Toronto Playgrounds Baseball TP Baseball

SELECT > Rookie Ball Select Tryout on April 26

MANDATORY OUTDOOR ROOKIE BALL SELECT TEAM SESSION TO BE HELD AT CHRISTIE PITS DIAMOND # 3

The Toronto Playgrounds Baseball Committee has announced that a Rookie Ball Select Team Tryout is scheduled for Thursday, April 26 at Christie Pits diamond # 3 (the smaller one beside the outdoor pool) from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. 

Anyone who is interested in being considered for the team MUST attend the tryout or, if that's not possible, please contact Rookie Ball Select Coach Bill Evans at wianevans@gmail.com or at 416-436-2196.

TP House League Baseball Umpire Clinic on May 5

UMPIRING CLINIC IS OPEN TO ALL INTERESTED REGISTRANTS WHO WERE BORN IN 1998 OR EARLIER

Toronto Playgrounds House League Baseball will be hosting an umpire clinic on Saturday, May 5.

This umpiring clinic for Levels 1 and 2 is open to all interested registrants in our TP Baseball program who were born in 1998 or earlier.

Here is the information for the umpiring clinic:

Date: Saturday, May 5, 2012
8:30 a.m.:  Registration
9:00 a.m.: Clinic Start
4:00 p.m.: Clinic Ends (latest time)

Location:  Alex Duff Building (attached to the outdoor pool in Christie Pits Park) at 779 Crawford Street.

Level/Fee:
Level 1: $25.00
Level 2: $45.00 (you need to do 2 years of Level 1 before you can move up)

If you would like to umpire for TP Baseball this summer, you must attend this (or any OBA) clinic. However, you have to register for the clinic on your own through the Baseball Ontario website (www.baseballontario.com). For the step-by-step instructions on how to register for a clinic, follow the link below:

http://www.baseballontario.com/Umpires/filestore/htmleditattachedfiles/How%20to%20Register%20for%20an%20OBA%20approved%20Umpire%20Clinic%20V2_02010-02-24T12-54-02v001_by_292.pdf

The instructions provided by the link are quite clear. Once you have followed them,  Jason Lee (our TP Baseball Umpiring Coordinator) will receive a notice that you have requested to attend our clinic, and he'll be able to approve you for a spot at our umpiring clinic.

If you are interested in umpiring, it would be a very good idea to register as soon as possible, because we are sure that there will be lots of people from outside our league wanting to register in the clinic as well. So, if you want to take the clinic, follow the link today and get registered now.

If you have difficulty following the link and cannot figure out how to request a spot, please let us know at tpbaseball@gmail.com .

SELECT > Bantam Tryout & Workout on April 22

SUNDAY'S BANTAM SELECT INDOOR WORKOUT WILL TAKE PLACE AT THE MARY McCORMICK RC

The TP Baseball Committee has announced that the seventh Bantam Select Team indoor tryout & workout will take place on Sunday, April 22 at the Mary McCormick Recreation Centre (66 Sheridan Avenue - one block west of Dufferin and three blocks south of Dundas Street West) from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The Bantam Select Team is for players who were born in 1997 and 1998.

Players are advised to arrive 10 minutes prior to the start time of their tryout session. Only players who are registered for the 2012 Toronto Playgrounds House League season will be able to participate in the sessions.

At this point in the Select Tryout process it is becoming extremely important for all interested players to be in attendance so they can fully participate in the workout sessions. Our Select Coaches will obviously have to choose teams based upon players that have been at most of the tryouts. If players haven't been out to many sessions, they can't expect to be on the team.

In our sidebar, there is a Select Page that you can access if you need additional information regarding our TP Select Team program.

If you have any additional queries or are interested in trying out for the Bantam Select Team, but are unable to attend, please let us know at tpbaseball@gmail.com .

House League Player Evaluation Schedule for April 28-29 at Christie Pits Park

THE TP BASEBALL COMMITTEE HAS RELEASED THE EVALUATION SESSION TIMETABLE FOR PLAYERS IN OUR ROOKIE BALL, MOSQUITO AND PEEWEE DIVISIONS

The TP Baseball Committee has released the schedule for the Rookie Ball, Mosquito, and Peewee Player Evaluation Sessions that are set to take place on April 28 and 29 at Christie Pits Park. 

As it is much better for evaluation purposes for the groups to be as close as possible to the same size, we are asking you to please attend the session at the time indicated below, if possible.

As you will see, Saturday is the main day for the evaluations, and Sunday will be held open for people unable to attend any of the Saturday sessions. Additionally, Sunday also acts as a fall back date just in case the Saturday sessions are cancelled by rain. 

If you absolutely can't make the time indicated on Saturday but could come for one of the other Saturday sessions, please do so. You don't have to let us know that you're planning on doing that. However, please let us know by return e-mail at tpbaseball@gmail.com if you're planning on coming Sunday or if you can't make it on either Saturday or Sunday.

