February 06, 2010 - MSBL Night at the Orlando Titans Lacrosse game
Saturday night, the 20th of February is the night to check out the Orlando Titans Pro Lacrosse league vs the Boston Blazers. (cut and paste www.orlandotitans.com for more info) All CFL MSBL members receive $5 off per ticket, if the tickets are bought through me. But you only have until this Wednesday to commit. The Reds are going as a team, why don't you bring a friend, or family member, and join us?! Tickets are $25 each Lower Center, $20 Lower Corner, $17 Lower End, and $15 Upper. Just send me an Email at blevinsknows@hotmail.com and let me know how many you want, and what price, then pop me a check in the mail, made out to CFL MSBL, PO Box 4025, Apopka, FL 32712. I'll send you the tickets by return mail, or leave them at Will Call. We're even getting in game recognition! So have a fun night, support professional sports in Central Florida, and help support the Central Florida MSBL!

February 06, 2010 - Opening Day
Make your Valentine's Day plans, lets shoot for the weekend of the 20th and 21st as Opening Day for baseball 2010. We're still dragging some some payers, please take care of that at your earliest convenience, plus the 14th was a conflict for many of our most important fans; wives, and/or significant others, and it will give Field 2 another week to set up. I will release the opening schedule early next week in time for you to make your plans. Thanks for your patience and tolerance, it's always a battle to get started. I think with the chilly weather, the state of the economy, Super Bowl Sunday and Valentines Day and the new divisions, we hit a perfect storm of issues, but rest assured, we will be playing competitive baseball very soon!

January 24, 2010 - Still Want to Play?
Did you miss the draft and still want to play? We still have teams looking for players, but you better hurry, we are going to be playing ball in the next couple of weeks, and we don't want you to miss out!

January 18, 2010 - Inaugural 38+ Division Set to Go!
We are proud to announce the formation of a 38+ division with play to begin soon. Players turning 38 in 2010 and older are encouraged to attend the signup and draft this Sunday the 24th at 9:30, with a workout beginning at 10 AM. Disgruntled OSBA players are encouraged to attend, send a note to me via the FAQ button above, and I'll forward you more information. Let's play ball!

December 29, 2009 - Ready for some baseball??
Greetings, I trust everyone had a happy and healthy holiday. It seems a little odd to be talking about baseball in December, but the time has come to prepare for our 2010 spring season.

We want to get the season underway as soon as possible, in order to end before the rainy season starts in mid-June. The schedule will run as it has before, all Sundays between the end of January and the beginning of June, with the exception of Easter Sunday, Mother’s Day and Memorial Day. This year, we also have the unusual occurrence of the Super Bowl on the first weekend in February, and Valentine’s Day on the second Sunday. In order to keep our members out of hot water with families, wives and significant others, we will need to play abbreviated schedules on those dates, and the goal is to open play on the last Sunday in January, the 31st.

So this note is not as early as it might have first appeared. We have quite a number of interested players this time. In order to give players and teams more opportunities to get involved, I have secured two dates for the spring signup and draft. Sunday, January 10 and Sunday, January 23. I encourage all new players to attend the first draft, but some may choose to attend the second one. Pre-registration will start at 9:30 AM, with the workout to follow at 10 AM. As always, the goal will be to have players worked out and placed in a couple of hours.

In other news, we will now have an 18+ division, the inaugural incarnation of the MABL, Men’s Amateur Baseball League. I was approached by the Central Florida Baseball League to help in their efforts, and I agreed to help them. They also will bring a number of offerings to our membership that I think will enhance the experience for the players, the most innovative of which is hosting practice opportunities throughout the season, a topic of constant concern. I will post the information in the days to come. It also gives us an in-house group to play inter-league games with, and to share costs of championship games and All-Star game at premium facilities

Parity is always the goal, but I have developed a plan for the second-division teams to play for a championship of sorts. The only thing I don’t have is a good thing to call it yet, but a “B” champion will be played off and crowned this year, with the requisite awards. After everyone has played everybody once, and there are clearly teams who aren’t quite as competitive as the premier teams, those teams will have the opportunity to compete amongst themselves for a separate championship. That way, everyone goes into the season with the same chance at the championship, but when reality or circumstances happen, they can renew their enthusiasm with the goal of the secondary crown. A league T-shirt awaits the author of the best name for that. Email serious suggestions to blevinsknows@hotmail.com

Other news includes a return visit from our Dutch friends the Storks in late March, we hope to have a number of our players and/or teams get the chance to play some “Honkball” as they call it. Many of the veterans remember fondly the last time they were here 3 or 4 years ago.

