It has been a few years now since the City of Côte Saint-Luc unveiled Wiffle Ball Field, a beautiful complex at Singerman Park behind Merton Elementary School. It is a mini version of Camden Yards and Fenway Park and exceptionally maintained.

There is a league, with games taking place Tuesday evenings and Sunday mornings, Wiffle Ball is a simplified version of the game of baseball that is designed to be a miniature version of the game that is suitable to be played both indoor and outdoors, often in confined spaces.

Robert Shuster and Danny Kucharsky are in charge of reservations and lineups for Sunday and Tuesday games respectively  For Sundays, the fee is $8 per game or $90 for the year.

The Wiffle Ball gang.

Thanks to Mr. Shuster (yes that is what we still call the former Wagar High School teacher) and Moe  Giobbi who enabled me to play my first Wiffle Ball game. Joining us were Jorge Vasconcelos, Alexandre Parkeiv, Lachug Lotame and Brian Blumer.  Jorge and Alexandre are true stars and wow Brian Blumer, whose Facebook commentaries have quite the following, had the best on base  percentage of the morning.

Let me tell you it may look easy, but hitting that ball even past the infield is not easy. The following day my brother Chuck came by. Like me , he has not swung a bat of any kind in decades. He so badly wanted to hit one out of the park and he came pretty close. Chuck  enjoyed the brief experience so much, he might want to start his own league.

One of my goals now is to have  Perry Gee of Exposfest  visit Wiffle Ball Field and consider bringing some former Expos back the stadium for one of his fundraisers.

You can see my video report here

Here are the Côte Saint-Luc Wiffle Ball League rules

Teams

Teams will have equal size and talent as close as possible. A team which has one fewer player will have a player from the opposing team fielding for them at all times. In the event of obvious imbalance, a trade(s) must be made and the game re-started.

Defensive Players

Players on the defending team will rotate position according to the wishes and the talents of the team members. All defenders must play in “fair territory” while the pitcher is pitching.  Players will pitch one inning each until all have pitched and the order re-starts then. If a player is unable to pitch, he can be passed over.

Offensive Players

There will be a set batting order which must be adhered to. At the end of a half inning, the on deck hitter must announce that he/she will lead off the next inning.

General Rules

Balls and Strikes

Three outs to a half inning. Two strikes equals a strike out. A strike is ruled if a pitched ball hits the pitching target, if a player swings and misses or if a ball is hit and is ruled a foul ball. If a ball is fouled off it can count as strike one but not strike two. Five balls are needed for a walk. With fewer than seven defenders, an infield foul ball is one that does not cross the diagonal line from first to third bases or crosses outside the base line as it passes the base. A ball which hits the ground as it passes the base in fair territory or hits the base is deemed fair. First and Third bases must be placed in fair territory at all times. An outfield ball is deemed fair if its first bounce is in fair territory or is first touched by a defender and the part of the defender it touches is deemed to be in fair territory.

Pitching

The pitcher must pitch with one foot on one of the pitching rubbers. His foot can leave the rubber as he/she takes the one step allowed as the ball is released. From the front rubber, the ball must have an arc. From the back rubber (6 feet behind the front rubber) the pitcher can throw without an arc. A pitch from the front rubber that does not have an arc will be deemed a ball. Those who throw particularly hard must start on the border between grass and dirt at the back of the pitching circle.

A pitcher who walks any four batters will be replaced (by a pitcher of choice) for the rest of that inning but may be allowed to pitch in later innings.

Batting

The batter must not be standing in a position where he/she is blocking the pitching target. If a ball might be a strike then the batter must make every effort to not let the ball touch his/her body. Both of the batter’s hands must be on the bat when the ball is struck or a foul ball is called. If a ball strikes the batter’s bat while the batter is not attempting to swing at it, it is deemed a ball and not a foul ball. The batter must not take the bat with him/her on the way to first base.