ALL players attending the evaluations will need to bring their glove and wear the shoes they will be playing in during the season.

ALL players should meet on the field at Christie Pits between Diamonds 2 and 3 (beside the Alex Duff Outdoor Pool Building) a few minutes before the start time for their scheduled evaluation session.

Here is the Player Evaluation Schedule:

Rookie Ball (2004-2003)

Saturday, April 28
Players whose last name starts with A to F: 12:15 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Players whose last name starts with G to M: 1:00 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.
Players whose last name starts with N to Z: 1:45 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Sunday, April 29
Any players unable to attend Saturday: 10:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.

Mosquito (2002-2001)

Saturday, April 28
Players whose last name starts with A to G: 8:30 a.m. to 9:15 a.m.
Players whose last name starts with H to M: 9:15 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Players whose last name starts with N to Z: 10:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.

Sunday, April 29
Any players unable to attend Saturday: 9:00 a.m. to 9:45 a.m.

Peewee (2000-1999)

Saturday, April 28
Players whose last name starts with A to M: 10:45 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Players whose last name starts with N to Z: 11:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Sunday, April 29
Any players unable to attend Saturday: 9:45 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

In the event of inclement weather on the scheduled dates of the evaluation sessions, Parents and Players are advised to check Twitter @TPbaseballnews, the website (www.tpbaseball.ca) or the TP Hotline (416-392-1914) for a weather update concerning their scheduled session. 

2012 Toronto Maple Leafs Baseball Camp

THE INTERCOUNTY BASEBALL TEAM WILL BE HOLDING A SERIES OF WEEKLY CAMPS STARTING IN JULY

The Toronto Maple Leafs Baseball Camp is returning for another season!

The camp will cover the basic aspects of baseball including stretching, throwing, hitting, baserunning, and fielding.

The week-long camps (which begin in July) will include group instruction and stations on each fundamental part of the game taught by former professional baseball players as well as current professional Maple Leafs baseball players.

The Toronto Maple Leafs Baseball Camp will be held at Dominico Field at Christie Pits Park. The cost of the camp is $150 per player.

Camp dates are:

• July 3-6
• July 9-13
• July 16-20
• July 23-27
• July 30-August 3
• August 7-10
• August 13-17

Here are some links containing more information about the camp and the registration form:

2012 Toronto Maple Leafs Baseball Camp Brochure

2012 Toronto Maple Leafs Baseball Camp Registration Form

For additional information, please contact Damon Topolie at (416) 994-7441 or dtop77@hotmail.com .

SELECT > Outdoor Tryouts and Workouts on April 18

WEDNESDAY TRYOUTS FOR THE SELECT TEAMS IN OUR MOSQUITO & PEEWEE CLASSIFICATIONS MOVES OUTDOORS TO CHRISTIE PITS; NO ROOKIE BALL SELECT TRYOUT SESSIONS FOR THE WEEK OF APRIL 16-21

The TP Baseball Committe has announced that the Mosquito and Peewee Select Team Tryouts & Workouts will take place outside this week on Wednesday April 18.

The Mosquito Select Team tryout will be at Christie Pits Diamond # 3 (the smaller diamond beside the outdoor pool) from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

The Peewee Select Tryout will be at Christie Pits Diamond # 2 (the larger diamond north of diamond # 3) from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Additionally, there is no scheduled tryout session for our Rookie Ball Select Team this week (April 16-21). The Committee will make an announcement on the weekend concerning when the next session will be.

If you have any additional questions, please contact us at tpbaseball@gmail.com .

House League Coaches Meetings

IN ORDER TO GET READY FOR THE 2012 SEASON, A SERIES OF MEETINGS ARE BEING HELD FROM APRIL 19-24

Hello Parents

You're receiving this communique because you indicated on your child's registration form that you'd be willing and interested in helping with the coaching of your child's team. We really appreciate it...the dedication of our volunteer coaches is one of the most important features of our league. Also, we know that some of you are willing to be head coaches and some of you will help out when you're available...again, whatever commitment you can make is truly appreciated!

Here is the schedule for the coaches' meetings. You are only expected to attend one of the two meetings at Bob Abate...it will be the same meeting twice in order to allow everyone to attend at a convenient time. If you can also make it out on Saturday to the gym session for your division that would be great. We'll be running some drills and talking about ways to make practices more useful and enjoyable.

