Commissioner’s Corner
| Highlights from the 2019 Spring Bi-Annual Board of Governors Meeting |
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| A. | The Parkland Twins presented a bid for admission into the NCABL for the 2019 season were accepted by the Board of Governors. |
| B. | The NCABL has filled one umpire mentorship position for 2019. League Office is awaiting responses from six clubs who are assisting in the recruitment of possible umpire candidates. |
| C. | The NCABL will be hosting the 2019 All-Star Game at Remax Field on Sunday, July 21st |
| D. | The Board of Governors approved the following core umpires: Winston Tuttle, Kevin Adam, Matt Beaudry, Jim Crawford, Bill Duncan, and Shane Hoetmer. |
| E. | Official Scorers will continue to receive instruction through the delivery of an annual scoring clinic. Accredited umpires who attend the annual clinic will qualify for a new honorarium implemented by League Office. |
| F. | Chuck Keller, the NCABL’s Official Scheduler over the past several years, will be vacating his position following the adoption of the 2019 regular season schedule |
| G. | The League announced that the NCABL Hall of Fame will be inducting ten new players at a special ceremony to be held in Morinville in mid-August. Two players will be chosen from each of the first five decades of the League’s existence. |
| H. | The League approved an 84 game regular season schedule for 2019 with eight participating franchises. |
| I. | The Edmonton Blackhawks will be representing the NCABL at the Western Canada Baseball Championship to be held in Stonewall, Manitoba from August 16th – 18th. |
| J. | The League Championship Semi-Final Series will be re-scheduled if necessary to accommodate League representation at the Western Canada Baseball Championship |
| K. | The League sadly bid farewell to the Sturgeon Paladins who will not be returning for the first pitch of the 2019 season after several decades of play within the NCABL. |
| Highlights from the 2018 Spring Bi-Annual Board of Governors Meeting | |
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| A. | The NCABL will continue to promote umpire development by accepting two candidates annually into its umpire mentorship program. |
| B. | The High School Outreach Program was dropped by the Board of Governors in favour of a volunteer approach to umpire recruitment. |
| C. | The NCABL will be entertaining talks with Baseball Alberta in the hope of establishing an affiliation with the provincial body |
| D. | D. An 84 game regular season home-home-and home schedule was approved for 2018. |
| E. | The NCABL is actively seeking the help of one or more volunteers who would assume specific responsibilities of their choosing in the social media sphere. |
| F. | Six core umpires were officially approved to work the NCABL this season. ! ! Congratulations to Matt Beaudry, Alex Becigneul, Jim Crawford, Shane Hoetmer, !! Winston Tuttle, and Bill Duncan. They will be assisted by a number of casual umpires who will all be assigned to duty at the annual umpire meeting on April 14th. |
| G. | The 2018 Official Scoring Clinic on April 28th in Edmonton will be incorporating a live game into its training regime for returning scorers for the first time. |
| H. | H. The 2018 All-Star Game will be played at Remax Field on Wednesday, July 25th. |
| I. | The League has sadly bid farewell to the Camrose Axemen after a ten year presence in the NCABL which included four post-season appearances and two pennants. |
| J. | The NCABL will once again utilize a three-man umpiring crew in the post-season. |
North Central Alberta Baseball League
Highlights from the 2017 Spring Board of Governors Meeting
A.Governors will be looking at giving new life to the High School Outreach Program by revisiting it in the fall. The recruitment of young athletes for the umpire mentorship program was the central purpose of this initiative.B.A comprehensive report on the 50th anniversary events was presented. Governors have been asked to provide their current player rosters to League Office along with E-mail addresses before April 1. The League will then automatically add the 2017 rosters onto its alumni registry guaranteeing that all current players will be receiving an invitation to the week-end reunion.C.Commissioner Riopel will have presented the League’s package of 50th anniversary activities to ten municipal councils before mid-April.D.The NCABL will proudly open its Hall of Fame on April 6th in Morinville. The Hall will be the first sport specific Hall of Fame to have been opened by an independent League in Alberta.E.The All-Star Game, hosted by the St. Albert Cardinals, will feature a family themed tail gate party on July 16th, 2017.F.The alumni week-end taking place from August 18-20th in Westlock, Alberta will feature an NCABL presence in Friday’s parade plus a meet and greet called “The NCABL Story” on Friday night. Two impact players from each of the first five decades of NCABL operation or a total of ten players will be honoured during an induction ceremony on this night.G.An alumni golf tournament has been included in the festivities for the 50th.H.A sport and leisure