Outs

An out is made when a ball (fair or foul) is caught by a defender before it hits the ground. An out is made when a fair ball hits a runner who is not touching a base either hit or thrown (below the neck). An out is made when a ball is in the possession of any fielder in the pitching circle before the batter reaches first base. An out is made when a fielder in possession of the ball touches the base which the runner is approaching unless the batter is not “forced” to take that base. If an “earlier” base is open then the runner must be tagged or touched with the ball below the neck. An out is made at home if the ball hits any part of the pitching target while the runner is approaching home base unless the runner has not crossed the “commit” line.

Avoiding Collisions

Fielders are to avoid positioning themselves in the runners’ base lines unless fielding a ball. Runners must make every effort to avoid fielders who are in the process of fielding a batted or thrown ball. When approaching home, the runner must run on a line behind the pitching target to score. Breach of these two rules can be resolved by an out or a free base or a “do over (see below)” pending discussion.

Base Running

A runner cannot leave his/her base until the ball is struck by the batter or the ball crosses the plate. The pitcher must give the runner time to get back to the base. A runner cannot advance on a fly ball that is caught.  Infield Fly Rule: With no umpire, we do not use the rule. Base runners should not stray far from their base.

A fielder may not let the ball drop intentionally. Otherwise both runners are safe.

A runner may not slide into any base. If a team does not have enough players to accommodate the batter, (counting the possible supply fielder) and the base runners, the defending team will determine which runner will be a phantom.  The phantom runner will be considered to be running “station to station”.

Disputed Calls

 In the case where there needs to be a “Do Over” the batter re-starts with a zero – zero count

Summary

The balls and bats are plastic, so are some of the players (i.e. fragile). They e play on a small field under safe conditions only.

They  play two Strikes for a strike out, five balls for a walk. Ground balls which do not cross the first base-third base diagonal are deemed foul unless there are six or more defenders. Some new players get three strikes and outstanding pitchers work with three strikes if they choose to.

Ground ball outs – they throw to the pitcher’s circle (or to first base) to get an out.

Hitting a runner with the ball is an out and the ball is dead, no further advancement of runners (who are not committed) is permitted.

Missed throws at a runner (or the pitching target at home) gives other runners a maximum of one extra base.

No leading off base, no sliding, no tagging up. Base runners must avoid colliding with fielders.

Pitchers can choose the front pitching rubber – softer pitches which must arc or the back rubber. Some pitchers may have to pitch from the grass-dirt border behind the rubber.

While growing up in Côte Saint-Luc next to Kirwan Park,  my brother Chuck and I would spend of our summers playing pickup baseball. The guy everyone wanted on their team was Mark Rosenoff, who lived one street over. We called him “Rosie” and he was the prototypical  power hitter. In the local CSL system, from hardball to Slo Pitch, this guy was always good for the long ball.

Mark Rosenoff and one of his previous teams.

Well, I lost touch with Rosie until he contacted me the other day. Twenty years ago, while living here, he met his wife Michelle. She is a New Yorker and they  ended up moving to Long Island.    They were blessed with two beautiful children.  Sydney,  17., is a high school senior   at LuHi and Matthew, 15,  is a freshman at Commack High School. Sydney is a chip off the old block  received a full basketball scholarship at Adelphi University. Not to be outdone, Matthew made the varsity basketball team and he also plays football.  

Mark Rosenoff and his family.

Now Rosie himself was also quite a basketball player growing up.   “I loved the game as a player and continue to love the game as a coach,” he says. “Coaching has to be one of the most rewarding things to do in life. To make a difference in these young kids lives means everything.”

Rosie currently coaches a Boys 15U AAU travel basketball team. They are not a sponsored, so everyone has to pay their own way to play.   Turns out he has players who can’t afford to pay anything to play.   “They are great kids that deserve the opportunity to compete,” Rosie says. “With New York closed,  we have to travel to other states to play,  which is very costly.”