Meeting One: Thursday April 19, 2012 at the Bob Abate Centre
6:30 - 7:15: Tee Ball Coaches
7:15 - 8:00: Rookie Ball Coaches
8:00 - 8:45: Mosquito and Peewee Coaches

Practice drills and ideas session in the Bickford Centre gym: Saturday April 21, 2012
1:30 - 2:30: Tee Ball Coaches
2:30 - 3:30: Rookie Ball Coaches
3:30 - 4:30: Mosquito and Peewee Coaches

Meeting Two: Tuesday April 24, 2012 at the Bob Abate Centre
6:30 - 7:15: Tee Ball Coaches
7:15 - 8:00: Rookie Ball Coaches
8:00 - 8:45: Mosquito and Peewee Coaches

TP Coaches Information Package

I've attached some coaching information that will discussed during the meetings, so if you'd like to read through it ahead of time it would help us identify questions that people may have. Thanks again for volunteering and let me know if you have any questions. See you at the meeting!

Steve Smith
Coordinator, Toronto Playgrounds Houseleague Baseball

Batting Cleanup at Christie Pits Park

AN ENTHUSIASTIC CREW OF VOLUNTEERS STEPPED UP TO THE PLATE TO SPRING CLEAN CHRISTIE PITS PARK

Despite a continual drizzling of rain this morning, an enthusiastic crew of volunteers met at Christie Pits to partake in the annual spring cleanup of the park that was coordinated by the Friends of Christie Pits Park (FCPP).

FOCPP Chairperson Monica Gupta and family.

With garbage and recycling bags supplied by the City of Toronto in hand, eager volunteers led by FCPP Chairperson Monica Gupta combed into the vast expanse of park space to cleanup all sorts of discarded garbage ranging from cigarette butts, coffee cups, water bottles, plastic utensils, newspapers, magazines, candy wrappers, tea bags, corrugated cardboard, food containers, plastic wrap, popsicle sticks, fruit peelings, beer cans, bottle caps, shot glasses, etc.

Since Toronto Playgrounds Baseball is a very active participant in the use of Christie Pits Park for its baseball program, the TP Baseball Committee has always had an affinity to support the efforts of volunteer organizations like the FCPP that make it a priority to preserve and promote the use of the Christie Pits for the entire community that surrounds it.

At the end of the morning, it was safe to say that Christie Pits Park was even more beautiful after the cleanup effort.

Many thanks especially to all the volunteers who took the time come down to help out with the cleanup. And the TP Baseball Committee wishes to thank Monica and the FCPP for organizing initiatives like this that make our community the gem that it is.

Christie Pits Park Spring Cleanup Day on April 15

JOIN US AND THE FRIENDS OF CHRISTIE PITS PARK FOR SOME SUNDAY MORNING SPRING CLEANING

We can begin by doing small things at the local level, like planting community gardens or looking out for our neighbours. That is how change takes place in living systems, not from above but from within, from many local actions occurring simultaneously. -- Grace Lee Boggs

The Toronto Playgrounds Baseball Committee has always believed that the public parks and spaces in our beloved neighbourhoods are a reflection of the community itself.

In that vein, we would like to encourage the members of of our TP Baseball Family to join us and the Friends of Christie Pits Park on the morning of Sunday, April 15 at 10 a.m. in the annual Spring Cleaning of Christie Pits Park.

Interested volunteers are asked to meet around the wading pool in the central area of Christie Pits. We would advise people to bring gloves and barbeque tongs (since they help with picking up the "icky" things). We will have garbage bags (supplied by the City of Toronto) on hand and some latex gloves.

The spring cleanup will take place rain or shine.

We look forward to seeing you there.

SELECT > Time Change for Rookie Ball Select Team Tryout & Workout on April 14

THE START TIME OF SATURDAY'S INDOOR ROOKIE BALL SELECT TRYOUT HAS BEEN MOVED TO 2:30 P.M.

The TP Baseball Committee has announced a time change for the Rookie Ball Select Team Tryout scheduled for Saturday, April 14 at the Bickford Centre.

The start time of Saturday's Rookie Ball Select Tryout session has been moved back one hour, and will run from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The TP Baseball Committee sincerely apologizes for any inconvenience resulting from this scheduling change.

This Saturday's Rookie Ball Select Tryouts will take place in the gym at the BICKFORD CENTRE (777 Bloor St. West), and not at the Mary McCormick RC. The Bickford Gym can be accessed through the north doors of the Breezeway (the area below the main building frequented by skateboarders) or through the doors off the parking lot behind Bob Abate.

At this point in the Select Tryout process it is becoming extremely important for all interested players to be in attendance so they can fully participate in the workout sessions. Our Select Coaches will obviously have to choose teams based upon players that have been at most of the tryouts. If players haven't been out to many sessions, they can't expect to be on the team.

Players must be registered in our House League baseball program in order to take part in these Select tryout sessions. Players and Parents attending the sessions are advised to arrive 15 minutes prior to the start time of their tryout session.

In our sidebar, there is a Select Page that you can access if you need additional information regarding our TP Select Team program.

If you're interested in playing Select or if you are unable to attend the sessions, please contact us at tpbaseball@gmail.com .