The London Mens Baseball League expanded in 2016 from 10 to 12 teams due to increased interest in recreational 30+ adult men’s baseball in the London community. One of those expansion teams, the Orioles, is headed by former LMBL President and current player/manager Jeff Reid.
“We went from a bunch of strangers to a family in a very short time,” says Reid. “I couldn’t ask for a better group of guys to manage.”
As is usually the case with expansion franchises, the Orioles had a tough first season. In 2016, the team finished with a 1-17-1 record. But that doesn’t mean the players didn’t have a great experience (and most of those losses included a post-game team BBQ and refreshment meeting, allowing the players to wallow in the fact that things could only get better!). And they were right. The players truly believed in themselves, and the 2017 season saw only one active player from the prior year not return (and only due to the travel required to play in London – since he lived in Chatham!).
The 2017 season began much better for the Orioles, as they equaled their win total from 2016 after only two games! They finished the regular season with a record of 5-11-1, knocking off some strong teams in the process. This qualified them for third place in the B Division playoffs, and the Orioles took full advantage. They got hot when it counted and ran the table in the playoffs, going 3-0 on their way to winning the B Championship.
The LMBL Orioles will look to improve on this mark in 2018 and position themselves to be a contender for the A Division title in the near future. Their offseason commitment to training shows that this could happen sooner rather than later.
Says Reid: “We regularly get 10 players or more to show up at winter workouts. For a recreational league, I think that’s impressive. But it says more about team chemistry than anything else. The Orioles players are truly dedicated to the game of baseball.”
Who knows what lies ahead on the diamond, but one thing is for sure: BBQ’s, beverages, and good times at the ballpark are definitely in the Orioles’ future.
The London Mens Baseball League is an ‘over 30’ mens league based in London, Ontario (baseball, not softball or slo-pitch!). We play most games on Sundays, from May to September, at locations including Labatt Park, Dan Pulham Field, Byron, and Dorchester. Our league ranges in age from 30 to 80!
The LMBL is currently accepting new players. Registration for 2018 is now open, and closes February 15. Visit our website for more information, or to register.
Submitted by LMBL
