Don't forget to swing hard,
in case you hit the ball. 
~Woodie Held

BOSL NEWS - 2017

October 12, 2017
BOSL AGM notes

Date & Time: Thursday October 26, 2017. 7:00 PM
Location: Hectors 3521 Mainway Drive Burlington, Ontario L7M 1A9

Agenda:

1. Registration (please sign in when you arrive)
2. Determination of a quorum (not less than twenty members in good standing not including the current members of the Board of Directors)
3. Acceptance of the 2016 AGM minutes and 2016 SGM (attached)
4. 2017 Financials
5. Awarding 2018 BOSL financial review to Deeth & Co.
6. 2017 Charity Update
7. 2018 Board of Directors Election, 11 candidates for the 9 Board Positions

• John Andersen
• Glen Baxby
• Scot Cameron
• Carl Camilleri
• Steve Dostal
• Ron Evinou
• Bill Misener
• Steve Rowsell
• Scot Sinclair
• Peter Skoretz
• Peter Winstanley

8. New By Law Proposals: (None Submitted)
9. Prize Draws a. Prizes will available to be won by those in attendance on the 26th
10. Looking ahead at 2018

• Registration Update
• City of Burlington plans for 2018

11. Open Discussion
12. Adjournment

PDF -- AGM Minutes October 26, 2016 for Approval
PDF -- 2016 BOSL Balance Sheet
PDF -- 2016 Special General Meeting presentation
PDF -- 2016 Special General Meeting Results
PDF -- 2016 Profit/Loss Statement

Thanks

Jim Hindley, BOSL President

Just wanted to send out an email to thank everyone for participating in Fall Ball this year. For the guys that did play - we enjoyed another fantastic FALL of great slo-pitch weather and got to play with new BOSL players. For anyone that missed it - try us next year - it really is fun. 

The support I received from the captains and players was fantastic.  Fun and Fellowship is truly what Fall Ball is all about.
What I am most proud of is the generosity that all of you showed toward our charity.

After everything was settled at QBs last night for our final "Year End Bash" for Fall Ball we ended up with and additional $1,145 for our charity, the Burlington Food Bank.

This is what BOSL is about!  I can't thank you all enough!

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and hope to see you all next spring.

Nick Popovacki - fallball@bosl.ca 
Fall Ball Commissioner

http://bosl.ca/fall-ball.htm

Sept 18, 2017
Mark this in your calendar
BOSL AGM

Sept 13, 2017
Register now for BOSL 2018

Gentlemen;

Well it was another fun year, hard to believe were all wrapped up for another year. Awards night is coming up quickly.

1. Please help us out by ATTENDING and by DONATING a prize to the raffle table
    
2. Deadline for letting us know if you are planning to attend is September 15. We need to know our numbers in advance to help us plan

I would just like to remind everyone of our Registration time lines.

1. 1. Preference will be given to the returning players whom sign up, register and pay prior to September 30. Either pay now or supply a post-dated cheque for Feb 1, 2018.
    
2. October 1st opens up registration to new players and moving forward from this date registration is on a first come first served basis. So, if its your intention to play in 2018, register today to ensure your spot.
    
3. Payments are all due February 1, 2018

Sept 2, 2017
BOSL needs you, well... 3 of you!

Just THREE more players gets us our 6 full teams!
Once these spots are filled, registration will be closed and we will start
contacting the players.
 
Fall Ball is everything you ever dreamed about! Tuesdays and Thursdays only
Parks with short fences, colder nights = more HRs 😊 – It’s fun, ask anyone!
Best Convenor ever! Even better than last year!
 
Registration and schedule is here…
http://bosl.ca/fall-ball.htm

Nick Popovacki - fallball@bosl.ca 
Fall Ball Commissioner

Aug 28, 2017
See you at the Year-End...

The Burlington Food Bank truck will be parked in the “same old spot” near the pavilion at Sherwood Park on Friday, September 8, Saturday, September 9 and Sunday, September 10 for the BOSL 2017 Championship Tournament. We look forward to seeing everyone and being with you as the season draws to a close. Please stop by and chat with us.

