The Fisher Realty Blue Jays are flying the Komoux Masters Real Baseball League playoff championship pennant after defeating the Courtenay Plumbing Twins 15-7 Sunday.
The win completed a sweep of 2012 league honours for the Blue Jays, who also finished first on the regular season with a stellar 14-4 record. The Twins were league runners-up with an impressive 13-5-1 record.
Sunday afternoon at Highland Field, the Twins jumped out on top but the jumping did not last long. The Blue Jays started to pick away at the lead, and when the picking was done they had picked up a 15-7 victory and the post-season crown.
KMRBL president Jake Plante reflected on the Masters' (age 35-plus) 22nd season. "As each and every year is as interesting as the next, this year was no exception. We lost a team due to numbers and it looks like it may take a very large draft to get an eighth team back into the league," Plante said.
"Of course now that the season is done we hear the stories of 'Wishing we heard about the league so we could join.'
I think 22 years of playing on the same diamond, advertising in the local paper and on the local radio should be more than hint enough that we are here to stay and not hard to find.
"The biggest change in the league this year was the movement of the players from the folded team to existing teams. Those players will remain on the teams they were placed on, and we will see how the 2013 draft goes. We never say never," Plante said.
"I stress fun each year, just so guys remind themselves that not only do we have to go to work the next day, we are Masters, and sorry, there are no MLB scouts in the bushes watching us play. Sorry, but it's true ... you know who you are.
"The end-of-season banquet is our last official function, and like most years it is tough to convince players to come out and enjoy one last hooray and brag about the plays you did not make or the ol' wait until next year line.
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the managers for the job they did with their teams throughout the season. Our treasurer Dave Fauteux, our scheduler Kurt MacDonald, and last but most definitely not least our founder and vice-president Dale Greene."
SHORT HOPS Adding to the Sunday season finale was Tom Isbister, the oldest active player in the KMRBL, throwing out the opening pitch ... the photo of Bill "Spaceman" Lee in the Sept. 7 Record sports section was snapped by his buddy Sy "Pappy" Pederson, who was featured in a Sept. 12 online 'Flashback' item at www.comoxvalleyrecord.com ... those planning on attending the KMRBL year-end banquet on Sept. 29 should get their $20 to either president Plante or scheduler MacDonald asap ... the event is at the Courtenay Elks with doors open at 6:30 p.m. and dinner around 7:30 p.m. followed by awards ...