Posts in Sandlots
Langdon: Villeneuve runs Patriots, saves a Legion

Paul Villeneuve had an innovative idea to provide indoor winter training for his Ottawa Patriots youth players. His plan would also save the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 627 in Greely, Ont. from permanently closing during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic. But it soon turned out that it was Villeneuve (Ottawa, Ont.) who needed to be saved. Canadian Baseball Network contributor Scott Langdon shares Villeneuve’s story.

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SandlotsBob Elliott
Rawlings Perfect Game All-Region team, led by five Great Lake Canadians

Outfielder Matt Evans (Tillsonburg, Ont.) led a quintet of Great Lake Canadians named to the Rawlings/Perfect Game Preseason Canada/Puerto Rico Region all high school senior first team. The Rawlings-Perfect Game Preseason All-Region selections comprise players from nine regions around North America. Canada and Puerto Rico are in the same group and Great Lake -- run by Adam Stern, Chris Robinson and Jamie Romak -- had five first team selections.

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McFarland: Umpire shortage a concern in Alberta

“An age-old question in the world of officiating is facing a new twist: how do you recruit and retain talented people coming out of a global pandemic?

It’s often a thankless job that has come under enormous scrutiny in the face of instant replay and cellphone video, but COVID-19 also opened up the eyes of potential umpires and referees to other ways to spend their summers.

Organizations like Baseball Alberta have been left holding the bag, scrambling to find enough people to service each game.”

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