Melanie Harwood
Born in Tottenham, Ontario. Click here
Anybody can play baseball. Baseball requires coordination and mental power, not size. It is a game of speed, skill and concentration where individual successes lead to team successes. There's nothing more exciting than sliding into home plate for the winning run in the last inning of the game. Baseball is fun and rewarding!
BASEBALL
Traditional baseball begins around age nine, with changes made to field dimensions for each individual age group. The batting lineup consists of nine players (10 where permitted by Baseball Ontario's Extra Player Rule) and the defensive team consists of nine players including a pitcher. Traditional rules of baseball are followed except for Baseball Ontario rules specific to different age groups.
Equipment from baseball's first games
The Ball
Made of double twisted woollen yarn and covered with calfskin. It was sewn by the local shoemaker.
The Club
Constructed of cedar, and shaped with an axe and finished on a shaving horse. It was made from a wagon spoke or a sturdy straight stick.
Lingo from baseball's first games
Bye = base
Thrower = pitcher
Tally = run
Knocker = batter
Club = bat
"3 and 2 - full count!" Umpiring Programs - Are you interested in becoming an umpire? If you're a good judge of balls and strikes and you love baseball, then umpiring could be for you. There's no minimum age but generally umpires start their training about age 13. The only rule is you must only umpire games for age groups younger than yourself. Baseball Ontario holds training sessions every spring for umpire levels 1 through 4. Local associations are always looking for good umpires, so this could be your chance to get an exciting 'part-time' job.
Information courtesy of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.
“Fun Fact: On September 5, 1914, 'Babe' Ruth hit his first professional home run at
Hanlan's Point Stadium on Toronto Island while playing for the Providence Grays.
Legend has it that the ball Ruth hit still sits on the bottom of Toronto Bay.
”
TYPES OF BASEBALL
Rookie Ball This is a fun way for younger kids to work their way up to baseball. In Rookie Ball, a pitching machine 'throws' pitches to the batter. Each batter is allowed five strikes, instead of three, and each half inning consists of three outs or a maximum of 10 batters (whichever comes first) to increase each player's number of turns at bat. Up to 25 players can be on each team.
Winter Ball It's all about the fun! Winter Ball is a non-competitive program that introduces 8 to 12- year-olds to the basic skills of baseball. No standings are kept from game to game and everybody gets the same amount of time on the field and in the batter's box. It's an awesome way to learn about playing on a baseball team for the first time.
If you can't find a local association where you live, contact Baseball Ontario and we can help you find a place to play. For contact information scroll down to the bottom of this page.
“Fun Fact: Talk about a late bloomer! Though he didn't start playing baseball until he was 14, major league Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins became one of the greatest major league pitchers of his era. The Chatham, Ontario native was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown in 1991.”
Melanie Harwood
For baseball player Melanie Harwood, 2004 was a very good year. First she was chosen for the first-ever Canadian National Women's Baseball team. Then she helped lead them to two bronze medals at the Women's World Series in Japan and the World Cup of Women's Baseball in Edmonton. At both events, she was selected to the tournament all-star team. To cap it off, she was named National Team's MVP for the year. These international tournaments were a great experience for Melanie. Reflecting on them she says, "There's nothing better than standing along the baseline hearing 'O Canada' being sung." Born in Tottenham, Ontario, Melanie has played baseball from a very young age. She liked other sports too, like hockey and rollerblading. Her favourite baseball team is the Toronto Blue Jays.
“Fun Fact: The Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Club was the first team to capture back-to-back World Series titles (1992-1993) in 15 years.”
BASEBALL ORIGIN
Baseball was invented right here in Ontario in 1838. The first game was played in the community of Beachville, Ontario between the local Beachville Club and the Zorras, a club from the township of Zorras and Oxford. The game was played in honour of King George IV's birthday. The day had been declared a Canadian holiday to celebrate the Government's success in overthrowing the Rebellion of the previous year.
“Fun Fact: In the early days of baseball, baserunning could be quite an adventure because you did not have to follow a straight path to the next base. If in danger of being 'plugged' (tagged out) you could head out into the outfield, and while fielders tried to 'plug' you, other baserunners could advance.”