By day Rosie has a sales position in the pest control industry.   

So Rosiehas embarked upon a Go Fund Me account  to help these kids out and he is hoping that Montrealers and CSLers who knew him will consider making donations.

The link  to donate is:   https://gofund.me/85219532 

During an unprecedented pandemic you have to take small victories where you can.  The season that normally starts in May began in July with lots of concerns on how to avoid issues with COVID-19.  In conjunction with the Côte Saint-Luc Parks and Recreation Department and the League Executive,   the CSL Executive League began an 18 game regular season, adhering to Baseball Québec rules on social distancing in the dugout and both teams supplying their own softballs, with hand sanitizer in both dugouts and pitchers wiping down the ball between innings we managed a full season without any issues. 

Eight teams, with 12 players per squad,  began playing softball outdoors and it was much needed for out 96 players mental health, competitive spirits and morale during these tough times, notes Steven White.

Father and grandfather Michael White 79 (there to cheer on his champion son and grandson), grandson and son Coby White   and son and father Steven White 53 holding the 2020 CSL Executive softball championship trophy.

In the end, the third seeded team, LCU captained by Jonathan Epstein, Brad Fiederer and Jared Blumenthal won it all with a playoff record of 8-3. The remainder of the roster is composed of: White,  Tony Ricci, Mitch Kujavsky,  Jesse Kalb, Brian Blumer, Doug Greenblatt,Lior Benzur and rookies Coby White and Jordan Benzur

 LCU beat the number six seeded team “the Bus” captained by Brian Hirsh and Dr. Jon Young in a best of  three quarter finals after dropping the first game of the series. LCU then faced the number five  seeded Mother Truckers captained by Ryan Maislin and Kamil Rose in a quarter finals best out of five  series.  LCU again dropped the first game of the series but reeled off three straight wins to set up a best of fiv efinals match-up versus the number two seeded Blue Berryhills captained by Mike Yarin and Elan Gelbart that had not lost a game in the playffs to date.

LCU and the Blue Berryhills first two games of the finals both went to 11 innings with LCU winning game one and the Berryhills winning game two.  The pivotal game three was won 7-5 by LCU with CSL City Councillor Mitch Kujavsky’s bat coming alive with three big hits, including a double and triple.

Game four  was the series clincher and the only blow-out of the series with LCU  winning the Championship game 12-4.

The championship team.

Captains Epstein, Fiederer and Blumenthal drafted two Fathers and sons. Pitcher Steven White age 53, (play-off MVP) playing with his infielder son Coby White age 18 and outfielder Lior Benzur age 49 playing with outfielder son Jordan age 19.  What a thrill for Fathers and sons to win a championship together during such a tumultuous year.  Ricci was a playoff star with both his bat and his stellar defense at second base.  Jared Blumenthall paced LCU with his team leading .538 play-off batting average and his three homeruns  . Captains Epstein and Fiederer showcased their League experience with all the right calls and paced this group of men after 29 games, (18 regular season games and 11 play-off games), to a league championship!

I first met David Brook about a decade ago when I started going to his dad Avi’s wonderful butcher shop on Westminster Avenue in Côte Saint-Luc. A smart young man, he had a love for sports and the law.

David recently graduated from law school, so it is reasonable to suggest that one day he might become one terrific player agent. I will have to introduce him to Allan Walsh, a man who grew up in Chomedey and CSL and is now one of the best agents in the business. Jonathan Drouin of the Habs is one of his clients.

So what does a guy like David want to do with his summer? Exend his passion for ball hockey to kids who are itching to be active with all COVID-19 safety standards in place. Welcome to Brook’s Ball Hockey Boot Camp for children between the ages five to 11. They will be separated into two divisions based on age. The Tuesday session (3:30 pm to 5 pm) will be for children between the ages five to seven and the Thursday session ( 3:30 pm to 5 pm) is intended for children between the ages eight to 11. It begins on Tuesday July 7 and concludes on August 27.