In large part thanks to the help of the players in the Burlington Oldtimers Slo-pitch League who showed their generously to us at the mid-season tournament, the golf tournament and the B.O.S.L. versus the Board tournament we were able this summer to provide families with both canned and packaged items as well as with perishable foods, such as fresh fruit & vegetables, eggs, milk and bread.

Now that September is upon us and as families prepare to send their children back to school, we find ourselves once again short of certain items to offer some of our less fortunate citizens who are struggling financially. Once again we call on you to assist. We would be most grateful to you if you could bring one or many of the following items:

• HOT CEREAL
• FRUIT JUICE
• CANNED FRUIT
• CRACKERS
• RICE
• CANNED MEAT
• DRY SOUP
• CAKE MIX & PANCAKE MIX

A special thanks to all the players who contribute to the Burlington Food Bank. You make it much easier for us.

Best Wishes for a Successful Year-End Tournament!
See You There!

Respectfully

John Love
Board of Directors
Burlington Food Bank/Partnership West.

Each season we award the Willard Pilatske Award - http://www.bosl.ca/fame_WPmemorial.htm - to a player who best exemplifies the spirit of the BOSL.

The process starts with nominations: If you wish to submit a nomination, please send it to ideas@bosl.ca no later than Friday September 1st. The nominee will be added to the ballot which will be distributed to all members during the weekend of the Year End tournament. Each member will have one vote for one of the nominees (hand your ballots in at the bunker).

The winner will be announced and presented at the Year End Banquet on September 23rd.

Jim Hindley
BOSL President

Aug 16, 2017
Registration for 2018

Aug 2, 2017
Don't get left out in the Cold!

The season is coming to an end in a few weeks, but that doesn’t mean ball is done!
 
Fall Ball starts September 12 and goes until October 5.  You have 2 games per week, Tuesdays and Thursdays, for a total of 8 games for ONLY $40.
 
For those of you who played last year, you know how much fun it was.  All teams had a blast and there was no pressure of who was going to win.  There are no umpires. All teams self umpire. It was all about playing some extra ball with a great bunch of guys and truly about “Fun and Fellowship”, and of course QBS, where we hold our final Fall Ball party. 
 
Even though I say there is no pressure of winning, I am challenging all to try and dethrone last year’s first place team the RedSox, which just happens to be my team!
 
Fall Ball registration is filling up fast so please if you want to join. Go online and register.

We have permits for 6 teams to participate this year up from 4 teams last year.  Demand was high last year and we had many coming out to watch so please register soon.
 
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Nick Popovacki - fallball@bosl.ca 
Fall Ball Commissioner

July 8, 2017
Need donations

I would 1st like to thank you for your past and present support of our great league. Two of our major charity fund raising events are fast approaching :

Golf Day - July 29th
Awards Banquet - September 23rd

To help, we need donations to our prize table to generate ticket sales. Proceeds of course go to our charity - The Burlington Food Bank / Partnership West. Please let me know if you would be able to support us.

Jim Hindley
BOSL President

May 16, 2017
Mid – Season Tournament Update

Schedule and Format

The tournament seeding and schedule has been completed (http://www.bosl.ca/BOSL_tournament_2017.htm). The tournament starts on june 12th so please make sure to check the website or with your captains for your schedule.

Volunteering

The teams that play the first and last games are responsible for set up and takedown of the diamonds. We need help to set up and take down around the Pavilion on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. If you have any time available we would really appreciate your help with this. Please let a Board Member (http://www.bosl.ca/BOD.htm) know that you can help or contact membership@bosl.ca
 

Food Sales

Bradley’s Catering are back to provide food on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. In addition, they will be selling pop/water/Gatorade and snacks. Please support our food vendor.

Bunker Sales

As always, Beer and Liquor tickets will be sold at the bunker ($5.00 per ticket). We have a staff of bartender’s to serve and they do need your support in the form of tips.
 
We will also be able to accept your registrations (and payments) for our other events:

• Golf Day
• Beat the Board Tournament
• Fall Ball
• Year End Awards Banquet

Charity

The Burlington Food Bank (Partnership West) will have their donation truck at the park on June 16 and 17 to collect non-perishable food donations (http://www.bosl.ca/giving_back.htm). Each team is contributing $50 towards winning a team bat to kick-off the fund raising and we will be selling 50/50 tickets for draws on June 16/17/18. Please help us support this worthy cause.
 

