Here are the Opening Days dates for each age category:
- ROOKIE BALL (2004-2005) > Wednesday, May 22
- MOSQUITO (2002-2003) > Thursday, May 23
- PEEWEE (2000-2001) > Monday, May 27
- BANTAM (1998-1999) > To Be Determined
- MIDGET (1995-1997) > To Be Determined
UNIFORM DISTRIBUTION
Information about our Uniform Distribution will be posted on the website and sent to all parents before the end of April. The Committee is tentatively planning to distribute uniforms on May 2, 3 and 4. Players will be issued a TP Baseball cap and team jersey on that date.
Please note that ALL players in our Mosquito/Peewee/Bantam/Midget age categories will be size measured for their pants on the scheduled uniform distribution days. These players will receive their pants before the start of the regular season.
During the uniform distribution process, ALL players will be issued a commemorative iron on patch celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Amateur Baseball in the City of Toronto. The Committee kindly asks parents to affix the patch on their child’s baseball jersey either at home or by using the supplied iron and ironing board that we will have on hand during the uniform distribution.
WEATHER OR NOT
Since baseball is an outdoor sport that is contingent upon the whims of Mother Nature, we kindly ask ALL Parents and Players to check our Hotline, Website and Twitter feed on days of questionable weather to obtain updated information on the status of their practice or game.
The TP Baseball Committee will post updates at least 1 to 1½ hours before the scheduled start time of your practice or game. You can access this information using our:
- HOTLINE > (416) 392-1914 [Press ‘4’ for weather information]
- WEBSITE > www.tpbaseball.ca
- TWITTER > @TPbaseballnews (using your cellphone/internet/or in the sidebar of our website)
Your support of TP House League Baseball is a testament to not only the wonderful baseball program that we offer, but also to the community that we serve.
We look forward to seeing you down at diamonds at Christie Pits and Bickford Park this season.
If you have any additional questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at tpbaseball@gmail.com.