UPDATED: WITH OPENING DAY ONLY 30 DAYS AWAY, HERE IS AN INFORMATION PRIMER THAT WILL BRING PARENTS AND PLAYERS UP TO SPEED ON WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS AS WE MAKE PREPARATIONS FOR THE 2014 SEASON
Updated on April 20.
The TP Baseball Committee would like to take an opportunity to welcome everyone on board for the 2014 Toronto Playgrounds House League Baseball Season.
The Committee would like to extend a special welcome to all of 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 20, 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 days:
TEE BALL (2007-2010)
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. (Parents are advised that there are no evaluation sessions for players in our Tee Ball classification.)
Tee Ball pre-season practices will start in early May and go until Thursday, May 15. 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 when it’s finalized.
Regular season games for our Tee Ball Division teams will begin on:
- TUESDAY DIVISION: Tuesday, May 20
- THURSDAY DIVISION: Thursday, May 22
- FRIDAY DIVISION: Friday, May 23
The Tee Ball Division Regular Season Schedule will be posted on the website and sent to all parents when it’s finalized in early May. During the regular season, Tee Ball games and practices will take place at either 5:30 p.m. or 6:30 p.m. Each team will play a game once a week.
All of the pre-season practices and the regular season games for our Tee Ball teams will take place at the Tee Ball diamond in the north end of Bickford Park.
Photo Day (individual & team) will take place on a Saturday in mid June. (Date, Place and Schedule will be posted when finalized.)
ROOKIE BALL / MOSQUITO / PEEWEE / BANTAM / MIDGET
Our annual House League Player Evaluations are scheduled for the weekend of April 26-27 at Christie Pits (weather permitting). Please click on the following link to access our 2014 TP BASEBALL PLAYER EVALUATION SCHEDULE.
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 1 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 spring training practices will begin during the weekend of May 3 and 4 and go until Thursday, May 15. 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 2.
The Regular Season Schedule for teams in our Rookie Ball/Mosquito/Peewee/Bantam/Midget divisions will be posted on the website and sent to all parents when it’s finalized on May 15.
The 2014 TP House League Baseball Regular Season will commence immediately after the Victoria Day long weekend. Here are the Opening Day dates for each age category:
- ROOKIE BALL (2005-2006) > WEDNESDAY DIVISION: Wednesday, May 21; MONDAY DIVISION: Monday, May 26
- MOSQUITO (2003-2004) > Thursday, May 22
- PEEWEE (2001-2002) > Monday, May 26
- BANTAM (1999-2000) > To Be Determined
- MIDGET (1996-1998) > 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 in early May. Players will be issued a TP Baseball cap and team jersey at that time.
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.
PHOTO DAY
Photo Day (individual & team) for all registered House League players will take place on a Saturday in mid June. (Date, Place and Schedule will be posted when finalized.)
PLAYER SKILL CLINICS
The TP Baseball Committee will be scheduling a series of weekend Player Skill Clinics during May and June for all interested players who are registered players in our house league baseball program. These free outdoor clinics at Christie Pits will allow qualified coaches in our organization to teach players the basic fundamentals of the game (hitting, fielding, pitching, catching, base running, etc.) that will allow them to have a more enjoyable experience on the diamond. Clinic Schedules will be posted and emailed once they have been finalized.
TORONTO BLUE JAYS CLINIC
TP Baseball is hosting a Toronto Blue Jays Instructional Clinic on Saturday, May 3 at Christie Pits for all interested players from age 8 to 14. The fee for the clinic is $45.00 per player and the instructional sessions will commence at 9:00 a.m. and run until 1:00 p.m. All registered players will also receive a free Blue Jays hat, tee shirt and baseball manual for participating in the clinic. Each clinic will be four hours in length. During the clinic, players will rotate through drills that will deal with skills such as: hitting, throwing, fielding, pitching and baserunning. Please click on the following link to access more information about the 2014 TORONTO BLUE JAYS INSTRUCTIONAL CLINIC.
SCOREKEEPING CLINIC
TP Baseball is offering any interested parents the opportunity to learn the art of scorekeeping a baseball game. Participants will attend a Sunday game involving the Intercounty Baseball League Toronto Maple Leafs at Christie Pits and be given hands on instruction on how to score a baseball game like a professional. If you’re interested in learning the scorekeeping trade, please contact us at tpbaseball@gmail.com.
HOUSE LEAGUE COACHES MEETING AND CLINIC
TP Baseball is holding meetings on April 23 and 24 at the Bob Abate Community and Recreation Centre (485 Montrose Avenue) for all of our volunteers who have signed up to coach in our House League program during the 2014 season. In addition, we are holding special coaching clinics for all interested participants on April 28 and May 1. Please click on the following link to access more information on the 2014 TP HOUSE LEAGUE COACHES MEETING & CLINIC.
UMPIRE CLINIC
Toronto Playgrounds House League Baseball will be hosting a Baseball Ontario Umpire Clinic on Saturday, May 10. This umpiring clinic for Levels 1 and 2 is open to all interested registrants in our TP Baseball program who were born in 2000 or earlier. Please click on the following link to access more information on the UMPIRE CLINIC.
2014 SEASON OPENING WEEK EVENT
To kick off our regular season in grand fashion, all registered members of our TP Baseball Family are cordially invited to attend our second annual TP House League Season Opening Week Event on Saturday, May 24 at Christie Pits. Players can partake in fielding, batting and pitching clinics. Everyone in attendance can chow down on some delicious food, snacks and drinks at our TP Baseball Barbecue Pit. In addition, Players and Parents in attendance are invited to partake in a group photo to commemorate the special event. Please click on the following link for more information concerning our 2014 TP HOUSE LEAGUE BASEBALL SEASON OPENING WEEK EVENT.
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 clicking the tweet icon at the bottom page 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 on the 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.