The Royal Canadian Baseball Association - R.C.B.A.
New Teams and Players Wanted!
Contact Paul Verkuyl in the commissioner's office for more info.
The league was originally started by a bunch of people who regularly got together for some pickup softball in the downtown Toronto area circa 1975. It quickly grew, and permanent teams were established so that by the early 80's it had grown to its present format of 8 teams, and firmly established its identity with a formal championship and consolation trophy. The name of the league was borrowed from an associates squash league and rumour has it that royal consent was granted for the use of the name by some person of dubious royal heritage.
The philosophy of the league has always been to have fun, and the weekly get together after the games is one of the main attractions. We are a co-ed league and we play 3 pitch softball. The team at bat supplies its own pitcher, and each batter gets a maximum of 3 pitches regardless of outcome. It's a lively game with lots of offense and many opportunities for prolific hitting and dazzling defensive plays.
Everyone makes the playoffs with a 1-8, 2-7, 3-6, 4-5 format for the first round of playoffs. There is a championship round pitting those winners of the first round in a semifinal round then a final game. There is also a consolation round for the losers of the first round playoff games. The league champion and the consolation winners receive their trophies and props at a star studded gala affair following the championship game.
The championship trophy which can be seen below is rumoured to have strong reproductive powers. So much so that whichever team wins is guaranteed to have some member produce a child in the following year. Great personal care needs to be taken when handling the trophy by the winning team.
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2004 Royal Canadian Baseball Association Member Teams
- Allsorts - 2004 Champions
- Burning Sensation
- Gorillas
- Originals
- RE Sports
- Sultans
- Thunderdawgs
- Toronto Athletic Club
RCBA Champions
- 2004 - Allsorts
- 2003 - Originals
- 2002 - Allsorts
- 2001 - Thunderdawgs
- 2000 - Thunderdawgs
- 1999 -
- 1998 -
- 1997 -
- 1996 - Sultans
- 1995 - Copy Shop
- 1994 - Terry Howard
- 1993 - Terry Howard
- 1992 - Squash Academy
- 1991 - International Top Models
- 1990 - Sultans
- 1989 - Squash Academy
- 1988 -
- 1987 -
- 1986 - International Top Models
- 1985 - International Top Models
- 1984 - Squash Academy
- 1983 - Sultans
- 1982 - International Top Models
- 1981 - Odds & Ends
- 1980 - Copy Shop
RCBA Consolation Champions
- 2004 - Sultans
- 2003 - RE Sports
Unfortunately the record for this category was left in a Toronto taxicab sometime in 2002 so all previous winners have been lost. If you are ever in a cab and you see a trophy on the dashboard, or just sitting there on the seat, see if it's ours.
Here's the new trophy as of 2004.
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The Wally Stefoff Spirit Award
- 2004 - Ezio Melaragno
- 2003 - Jim Longo
- 2002 - Tina Mitchell
- Alice Whitenect
This award for sportsmanship and league spirit has been in existence since about 1990. But unfortunately it was left in a Toronto taxicab by accident and lost in 2002. The award was replaced but the previous winners are lost.
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If you have knowledge of past winners please email me any information.
The RCBA Hall of Fame
This honor has been bestowed periodically on people who have notably played in the league for many, many years. Kind of like a 25-year watch.
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If you have knowledge of past winners please email me any information.
RCBA Commissioners
Here are some of the people that do the work that has kept this great league going for nearly 30 years now. Give 'em a big hand.
- 2004 - - Paul "Rocket" Verkuyl
- 2002 - 2003 - Rob McKelvey
- 1997 - 2001 - Jerry Jordan
- 1975 - 1996 - I need some help here, please email me any information.
Previous RCBA Member Teams
Some teams change names, some morph into others, and some just plain disappear. Here's some names from the past.
- CFL Offices
- Copy Shop
- Morgan Earl Sounds
- Sheriffs
- Odds & Ends
- Sultans of Swing
- International Top Models (I.T.M.)
- Terry Howard Productions
- Squash Academy
- Hot House
- Beasties
Previous RCBA Parks
Over the years there have been many famous and not so famous places that we have played.
- Rosedale Park - home of the first Grey Cup game in 1909, it is also famous as the starting point of the our league. We are waiting for our plaque to be placed there also.
- Pricefield - behind the Summerhill LCBO and next to the Toronto Lawn and Tennis Club. More rules than we could mention here, but most notable were the tree in right field and the tennis courts just over the short right field fence (ouch!). Now just remnants are left as a parkette surrounded by condominiums.
- Jesse Ketchum School - located in the middle of Yorkville. Another small park, but beggars can't be choosers.
- Havergal College - expensive field at expensive all-Girl's school that we rented for a year or two.
- Felstead Park - Greenwood and Danforth, watch out for the soccer players in center field.
- Ramsden Park - right on Yonge Street, with a very short left field, and more tennis courts in right.
- There was a nice park at Wanless - only one problem there, the city issued a simultaneous permit to an Ultimate league. They won.
- There was the field at Kent Sr. Public School right behind the corner of Dufferin and Bloor.
- I also have heard historical references to a schoolyard at the Duke of Connaught that we used a few times in the mid to late 1980's when we were unceremoniously kicked out of one of our other haunts.
Previous RCBA Bars
Currently getting together after games at the Keating Channel Pub, there have been many other notable and sometimes notorious places we have frequented after our games on Wednesday evenings. Among them are . . .
- The Pilot Tavern in Yorkville, comes and goes as a league meeting place, and who knows it may someday again. It seems to be the only place that has stayed in business all these years, in fact it's been there since 1944.
- Panama Joe's - on the Danforth. Home for much of the nineties, until numerous LLBO violations closed them down. Huge place with outdoor patio, backwards TV where players ran to third base from home, pool tables, video games, and one nasty waiter.
- Paupers Pub - a rooftop patio on Bloor Street West
- Wheels - Church Street just south of Carlton, formerly a gas station, currently a parking lot. We spent a season or two there in the early 80's. Upon showing up the following year, we were told that our business was no longer wanted. Wonder why they closed?
- St. Louis Bar and Grill - south of Yonge and Eglinton. Although the sign claims they are known for their wings, to me they will always be best remembered for Sunny the waitress.
- The Hogtown Diner - on Front Street just east of the St Lawrence Market.
- In Cabbagetown we used to go to a place on Parliament Street called the Rose Cafe. They had a big outdoor patio on the south side of the building that was our home for a year or two.
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