expo called “Salute to Out Communities” will be a great place to spend a Saturday afternoon during the alumni week-end with many municipalities present each offering a free raffle on great prizes. A main stage will buzz with entertainment from local high schools, while a few interactive games will surely keep dad and sons busy challenging one another.I.Festivities will officially close with the 50th anniversary gala banquet featuring well known media types who will be spinning their best ever sports related stories. The annual League awards will also be incorporated during the banquet.J.Early bird invitation packages will be launched on-line sometime in mid-April. The League encourages early registrations by offering great value on week-end packages.G.Governors will be selling individual tickets to the 50th anniversary gala banquet beginning in early May.L.The Orioles will not be returning to the NCABL for the 50th edition. Nine returning clubs will be playing a 72 game schedule which begins on May 7th.M.Two clubs are on the move. The Blackhawks will be playing out of the Edmonton Professional Baseball Park while the Sherwood Park Athletics will be returning to Centennial Park after a multiyear absence.N.Governors ratified an eight man roster to serve as its core of umpires this season. Named to the core are returnees M. Beaudry, A. Becigneul, J. Crawford, S. Hoetmer, P. Riopel, P. Milberry, and W. Tuttle. Newly appointed to the core will be B. Duncan.O.The Official Scoring Clinic will be held on Saturday, April 29th, at Bessie Nichols School.P.Our own Earl Thompson will be back on the air with “Circling the Bases” again this season. Look for a new League twitter account to be opened as well.Q.An early spring camp for all interested NCABL players will be organized by the Blackhawks sometime in April with dates and times to be posted on our website.R.Spring Training Camps will once again be including a presentation of the League’s Code of Ethics along with particulars on new guidelines related to player and coach ejections.S.The LCS will be League sponsored for the 50th and held at the Edmonton Professional Baseball Park on August 26th and 27th.T.Coverage in the post-season will be handled with a three-man umpire system.
Highlights from the 2016 Fall Bi-Annual Board of Governors Meeting
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In preparation for the 50th anniversary alumni week-end in 2017, the NCABL hopes to have all press books ready and available for viewing. Helpers with a flair for putting together scrapbooks are welcome to contact League Office and to offer to help.2The alumni directory has now received about 300 names, but many remain to be added. If you have played for any of the 63 clubs that have been members of the NCABL at some point in our history, the League needs you to help us find your fellow teammates by volunteering as a club representative. Your team reunion can coincide with our League festivities during Canada’s 150th birthday celebrations.3The NCABL will be offering a closed advanced baseball scoring session to all of its official scorers next Spring. Attendance is strongly encouraged but remains optional. The annual official scoring clinic will continue to be offered and is scheduled for Saturday, April 29th, 2017.4Following a detailed survey, League Governors decided not to expand the geographic boundaries of the NCABL thereby discouraging bids from clubs such as the Cold Lake Cardinals who had expressed some interest in joining the NCABL.5The popular podcast “Circling the Bases” will be returning for another series of eighteen weekly airings beginning in May of next year with our host Earl Thompson.6The 2017 NCABL regular season will open on Sunday, May 7th.7The second of six major celebratory events slated for our 50th anniversary celebrations will be hosted by St. Albert on Sunday, July 16th, and will incorporate the 2017 All-Star Game.8The NCABL will be implementing a three-man system for all post-season play beginning in 2017 whenever qualified umpiring personnel are available.9Another NCABL banner will be designed and ready for the 2017 season compliments of the Morinville Servus Credit Union.10Sanctioned tournaments were deemed to be dispensable and will no longer be a guaranteed fixture in the NCABL.11Governors approved the Diamond D1PRO baseball as the official League baseball until the next review in 2019.12Governors approved a comprehensive set of disciplinary guidelines to be implemented beginning in 2017. These guidelines delve into both fines and suspensions relating to game control violations.13The NCABL will be opening its Hall of Fame on April 6th, 2017, in Morinville’s Historical Museum. This event has been in the planning stages for over three years and will be the first of six major events being planned to celebrate the 50th anniversary of our very progressive League.14Commissioner Paul Riopel was returned to his familiar role as Commissioner of the NCABL in 2017. A surprise announcement followed as a new Associate-Commissioner was nominated in the person of Mr. Ed Ewasiuk who will be assisting Mr. Riopel during an action packed season next year.