Team Shirt update

Your captains should receive the replacement shirts by June 12th. If you have requested a replacement, please turn in your old short to your captain so it can be returned to the manufacturer.
 
I would like to wish you a successful and safe tournament and ask again for your support of our fund raising efforts this upcoming weekend.

Regards,

Jim Hindley 
President

May 16, 2017
Slim fit jerseys - update

Thank you to everyone that sent us the photo of their jersey showing the size and measurement. As a result of that step we learned that the sizes are not all consistently off as we had thought. From the sampling we were able to review, about 30% were correct size, 30% were 1” off and 30% were off by a half inch.

We have had approx. 100 players asking for replacements however several players said theirs were fitting fine, so today we will put in an order just for the replacements for the guys saying their jersey is uncomfortable / not fitting properly. The rest of you are good to go with your current jersey.

Since our order is going in today this is the final call for any requests for replacements. Anyone who has not tried on their jersey can now do so and measure it and if it isn’t in line then let me know to add them to my list tonight!!
 
Correct sizes are (armpit to armpit)
S=21, M=22, L=23, XL=24, 2XL=25, 3XL=26, 4XL=27, 5XL=2

Replacements will take a few weeks and we aim for the mid-season tournament to get them back

send email to scot@bosl.ca

May 6, 2017
Slim fit jerseys

On behalf of the board I would like to apologize for all the confusion surrounding this seasons uniform. 

We have come to a resolution with the uniform supplier. They will be replacing the entire order of shirts which will be corrected to match last years jersey sizing.  We have mutually agreed that the hats are satisfactory. So we will be keeping them. 

For those who are comfortable with the slimmer fitting shirt, you are free to wear it until the replacement order is received. At that time we will need to return all the shirts from the first order. Them being worn is ok. 

For those whom are not comfortable in the slimmer fit. Feel free to wear any other top until the replacement order is received. We anticipate that this should be a few weeks from now. If you already turned in your shirts and do not want to wear them in the interim, that's ok too. 

Here's to a dryer weather and looser shirts!
Regards


Ron Evinou
Director, VP

We would like to extend an invitation to all BOSL players to join a game of pick up/practice at Sherwood park Saturday April 29th, between 11am and 2pm. This will be an informal event; therefore there will be no set teams and will be strictly a non competitive format, and will give everyone present the opportunity to get a bit of the winters rust off. We have allotted 3 hours of field time for this. 

Please note that this will take place in good weather conditions; if it’s pouring rain it will NOT take place, we don’t want anyone getting hurt just days prior to the season starting.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us, hope to see you there!

March 7, 2017
BOSL Draft Update

The March 1st registration deadline has passed and the annual player draft is quickly approaching (March 25th). The Board met last night to make our final decisions for the 2017 season. Here are key notes that I want to share with you:

It is important to ensure balance in our league for the annual player draft so we needed to make sure we had the numbers of registered/paid players to manage the teams.  We have decided that the optimum roster size is 14 players and based on this, the BOSL will be an 18 team league for 2017. This helps us in two ways

• we will have a "wait-list" of players who will be assigned by the Board based on an equal rating match as needed. From past experience, we know that we will need 10-20 replacement players by season’s end (and usually 5 or 6 in the first couple weeks.
• an 18 team league brings some changes to the schedule – a revised schedule is being built:
1. We will continue to have games Monday/Tuesday and Wednesday/Thursday due to the City’s capital projects, classification of diamonds for adult use and availability. We will be eliminating the currently scheduled 9:30 games on Mondays and Wednesdays.
2. The tournaments format will need to be redesigned – more to come on this...

We have the required 18 pairs of captains – thanks to all who came forward to help out on this. We also have our 18 sponsors confirmed.

Captains are invited to join us at the NEW PLAYER EVALUATIONS this Saturday at noon at Field House and then stay at Field House for a quick Captains meeting right after the evaluations are completed. We expect the evals to be finished by 1:15pm and will meet together at that time. Bring your glove and we can throw a little bit and captains can take some batting practice after our talk to finish off the time we booked.
 
