Paddy’s Update

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
  • 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.
  • 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”.
  • John F will soon be making his way around the league with his spirit-catcher to capture your 2026 team photos.
  • Lorne is already talking with us about survey questions to pose for your feedback at the end of our season.
  • 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

Ottawa Titans Baseball

Hello 60+ Slo-pitch players
If you enjoyed the group outing at the Ottawa Titans baseball game last season we plan to hold another one this July.  The tentative date is Thursday July 9.  The plan is to rent a double-suite that accommodates 40 people.  The price will be about $25 per ticket.  That does not include food and beverage, which can be purchased separately.

 

The suites provide a better view of the game, than the gallery we rented last year, plus we will be less spread out and better able to hear the game announcer.

 

In order to secure this double suite, we need to determine by this Wednesday the number of people committed to attending.  If you are 100% sure you would like to attend, please reply to our VP Social by Wednesday June 10 at vpsocial.ottawa60plusslopitch@gmail.com.   Once we have attained enough “committed” replies, we will invite you to send an e-transfer to our Treasurer.
Chris Fraser, VP Social Ottawa 60+ Slo-Pitch League

Opening Breakfast – April 28

Hello Slo-pitch Players
Our annual 2026 Opening Breakfast will take place once again at the Royal Oak Centerpointe in Nepean on Tuesday April 28 at 10:00 am.  The cost of the breakfast will be $20.00 which included all costs and gratuities.
RSVP by Thursday 23 April 2026
Please register as soon as possible so we can inform the restaurant of our expected numbers.  The League will be paying the Royal Oak based on your registration.   Please send your RSVP to Chris Fraser our VP Social at: vpsocial.ottawa60plusslopitch@gmail.com
PAYMENT
Also, as you register, you can send an e-transfer payment of $20.00 to our Treasurer at treasurer.ottawa60plusslopitch@gmail.com
Payment will also be accepted at the door, but make sure you register by email before attending.  We would like to have all breakfast registrations received by Thursday April 23.
This year, we will be presenting our 2025 and 2026 Budgets and some new rule changes.   We will be recognizing former Executive Members.  We will also have a new Trophy presentation and Captains will be able to pick-up their uniforms.
Thank you.
Chris Fraser
VP Social, Ottawa 60+ League

Bob Tripp Pitching Trophy

Strategy. Our Recreational League is unique because our own Pitchers pitch to our own Team. Our Pitchers, before our batters, are really the key to team success and we want to generate “More New Pitchers”. We hope this new Award will stimulate more interest from more players to try pitching; which will speed our games.

Anyone can Win. This Trophy can be won without using a bat, and without using a glove. With our new pitching screens, it is very safe for anyone who wants to pitch no matter how muscle bound or fast or old you are (or not). If you want to try, why not go to batting practice and try throwing.

More Fun for our Pitchers. In 2026, our teams’ Pitchers will be able to keep an eye on Ron’s weekly statistics on our website and track who is in the running to take home the hardware.

Honouring Bob. This past winter, there was an outpouring of respect for Bob Tripp who was a long-time Pitcher and Captain and friend. Your Executive felt it only appropriate to name the new trophy for Bob. The trophy was donated at no cost to the League. Our newest Bob Tripp Award will be featured at the Opening Breakfast on Tuesday 28 April 2026 at the Royal Oak.

How to Join as a Spare or Scorekeeper:

We ask all participants to register. This includes spare players and scorekeepers.
Download the Registration Form HERE
The Registration form is a fill-able PDF format allowing you to directly enter the information. Fill in the required information and save the Registration Form on your computer with a new name. Then attach the new file by email to: ottawa60plusslopitch@gmail.com
There is no fee for spares or scorekeepers.
Prior to playing please familiarize yourself with the rules for our League and the Player Code of Conduct and the Handbook.
At your first game, Captains will ask all Participants to sign the League Waiver.
You can preview the Waiver Form HERE
Be sure to check the NEWS page for current happenings in the League.