“I have been playing competitive ball hockey for more than eight years, and I consider it my favourite hobby,” David says. “Over the years, I have noticed that not only do I and my teammates adore the game, but my nephews have come to adore it as well. Often they attend my games early enough so they can shoot around, and my nephew Mason even had his most recent birthday party at our local ball hockey rink Le Rinque, located off Decarie, near the Orange Julep.

Le Rinque only recently reopened, making it essentially the only indoor sport complex accessible during this pandemic. “COVID-19 has cost many children a summer of sport and fun and this program’s mission is to provide the children with a fun, engaging and safe environment to improve their ball hockey skills and connect/ re-connect with new and old friends.,” said David.

You can reach David to register at [email protected] or at  514-770-6532.

It will be a busy weekend for author and former Montreal West town councillor Andrew Caddell.  He will be in Montreal promoting his book The Goal: Stories about Our National Passion  on CTV Montreal with Mutsumi Takahashi  on Friday at noon, and then will be signing books on Saturday afternoon at Bonder Bookstore on Westminster in Montreal West, then off to The Samuel Moskovitch Arena on Mackle Road in Côte Saint-Luc that evening  for more signing and selling.  The book, which features stories from former Montreal Gazette writer Dave Stubbs, has received great reviews and reached the top 100 on Amazon winter sports books last year. 

It features 14 true short stories about hockey and life, from the title story, "The Goal" about Andrew's trials as a 10 year old goalie on the outdoor rinks in Montreal West, to a touching story aout his great-aunt and her idol, "The Gentleman," Jean Béliveau.  There is hockey history about Montreal Maroons fans who supported the Boston Bruins when the Maroons folded in the 1930s, women's hockey, the Habs-Leafs rivalry, and the longest ever NHL game, in 1936, which Andrew's dad, "Pip" Caddell attended. 

The book was originally self-published and launched in 2015, but picked up by Rock's Mills Press in Oakville last year and expanded, with colour photos and four new stories.  I heartily recommend it.  Andrew is now retired from the department of Global Affairs in Ottawa, but is busy: along with the book, he writes a weekly column on politics in the "Hill Times," and is partnering with an Australian company in emergency services technology for municipalities, QITCanada.  He has plans to move back to Montreal in 2019. 

The 2018 Wiffle ball season concluded recently at Singerman Park in Côte Saint-Luc

Mark Rabinovitch

Wiffle ball is a variation of the sport of baseball designed for indoor or outdoor play in confined areas. The game is played using a perforated, light-weight, resilient plastic ball and a long, typically yellow, plastic bat.  Organizers of the local Wiffle ball league want to construct an actual stadium modeled around the old Jarry Park, the original home of the Expos. See photo below.

Mark Rabinovitch,   a cardiologist practicing at Clinique MedicElle, told me that  he started playing Wiffle ball with a group of friends from Côte Saint-Luc’s and the Montreal General Hospital around 1999.  “We played our games at Macdonald Park, and when we heard about a Wiffle ball tournament in the US, a group of us went to South Bend, Indiana to compete,” he says.  “We were outclassed,   but had a memorable time. Our love for Wiffle ball led us to hearing about another aficionado in Jericho, Vermont, who built a Wiffle ball field named Little Fenway. We made about three trips to Little Fenway  and that site has grown to include Little Wrigley and Little Field of Dreams.”

About  three years ago, Harold Cammy  from our Parks and Recreation Department invited the group to start playing at Kirwan Park. They now have a pool of about 25 players and compete with teams of five to eight on each side, every Sunday morning from May until the end of September.  Singerman Park serves as their base. Players range in age from nine to their late 70s.  There are three   father and sons players and daughters have played, too.  “The games are fun and not too competitive,” Rabinovitch says.

