St. Marys – After and extensive review of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame's inaugural year of operating a pair of elite teams, several positive changes have been implemented to make the next year even better for all of the partners involved, beginning with the players.
"Despite the fact that we were able to hit the ground running thanks to the transfer of the two franchises from Welland, we still experienced some growing pains," noted president & CEO Tom Valcke.
"However, our hands were on the pulse throughout our participation in the Premier Baseball League of Ontario (PBLO) as well as with the National Amateur Baseball Federation (NABF), and adding in the quality feedback from our coaches, players and parents, we are confident that our 2006 program is going to be delivered in a manner consistent with the high standards already in place with all of the other branches of the Hall of Fame."
Included in the targeted changes are:
• An aggressive recruitment/retention strategy to raise the quality of the individual and team performance
• The acquisition of an indoor training facility
• Mandatory mid-week in-season practices at a central location accessible to all players
• Additional quality coaches to supplement the staffs in place and assist with the year-round training program
• Explicit and firmly-defined player contracts that cover all details throughout the year
• Team bus travel to all events more than six hours away
• Players rooming together on all road trips (family/friends in separate rooms)
• A website exclusively dedicated to the program
• Up-to-date statistics readily available to college coaches and scouts
• Pre-season and post-season scouting assessments of each player by professional qualified scouts
• A minimum of five tournaments/showcases for each team, and much more advance notice to all parties involved regarding the entire schedule, particularly the road trips to the USA. The teams are booked to return to South Carolina to close out the Fall schedule, and have a minimum of three trips slated for south of the border in the Spring and Summer of 2006.
Following an impressive showing in 2005, the highly energized team of Shawn Lynn and Francis Cubos will return to coach the Under-18 squad. Lynn, who was drafted by both the Toronto Blue Jays and San Diego Padres, is an ex-pitcher and slugger who attended Oklahoma's Seminole State College. Cubos, a catcher who developed in the North York and Team Toronto programs, attended Lake Michigan College. The pair just finished coaching at the Baseball Ontario Youth Team tryouts.
"Lynn and Cubos are knowledgeable, positive reinforcers who have an excellent repore with the players and are able to motivate them and train them as individuals," said Valcke.
"They aren't like so many cookie-cutter type coaches out there today. They see what the player brings to the table, and go about optimizing those skills and maximizing their productivity. They are dedicated and driven, they expect the same attitude from their players, and they don't hesitate to let a player know when he's not giving everything he's got."
Bill Wilkinson will move into the field manager's position for the Under-16 team, which will allow Mick Kozlowski to float between the teams as a roving instructor and special needs consultant. Wilkinson is a baseball journeyman who has coached in every age category from Bantam to Senior Intercounty League. In the year he was chosen as the All-Star Intercounty Manager while coaching the St. Thomas Elgins, he was also a guest coach with the Canadian National Team. His range of baseball activities branches out to umpiring, coaching ladies fastball, coaching in the Ontario Summer Games, conducting provincially-sponsored indoor baseball clinics, bringing a Canadian team to Cuba to share training techniques, and even ownership. He was the majority owner of the London Tigers baseball franchise, the Double-A farm club of the Detroit Tigers, when they won the Eastern League Championship and set an attendance record.
"Wilkinson brings a lifetime of experience to the younger squad and will coach a player into the night if the kid's desire and passion is there," said Valcke.
"He is a perfect fit for the Under-16 team since our objective at that level is to develop players both inside the lines as athletes, and outside the lines in the many facets of life facing young teenagers. He'll teach them to respect the game, and play it the way it was meant to be played. He is a father figure who simply wants to give back to the game that provided him with many wonderful opportunities and unforgettable moments."
Tryouts for the teams begin on Saturday, August 20th and Sunday, August 21st, beginning at 12:00 noon. All practices take place on the St. Marys Cement Company Field at the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum in St. Marys.
Players will pay a one-time twenty dollar tryout fee and can register at the beginning of any workout. The fee will cover as many of the six practices as the player is able to attend.
The remaining tryout dates are Sunday, August 28th (12:00 noon), Wednesday, August 31st (6:30pm), Saturday, September 10 (12:00 noon), and Sunday, September 11 (12:00 noon).
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