Bowling Event

Hello fellow ballplayers.  Since it was a successful event last spring, we’ve decided to organize another 5 pin bowling event for league players and friends.  The date is Tuesday March 10, 11:00 am at Merivale lanes, 1916 Merivale Rd in Nepean.
If you are interested, please send a message to vpsocial.ottawa60plusslopitch@gmail.com and I will put you on the attendees list.  The cost for bowling is $19.48 for two games.  That includes shoe rental.  If you have your own bowling shoes, that cost is reduced by $3.50.  Your fees can be paid at the bowling centre in cash.  For more information on the Merivale Bowling Lanes see their website at : https://merivalebowlingcentre.com/
Please confirm your attendance by Sunday March 1 so we can inform the facility of the number of lanes required.  Friends, spouses and family members are welcome to attend.  After the confirmations are received, I will create an email list of attendees to keep you informed of any changes or updates.
Chris Fraser, V.P. Social Events
Ottawa 60 plus Slo-Pitch
vpsocial.ottawa60plusslopitch@gmail.com

2026 Season Invitation to Returning Players

2026 Season Invitation to Returning Players and 2025 Spares, Scorekeepers, and inquirers.

Hello League Players:

Registration is open now and ends March 6, 2026. Please make payment by the March deadline. We can only register you once payment has been received.

New for 2026: We are introducing tracking of players requiring a pinch runner for the season.

A 2026 Introductory Message from the League’s new President is at the Bottom of this Registration Email.

New registrants are required to download the registration form from our League website.

Returnees registration process will consist of only email communications. It is very important that you respond to this email by March 6, 2026 if you are planning to return and if so, if you want to remain full time or part time players. If you don’t reply, we will assume that you will not be returning. If you are returning as a full-time player, please be sure that you can play at least 2/3 of the season. If not, then please consider joining as a part time player.

In your email response please include:

  • how you will pay the registration fee – by internet e-transfer or by cheque.
    Get 2026 Directions for Fee Payment HERE
  • any changes to last year’s registration which could include address and phone number changes, changes in your health condition that you think our future team captain should be aware of
  • any change to your CPR training status if you indicated as such last year,
  • any changes related to your emergency contact (name, address, phone number). If you are not sure if there are changes, include the information anyway.
  • Whether you wish to register as needing a pinch-runner for the season.

If you wish, you can indicate if you want to be matched up with another player such as scorekeepers, spouses/partners and nearby neighbours and if you have a preferred position in the field that is different from last year.

Please email your response to ottawa60plusslopitch@gmail.com.

NOTE: The actual number of teams will depend on the number of paid registrants. We are hoping to stay at 12 teams this year which appears to be feasible based on the number of players we had in 2025 and the number of additional part-time players who would have liked to play full time. So, it is important to reply to this invitation by March 6.

Signed waiver forms will still be required but this will be accomplished at the ball diamond when you come to the first game.

ROOKIE PRESIDENT’S 2026 WELCOME

My name is Paddy, and I’m a Rookie.

I am very honoured to follow Peter Atkinson and assist your dedicated Executive for our 2026 season.  In my six playing years, I have watched Steve, then Robin, and now Peter demonstrate the traditions, respect and strong sense of community which our League was founded upon in 1992 back at Carlington Park.  We are truly lucky to have had Peter’s leadership as VP Operations and more recently as our President.  We are also lucky that each one of us, as Players, keeps these same values of social community and respect forefront as we play recreational softball, for fun.

New to the League?  If you are one of our newer Players, Ottawa Seniors have a deluxe menu of three Affiliated Softball Leagues to choose.  The 60 plus Thursday Men’s League is by name the most Competitive play.  The 50 plus co-ed Monday League has some harder hit balls and quicker play with opposing pitchers.  Our League however is unique because we pitch to ourselves, our amazing Captains take great effort to try to balance our teams equally, and we play for everyone’s enjoyment and success, not necessarily to win-win-win.  Despite having played in all 3 Leagues like many of us, I still call myself a Rookie because I am still figuring-out recreational play.  Find the right match, or two, for you.  For myself, I continue to play while supressing my inner-Rookie.