Finally, for now, what will this all cost? All costs are the same as last year, with a couple of things going up slightly. With the economy in the state that it is in, the last thing players need is a bigger recreational expense hit. So how about a price cut? If teams will agree to carry another player, a 15 man minimum roster per team, then we can cut the price from $240 to $220, and actually provide more services than you received last year. I don’t think it’s a bad idea to have a longer bench, too many games are played with 9 guys, or even 8. Injuries happen, life jumps in, the ideal number is 12-14 per game, you need a scorekeeper, a foul ball chaser, and some players could use some time off from the field, despite protests to the contrary.

The 18+ guys will be paying $195, with 17 man rosters, and some concessions for trying out the MABL. Once again, if everyone waits until the last minute to pay, we have to delay the start of the season. So we’ll hold these prices until the 18th of January, afterwards the price jumps another $10. In another effort to augment the collections, there can be no refunds for injuries or other unforeseen circumstances, and no new additions to rosters may assume the paid slot of another player, they must be charged a prorated amount, to be determined. Players may mail their individual payments, made out to Central Florida Men’s Senior Baseball League (MSBL), PO Box 4025, Apopka, FL 32704. If funds are tight, players are welcome to use the credit card option on the PayPal button on upper left hand corner of this screen. Please include an extra $7.50 for PayPal's share. As an extra incentive for earlybirds to help with opening expenses, all players who pay before Jan. 9 will be entered into a drawing for a free Dinger Maple bat of their choosing from our local rep.

Looking forward to another great season, many more great things are being planned to enhance the league, hopefully people are getting the itch to get back out there. More soon!!

November 16, 2009 - Brewers Are the Champs!! Hall of Fame Inductees/ All Star Ga
The 2009 Fall baseball season came to a thrilling close Sunday, as Jose Rosado took his third seeded Brewers to the championship, defeating the #1 seed Lugnuts 13-4. Pitcher Joe DelValle shut down the vaunted 'Nuts bats, and the Brew Crew hitters broke open a close game.

Congratulations to the Brewers, winners in their inaugural season! The All Star game followed, and Dave Zembala of the Indians was the game MVP for the winners. Ellis Rodriguez of the Mets was MVP for the losing side.

Finally, the day wrapped up with the Hall of Fame induction at the Vineyard in Windermere, Dodger manager Rex Walker's place. 2009 inductees included Mark Hammond of the Asros, one of the great shortstops in league history, a player who hit for average and power for more than a decade, and a super guy. Jeff Albertson, who played earlier in the day for the Lugnuts, who continues to contribute to his team. He was a super catcher, a ripper at the plate, and one of the true ambassadors of the league. He was inducted along with his wife Wendy, his and our #1 fan who seldom misses a game, and has been a tireless advocate for us, rallying financial support for both tournaments and the league website through her association with BrightHouse Networks. John Needham was inducted as well, a manager who supported the league in so many ways, steadying the helm of the Astros, going into his pocket to rent Tinker Field on numerous occasions for drafts and other special events. He was a master of marshalling support among other managers for league improvements, and his quiet leadership will be missed.

What a great season! Thanks to all of the players, families and associates who made another season run so smoothly. We're already looking forward to another great year in 2010!!

July 19, 2009 - All Star game result
The National League beat the American League in a rain-abbreviated game played at Jay Bergman Stadium at UCF for the first time. Jared Bahnsen of the Cubs was named game MVP with two shutout innings and a two run triple. Mickey Bono of the Marlins added a two run go-ahead single. . Unfortunately the Hall of Fame induction ceremony and the Orlando Senior Baseball League/MSBL game were washed out. Check back for updates.

July 12, 2009 - TITANS ARE THE CHAMPIONS!!!!
The Titans are the champions of the Central Florida MSBL, sweeping the Black Sox in two straight on a steamy, soggy Sunday. Manager Jim Matoska rode the strong arm of Chris Brock, who worked deep into each game, and the offense got contributions up and down the lineup to score 20 runs combined against the vaunted Black Sox pitching staff. The Titans had been knocking on the door of a championship for the last few years, and Sunday the knock was finally answered, as the Titans unseated the 2008 champion Black Sox. Congratulations to the Titans for a season to remember, and thanks to all of our league members for another great season. Rest up, the fall season rolls around before you know it!! Details coming soon.