Our council has  allocated funds for a dedicated Wiffle ball field at Singerman Park. Rabinovitch and his group want to call it Expos Park at CSL Yards as a homage to the Expos and Camden Yards. City Council has yet to discuss the name and I am told this will be placed on an upcoming agenda.

“Wiffle ball is a game I used to play in the country with my cousins and neighbors, including kids of all ages and our parents,” noted Dr. Rabinovitch. “That is one of the attractions - it doesn't require any expensive equipment or special talent to go out and have fun together. 

I love baseball, but as we all know, a softball can hurt, if you're hit. The wiffle ball  is a plastic ball, with several holes, designed to throw curve balls, and other tricks. That's all Wiffle ball requires - a plastic bat and ball. A friend of mine even sent me an algorithm, showing how injuries from a wiffleb all are almost nonexistent.”  

I must admit I have not seen any games yet. But next season I will make it a point of doing so, perhaps even offering to step in as a pinch hitter.

Those interested can email [email protected]  or [email protected]. 

David Birnbaum, MNA for D’Arcy-McGee and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Education and to the Minister responsible for Higher Education, and Côte Saint-Luc Mayor Mitchell Brownstein today announced up to $1 million in funding from the provincial government for the upgrade of the Samuel Moskovitch Arena. The funds are designated for major modifications to the arena’s refrigeration system.

‘’This major investment by our government in a treasured and important Côte Saint-Luc facility is excellent news,” Mr. Birnbaum noted. “The numerous benefits associated with regular exercise, physical activity and leisure are obvious, and I’m pleased that our citizens will be assured of a first-class upgraded infrastructure that fully responds to their needs. This grant clearly demonstrates the importance our government places on healthy and safe physical activity.”

Mayor Brownstein and David Birnbaum.

Mayor Brownstein noted that he is pleased with this further example of effective collaboration between the provincial and municipal sectors. “This upgrade is important to our community, to our families who use the arena for a host of sports and recreation activities. We’re proud of our extensive parks and recreation programs, and pleased to have a valuable partnership with our provincial government in strengthening that offer.”

“Thanks to this grant, Quebec’s regions are benefitting from quality arenas and curling clubs. By prolonging the lifespan of our sporting infrastructures, we allow the population to access these modern and safe facilities to practice sports,” said Education, Recreation and Sports Minister Sébastien Proulx.

This project is among the 27 across Quebec that received funding, for a total investment of $17 million.

Well before I became a city councillor in Côte Saint-Luc more than nine years ago I was involved with the annual golf tournament. I believe my association as  the emcee of their awards luncheon goes back at least 25 years. Originally, it was a Seniors Golf Outing and the event always attracted good numbers. When I was elected, I began co-chairing the program with Councillor Sam Goldbloom.

Over the years we saw attendance begin to drop. Last year, we had only 42 golfers register. We knew it was time to either cancel the event or recharge the batteries. Sam and  I opted for the latter and thanks to the spectacular assistance of Harold Cammy and Alvin Fishman at our Parks and Recreation Department the revival began. We renamed the event the Côte Saint-Luc Golf Classic and made it available to people of all ages. Work on the 2014 event began during a cold winter day when we sat down with Harold and Alvin and drew up a plan to attract foursomes. Together we obtained a title sponsors in Gravel Auto Group, which has a successful dealership on Decarie.  Harold and Alvin signed up a few other sponsors, including Casey Cameron from Techsport Inc. "Why not have a celebrity honourary chairman?" I asked, thinking out loud that legendary jazz pianist and CSL resident Oliver Jones would be a good choice. Thanks  to our Chief Librarian Janine West and her husband Jim, Jones agreed. He was part of a foursome with the West's and one of their close friends.

