Hello Fellow 60+ Players!
Wow, one third of our Regular Season is already in the books (6 games). On behalf of your Executive, I’d like to thank all our Players and Captains for the great start to play for 2026!
While the early season had some cold and wind, we certainly have dodged the rain! To everyone like me who have missed ground balls, thrown a ball far off the mark, or dropped a pop-up…a very special thank you for the excitement and joy you’ve brought to your opposing players. Recreational softball is really about getting together with your friends and having FUN!
Team Balancing. Yep, despite our best efforts and lots of focus from everyone, there are 2-3 teams with not enough JOY and 2-3 teams with way too much EXCITEMENT. Geez. Congratulations to KS on the Keys and the cupcakes from Pontiac Bakery for their great pitching and leading your Divisions at this stage in the season. In fact, their Pitchers are tied with 82 runs for the Bob Tripp Trophy. Also, congrats to Steve Kelly’s CMB Canadians and Gerry Brennan’s KS for being undefeated. We’ve had some brand-new non-evaluated players, with better than anticipated skills, influence some teams’ balancing. And, there is something to be said about just plain ‘ole team dynamics that can boost performance. Malcolm is in communication with your Captains to get feedback and he is still evaluating options.
Leading-off. This rule to try to tame competitive running on the bases, like any change, is understandably having some mixed reviews…while many people have told me that they like it, boy-o-boy, people like me who have been slow to adapt and called ‘out’ have a few grumbles. Rest assured, that Lorne will ask us all about this change in our end of season survey. Your feedback, as always, is most important.
Please Support our Sponsors. A big thanks to everyone who came to our Sponsor support events at Hometown Grill. We had good showings with a great opportunity in the shade on the patio to catch-up with friends and former team-mates. Our Sponsor was very pleased to see us, and this helps retain their support.
REMINDER: Carlington Park Diamonds/Chances R Restaurant. Just a reminder that on the 23rd of June, we are all going to be playing our Tuesday games at Carlington Park. Our next Sponsor event will follow those games at Chances R Restaurant. Please join us to show your support. There is lots of parking in the shopping mall, at this long-time and devoted supporter. John P will sending us some more instructions on other adjustments we need to make to the RA’ major events that are using the diamonds and the parking lots.
Canada Day Break. After our Tuesday at Carlington Park, we will be having a short break due to the RA centre sponsoring major outdoor events using their ball diamonds/parking. We will catch up with two games back at the RA on the 7th and 8th of July. Part of our decision making is that a Tuesday at the RA fields costs us $314 but the City of Ottawa charges $524 for a Tuesday at Carlington Park. So, we are doubling up at the RA to save the league money and maintain our low registration fees.
Heat Protocol. As we enter the warmest middle of our season, we will be using a Humidex Thermometer at field level to monitor the game temperature for your safety. Our 11h00 mid-day games are likely where safety monitoring is more warranted. Please do your own personal homework around your health, whether to take a game or few innings off in the shade, and please consider hydrating with more than just water on the very hot/humid days. Our Heat Protocol is on our website and your Captains will be constantly consulted on these warmer days.
Fun with the Titans. Chris has organized another exciting event at the Ottawa Titans on 9 July 2026. If we secure enough interest, we are looking forward to seeing the game from an excellent suite. And who doesn’t like a ball park hotdog. Thanks Chris for giving us opportunities to see each other off the field.
SOME BIG THANK YOUZ
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Larkin’s weekly batting practices in Orleans have been very well attended and you can try pitching and practice fielding, too. It’s a great time to chat with players from other teams in the outfield. The time and location details are on your website.
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Louise and her gracious Umpires have covered all our games so far, and while our Umps are not formally trained, they do add that very positive element of independence to our calls/results. From what they seem to yelling at me, I seem to have acquired the nicnkame “You’re Out”.
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John F will soon be making his way around the league with his spirit-catcher to capture your 2026 team photos.
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Lorne is already talking with us about survey questions to pose for your feedback at the end of our season.
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And, at the click of your mouse or tap on your phone, you can catch-up on Ron’s excellent weekly results and newsfeed on your Ottawa 60+ Slopitch website.
THANK YOUZ to these leaders for their great volunteerism!
All the best to our Players as we enter the middle and warmest part of your Regular Season. Have fun and be safe.
Very best,
Paddy
on behalf of Chris, John, Malcolm, and Maureen
613 698 6900