Intercounty Baseball League

The Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) is an amateur, semi-professional baseball organization located in the Canadian province of Ontario. The league was formed in 1919.

The Intercounty Baseball League exists so that baseball players who were not signed by a Major or Minor League organization could have a chance at playing competitive men's baseball. Although the level of Intercounty Baseball League play can be categorized as being at the "Semi-pro" level, players in independent baseball are usually not scouted heavily by Major League teams, although in recent years that has changed somewhat.

For example, three London Majors players were drafted by MLB in 2007: catcher Chris Dennis and pitcher Adam Arnold by the Milwaukee Brewers, and first-baseman/third-baseman/outfielder Mitch Delaney by the Chicago White Sox. Colin Buckborough, pitcher with the Brantford Red Sox, was also drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 2007.

History

The IBL was founded in 1919 with just four teams—Galt, Guelph, Stratford and Kitchener—and is believed to be the oldest amateur men's league in Canada and also one of the best, regarding quality of play. During the early years, the league expanded to include the cities of London, Brantford, Preston and St. Thomas, Ontario.

The league's first commissioner in the 1950s was John Gillies, a London, Ontario, lawyer and former pitcher in the league for the London Majors.

It was previously known as the Intercounty Major Baseball League and the Senior Intercounty Baseball League. The teams play for the Jack and Lynne Dominico Trophy, which is awarded to the league champions. Jack and Lynne Dominico are the co-owners of the Toronto Maple Leafs Baseball Club. In June 2006, the league unanimously endorsed establishing an IBL Hall of Fame at Labatt Park in London, Ontario, home to the London Majors. This proposal is still unfolding and may take several years to implement.

On July 8, 2006, in Barrie, Ontario, the league's "New Era IBL All-Star Classic" game between the Barrie Baycats and the IBL all-stars was played with Barrie defeating the IBL all-stars 7–2.

Current member teams

Intercounty Baseball League
Team	City	Stadium	Founded
Barrie Baycats	Barrie, Ontario, Canada	Barrie Metals Stadium at Barrie Community Sports Complex	2001
Brantford Red Sox	Brantford, Ontario, Canada	Arnold Anderson Stadium	1911
Guelph Royals	Guelph, Ontario, Canada	David E. Hastings Stadium	1919
Hamilton Thunderbirds	Hamilton, Ontario, Canada	Bernie Arbour Memorial Stadium
Kitchener Panthers	Kitchener, Ontario, Canada	Jack Couch Baseball Park	1919
London Majors	London, Ontario, Canada	Labatt Park	1925
Oshawa Dodgers	Oshawa, Ontario, Canada	Kinsmen Stadium	2002
Stratford Nationals	Stratford, Ontario, Canada	National Stadium	1919
Toronto Maple Leafs	Toronto, Ontario, Canada	Christie Pits	1969

Past teams

Intercounty Baseball League
Team	City	Stadium	Founded	Folded
Galt Terriers – later as Cambridge Terriers	Galt, Ontario	Dickson Park	1919	1984, after winning Intercounty Championship the previous season (1983).
St. Thomas Storm	St. Thomas, Ontario	Pinafore Park/Emslie Field	2000	Moved to Stratford in 2004
Waterloo Tigers	Waterloo, Ontario	Bechtel Park	2000	2004
Guelph C-Joys	Guelph, Ontario	Exhibition Park		renamed Guelph Royals
Hamilton Cardinals	Hamilton, Ontario	Bernie Arbour Memorial Stadium		2005 renamed Hamilton Thunderbirds
Kitchener Legionnaires	Kitchener, Ontario	Victoria Park	1957	renamed Kitchener Dutchmen
Kitchener Dutchmen	Kitchener, Ontario	Jack Couch Stadium		renamed Kitchener Panthers
London Chester Pegg Diamonds	London, Ontario	Labatt Park	1960	1962; renamed London Majors
London Pontiacs	London, Ontario	Labatt Park	1963	1970; renamed London Avcos
London Avcos	London, Ontario	Labatt Park	1970	1974; renamed London El-Morocco Majors
London El-Morocco Majors	London, Ontario	Labatt Park	1974	1975; renamed London Majors
Kraven Knits	Stratford, Ontario	National Stadium	1974	1976; renamed Stratford Hillers
Stratford Hillers	Stratford, Ontario	National Stadium	1976
Stratford Storm	Stratford, Ontario	National Stadium	2004	2006; renamed Stratford Nationals
Listowel Legionnaires	Listowel, Ontario	John Bell Memorial Park
Oakville	Oakville, Ontario
Niagara Falls	Niagara Falls, Ontario
Windsor	Windsor, Ontario

League staff

• Commissioner: Jim Rooney
• Secretary: Gloria Coppes
• Treasurer/Statistician: Herb Morell
• Supervisor of Umpires: Chuck Smith
• Media Relations: Aaron Bell

Champions

Standings

Notable past players

• Rich Butler – (Toronto Maple Leafs)
• Rob Butler – (Toronto Maple Leafs)
• Frank Colman – (London Majors)
• Ferguson Jenkins – (London Majors)
• Mike Kilkenny – (London Majors)
• Roy McKay – (London Majors)
• Denny McLain – (London Majors)
• Pete Orr – (Toronto Maple Leafs)
• Dave Rozema - (London Majors)
• Paul Spoljaric - (Toronto Maple Leafs, Barrie Baycats)
• Kirk Sawyers - (Umpire)
• Jesse Orosco - (Galt Terriers)

References

• Intercounty Major Baseball League's 1998 Record Book by Editor Herb Morell and Dominico Promotions Inc.

External links

• Intercounty Baseball Official Site
• Ron Stead, Intercounty star recognized