With Oliver Jones, Jim West and Sam Goldbloom,

When all was said and done, a total of 83 golfers registered. It rained the day before, but as I awoke on Tuesday, July 8 the weather was gorgeous and precipitation was only called for later in the day. This was also a day, once again, to showcase Meadowbrook Golf Course and how beautiful this large greenspace is. For the first time a foursome from Les Amis de Meadowbrook took part and that was wonderful. They lobby and hold meetings throughout the year, but what better thing to do than spend time on the very land they wish to preserve. We all golfed on the back nine.  I was part of a foursome with Goldbloom, Police Station 9 Commander Marc Cournoyer and Officer  Martin Bourgeois. Louis-Philippe Gravel,  director of sales at Gravel Auto Decarie, was on hand as well.

Officer Martin Bourgeois, Sam Goldbloom, Commander Marc Cournoyer and myself.

This represents my only golf game of the year, so only when I near the final hole do I find my swing comes around.  But this is a great day out and for only $27 a person where else can you find a better bargain.

This little groundhog was right next to the 17th hole.

The golf game is only half the fun. Afterwards everyone convened at our Aquatic and Community Centre for a very enjoyable luncheon coordinated by the team of Cammy and Fishman and their devoted committee: Toby Goldner-Shulman, Faygie Block, Dina Ancel, Naomi Jacobson, Fran Rosen-Miller, Kathy Nasr, Elaine Libman and Maurice Giobbi, Everyone was greeted with some wine and cheese, a few hor d'oeuvres and then a nice buffet of party sandwiches and salads.

Mayor Anthony Housefather provided opening remarks and then helped hand out the trophies.

Sidney Margles, my loyal constituent from District 2 and man about town.

Closest to the pin on the 16th hole went to Patti Heller for the women and Ivan Kolti for the men. Longest drive at the 17th hole also went to Heller for the women while Steven Wise captured the men's side.

There was a wide array of doorprizes handed out.  This included a set of golf irons and  a golf bag (valued at $400) from Play It Again Sports on Decarie and a one week scholarship at the TSPA Tennis Academy  (valued at $270).  Gravel Auto donated a slew of prizes, as did Bench, Bugatti, Pharmaprix Cavendish, CSL Bagel, J & R Kosher, CSL Kosher, Massa Greek Grill, Rockaberry Monkland, The Snowdon Deli, the Range Golf Academy and many more. This was a testament to the tireless efforts of Fishman. Thanks to five year old Jeremy Nashen, who came on stage with his dad - City Councillor Glenn J. Nashen - to help choose the winners. We know Jeremy is honest because his grandfather George lamented later that he did not win anything.

Three generations of Nashens: Glenn, my pal Jeremy and George.

Harold Cammy the Caterer then had one more suprise up his sleeve. On the eve of Oliver Jones' 80th birthday, out came  a huge cake designed like a piano. Oliver, who earlier addressed the crowd, was clearly touched. Everyone got a chance to taste this delicious dessert, as well as yogurt cups donated by Yeh! Yogurt at Quartier Cavendish.

We also wish to thank Michael Johnson, club manager at Meadowbrook and his staff. It was a great day to be sure.

Thanks to all. It was a great day. I can't wait until our 36th (Double Chai) event next summer!

Gathering around Oliver Jones' birthday cake with members of council and staff.

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The 35th annual Côte Saint-Luc Golf Classic, set for Tuesday, July 8 at Meadowbrook, promises to be a good one. I am co-chairing the event once again  with Councillor Sam Goldbloom. After less than 50 golfers participated last year, Sam and I set out to pump up the volume. Thanks to phenomenal staff support from Harold Cammy and Alvin Fishman, we will now have the highest number of players and prizes collected  and registered over the past five years.

We also have a superb sponsor in Gravel Auto, which will make a brand new car available, and legendary jazz pianist Oliver Jones as our honourary chair. He will also be part of a foursome.

This is also an excellent opportunity to remind people what precious greenspace we have at Meadowbrook. Some members of Les Amis de Meadowbrook will even golf with us this year.

Foursome tee off early and we will all gather at the Aquatic and Community Centre for an awards banquet at 1 p.m.

Here are the details about the golf classic from  a previous blog.

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