Official Scoring ClinicAn official list of all accredited scorers in the NCABL follows below. Please remember that to retain your accreditation in the NCABL you must score a minimum of one regular season or post-season game in the year in which you obtained accreditation and continue to do so in all subsequent years without interruption. Failure to maintain your active status with the NCABL will result in your having to re-certify yourself through attendance at another scoring clinic. Only one official scorer’s name may appear on any one game sheet.Regulations governing the use of official scorers in the NCABL:A.Clubs must utilize accredited official scorers for all regular season games to avoid penalties. B.A scorer shall be accredited upon being certified following the completion of a full course at an NCABL sponsored Official Scoring Clinic. C.Accreditation shall remain in force providing that an official scorer has scored a minimum of one regular or post-season NCABL game without interruption beginning in the year of certification. Otherwise, re-certification is necessary to receive accreditation. D.An accredited scorer who attends a half-day clinic or a live game session shall qualify for a stipend of $10 per game in that year only. The aforementioned stipend shall be payable by the League following the conclusion of the season on the condition that all documentation for eligible games has been received. E.Only one Official Scorer per game shall be so designated. F.All official scorers shall occupy an off-field location and may not double as managers, coaches, or players in any game be they accredited or otherwise. G.Game summaries shall be computer driven and submitted electronically within 48 hours of game time by the Official Scorer to League Office and both club Managers. H.Hard copies of the official game sheet shall be mailed to League Office within two days of game time by the Official Scorer. H.H. Sponsoring clubs shall assume all of the liability for the failure of an Official Scorer to meet any of the requirements stated aboveIf you wish to inquire as to your status as an official scorer in the NCABL, please direct your inquiries to the Commissioner@ncabl.ab.ca
The North Central Alberta Baseball League partners with Servus
The North Central Alberta Baseball League has been growing younger as many more clubs with an emphasis on development have joined the League in recent years. With an average age hovering around 24 years, it was evident that more youth were looking at playing in the NCABL with an eye to furthering not only their education but their baseball careers as well. This spurned the idea to begin attracting young talent into the NCABL by offering programs which would support both their educational endeavors as well as their baseball development.
Since 2011, the NCABL has been offering a further education grant to one lucky baseball player. If you qualify, do not hesitate to submit your application. Details are as follows:
Who qualifies?
Any NCABL player who is planning to attend a post-secondary institution on a full time basis in the 2019-20 school year.
Said applicant must be officially registered with the NCABL and must have met eligibility requirements for post-season play in the year of application.
Said applicant must be prepared to give proof of full time attendance at a post-secondary institution in the year following receipt of this award.
Application requirements?
The League has kept the application requirements simple to encourage all school bound athletes to apply. Simply submit your complete personal minor baseball history in point form along with the names and phone numbers of at least two of your minor division Managers from different age categories.
Then compose a short essay of 200 to 300 words in which you will be expected to share your views as to how your chosen field of study will help you to realize your personal goals and how these goals might benefit society.
Include the name and address of the institution you plan on attending, and provide the telephone number of the Registrar of this institution.
Deadline for application?
August 1, 2019. This date does not coincide with the deadline date for regular season play in the NCABL.
Where do I send my application?
Mail your completed application to:North Central Alberta Baseball League
P.O. Box 3298
Morinville, Alberta
T8R 1S2
OrFax your completed application to: North Central Alberta Baseball League
780-419-7194