Saturday march 11 at noon
New Players – Don’t forget you need to be at our New player evaluation day. (Fieldhouse Athletics - 5230 Harvester Rd)

Saturday March 25 at 9am – your captains will get together and draft you!

Thursday April 27 - Opening Stag night at the legion

Monday May 1 - the fun starts.

February 28, 2017
BOSL Charity 2017

In keeping with the Burlington Oldtimers SloPitch League's commitment to "Giving Back to the Community", We are excited to announce that the Burlington Food Bank – Partnership West will once again be our designated charity for 2017.  This organization has a long tradition of supporting the Burlington community by supplying food for families in need. We will be working with Paul Tammeorg and John Love from the Food Bank to help us plan our fund raising and donations. As always, our fund raising success depends on the support and participation from our membership, we are always looking for volunteers to help us plan our fundraising events.

Last Season, ex-BOSL member John Love joined us at our two tournaments and at Golf Day and thanks to you, we raised $8,500 for families in Burlington. Following is a note from the Food Bank folks...

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

From Burlington Food Bank (Partnership West)

On behalf of the Burlington Food Bank Partnership West please accept our most sincere thank you for the financial donations of $8,500.00 and for the hundreds of pounds of food items contributed to us by the players in the league. Your help came at a crucial time of year for our organization - a time when our food supplies are always low.

Please convey our gratitude to the men in the Burlington Oldtimers' Slo-Pitch League. We are truly grateful... for their kindness and generosity. Please also let them know that their contributions were used to make a significant improvement in the lives of hundreds of Burlington residents - especially children - who, because they are poor, struggle to make it through each day.

The summer of 2016 made me realize that the Burlington Oldtimers' Slo-Pitch League is far more than just a collection of men playing ball. True, there are men playing ball - but, more importantly, these same men are making a difference in their community. This difference made by groups is one of the factors taken into account when Burlington is consistently voted the number one mid-sized city in Canada. The BOSL. is an important a part of this evaluation.

Thank you for making us your charity of choice for 2016.
Thank you for making Burlington a better place.

February 6, 2017
New Player Evaluations!

Just a reminder that our new player evaluations are to be held Saturday March 11th at the Fieldhouse Athletics Centre located 5230 Harvester Rd, Burlington, ON L7L 4X4. The main entrance to the facility is on the west side of the building.

The evaluation session starts at noon and will run no later than 2:00pm.

We would like to remind everyone that our league is based on the foundation of fun and fellowship, and our evaluation night will be no different. The purpose of the evaluation session is to help our captains get to meet you and then draft a well-balanced team, no more no less. As much as we will be evaluating your abilities, we would like to remind you that no one is judging! We welcome players or all skill levels. So come prepared to play and have a good time.

Please remember to bring your glove and running shoes. If you have your own bat, feel free to bring it. We will have a supply of bats for you to use as well.

What to expect...

1. A member of the BOSL board will be in the lobby of the to greet you. Please check in and get your name tag.
2. You will be directed to the area of the facility of which we will be using for the session. We will have a supply of softballs available for use to warm up. Feel free to pair up with another member and toss the ball around.
3. Once everyone has arrived we will split up into three groups (fielding, throwing and hitting). Each participant will rotate through the various stations at the direction of the organizers. Once you have moved through each of our 3 evaluation stations, you are finished!

Feel free to join us at QB's located at the Southwest corner of Appleby Line and New Street for a pint afterwards! Remember come prepared to play, but most of all to have fun!!

any questions? membership@bosl.ca

February 4, 2017
Welcome New Players!

We would personally like to extend you a warm welcome to BOSL. It’s still winter now, however in just a few short weeks some very important dates that you should be aware of are fast approaching.