If you are one of our older players, I have a special message for you as we approach 2026 and your decision maybe to play.   We all share, like it or not, that our love for softball may someday come to a decision whether to hang up our cleats.  Please don’t make the mistake of putting your glove away, too soon.  Our League is more exciting because every pop-up or fly-ball is truly meant to be an adventure.  If you find yourself sometimes forgetting how many outs, or need a washroom break mid-game, would rather sit than run all the bases, or you maybe don’t see the ball as well…you are “our kind of recreational player”.   If you leave your League too soon, you could affect our great social fabric which we rely upon as a community of recreational players, and which you have personally helped to build.   We tend to forget that losing a long-time Veteran Player we have all come to know as a constant, is losing a bit of our League.  If you still want to enjoy softball for fun, our Captains and our League needs you.

Non-Playing Fun.  Alternatively, your League has great opportunities for Volunteer Umpires, Scorekeepers, maybe non-playing Captains who really get what recreational play is, OR even help as a member of your Executive.  If you want to still be part of our League, we will find a safe spot for you where you can continue to let your long-time fellow team-mates enjoy and maintain their friendship with you.  Friends and a fun-based softball community keep us healthy and vital.

In closing, thanks in-advance to our Registrar John Parry who will be handling our applications along with Maureen our Treasurer, for their front-end work for 2026.  Continued thanks to Ron for making all this information constantly available to ourselves and the world-wide-web.

Chris tells us to mark our calendars as our Opening Breakfast will be on Tuesday 28 April 2026.

Malcolm has been amazing to get operations ready so we can begin play on Tuesday 5 May 2026.

See you soon,
Paddy
president.ottawa60plusslopitch@gmail.com\

President’s Outgoing Message

After four plus years on the league executive and the last as president, I am stepping down, effective February 1, 2026. I would like to offer a few thoughts before I depart.

I first joined the 60+ SLO-pitch community as a spare during the late spring of 2017. My very first game, I learned, the hard way, a fundamental principle of our league. My first at bat, I stretched a single into a double by sliding into second base. Although I made it to the bag ahead of the throw in from the outfield, the umpire called me out. Much to my chagrin, I learned that sliding was not permitted, in order to prevent collisions between players on the bases. The lesson learned was that player safety came first in this league and trumped competitiveness.

Later that year, I was assigned to the team, KS on The Keys, which ended up finishing 2nd overall in the regular season. Ron Bellman, our team captain, was presented with the Bern White Trophy. Bern White was a co-founder of the 60+ SLO-pitch league. The trophy name taught me a second principle of our league: It valued its traditions and was built on the solid foundation established by its original players.

Incidentally, I had a family connection to Bern White. He was a lifelong close friend of my dad’s and the godfather of my younger sister. I always called him Uncle Bern.

Bern White and I at West Palm Beach, Florida for Montreal Expos spring training,
March, circa 1990

In 2019, my team, Carleton Tavern, were playoff champions despite finishing somewhere in the middle of the pack during the regular season. A third lesson was learned from that unlikely championship: Team balance, accomplished through the conscientious work of the league’s executive and captains, was a league ideal.


2019 Lorenzo Trophy Winners – Carleton Tavern

You might think that winning that championship six years ago was the hi-light of my nine-year career with our league, but you’d be wrong. My most memorable moments were meeting new players for the first time (some of whom I now number among my closest friends) and watching players accomplish feats that they once only dreamed of achieving, such as hitting their first homerun or making a spectacular catch.
I hope to continue playing in our league for many years to come and being a part of this wonderful community. However, the time is ripe for me to pass the baton of leadership to a new president, Paddy Bryden. I know that our league will be in good hands under his leadership and that of our other terrific executive members – Malcolm Bruce, Chris Fraser, Maureen Feagan, and John Parry.

I hope the well-established principles of our league continue to guide our executive in its decisions and provide direction for our captains and all players
Here’s wishing everyone good health, happiness, and years of active fun on the diamonds!

Rules Committee Meeting

Hello to All 60+ Slo-Pitch League Players:

During the second week of February, 2026 a Rules Committee meeting will be held for all those interested in serving on the Committee to review league rules.

If you are interested in participating, please reply by Friday January 23, 2026 to Operations V-P, Malcolm Bruce  malcolmrbruce@gmail.com  and further information will be supplied regarding the meeting.