• March 1. Registration payments are due.
• March 11 (12pm-2pm) - New player evaluations at the field house. (details will follow)
• March 25 - Draft Day. The teams are put together via a draft and in order for you to have a rating there will be an informal evaluation evening, the exact dates of which will be determined shortly and you will made aware of them with ample time to plan your schedule. Once all the ratings have been gathered the team captains will be drafting their teams on March 25th, and you will be notified by your respective captains as to which team you’re playing on and just who will be your new teammates.
• April 27, Is the Opening stag and sponsor night, This is the night that you’ll get to meet your new teammates, and pick up your uniform. There are also vendors on hand to complete any last minute equipment purchases that you may need.
• May 2, Opening day!, let the games begin.
• June 16-18, Mid season Tournament. 2nd most fun you will ever have.
• (date to be determined) BOSL Golf Tournament.
• Sept. 8-10 Season ending Tournament.
• Sept. 23 Awards Banquet & Dance. Mandatory - bring your wife
• October 26 Annual General Meeting. Please join us for this!

On behalf of the entire Board of Directors, welcome to BOSL. We look forward to meeting each and every one of you over the course of the season.

Regards,
Glen Baxby
2017 BOSL Membership Director
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

January 31, 2017
Calling All Captains

January 16, 2017
Thank you letter from Partnership West, Burlington

from John Love at Burlington's Food Bank,

January 21, 2017
Join the Burlington Oldtimers Slo-Pitch League for 2017 Season

Good Day Gentlemen,

The recruiting wheels are starting to turn for the upcoming 2017 BOSL season, and our greatest and most impactful recruiting efforts come from YOU, our members, so I am going to ask for your help in filling our ranks. If you know of someone who might be interested in playing ball this summer, please invite them to join us. (www.bosl.ca/registration.htm)

I also have some posters which are available to our members to post in their work places to help with our recruiting efforts. If you think you can use a poster or two please do not hesitate to let me know and I will be happy to arrange for you to get some (membership@bosl.ca). I look forward to the upcoming season and seeing you all on the diamond again soon.

Best regards,

January 19, 2017
Membership Update: 2017 BOSL Schedule

I am happy to announce that we have been successful in obtaining the additional diamond time to allow us to grow beyond 16 teams to a maximum of 20 teams.
 
We currently have approximately 250 registrations and are launching our annual player recruitment drive with a goal for the 2017 season of ensuring that everyone who registers can be placed on a team.  Our annual player draft is now scheduled for Saturday March 25, 2017.
 
This was not an easy process as we  dealt with the City of Burlington's capital projects (Sherwood North closes for construction on August 1st), the needs of youth baseball and issues with local residents. Much like we were asked to move from Nelson East last year, we have been asked to move (as much as possible) from Brant Hills due to safety concerns raised by residents and patrons of the park.
 
To meet these needs, and to keep the BOSL on Burlington's premium softball diamonds,  it means that we need to move away from playing exclusively on Tuesdays and Thursdays and introduce games on Mondays and Wednesdays, at least in the short term. You will continue to have 2 games a week which will be Monday/Tuesday or  Wednesday/Thursday.

Here is how a regular season week would look

When Sherwood North closes for construction on August 1, 2017, games on Tuesdays will be moved to the Sherwood East Diamond and Thursday games will move to Brant Hills.

Thanks for joining us for the 2017 season and stay tuned for more communications as we prepare for the upcoming season.

Jim Hindley
BOSL President

December 27, 2016
Welcome to the 2017 Season

On behalf of this year's Board of Directors, I would like to wish you a happy and safe holiday season. Thank you for registering early, this has been a tremendous help to allow us to plan for the 2017 season.

We currently have over 250 registrations and our prime goal for the 2017 season is to ensure that everyone will be placed on teams. I am happy to announce that we have been successful in obtaining additional diamond time to allow us to grow beyond 16 teams to a maximum of 20 teams. Our annual player draft is now scheduled for Saturday March 25, 2017.

This was not an easy process as we need to deal with the City of Burlington's capital projects, the needs of youth baseball and issues with local residents. Much like we were asked to move from Nelson East last year, we have been asked to move (as much as possible) from Brant Hills due to safety concerns raised by residents and patrons of the park.

To meet these needs, and to keep the BOSL on Burlington's premium softball diamonds, we need to move away from playing exclusively on Tuesdays and Thursdays, at least in the short term.

We have worked with the city to acquire use of the following fields:

• Nelson Central (Monday to Thursday)
• Sherwood D3 North (our usual diamond A) (Tuesdays and Thursdays)
• Millcroft (Tuesdays and Thursdays)