In the London Free Press, Morris Dalla Costa paints a bleak picture of the Canadian Baseball League, which can no longer afford to have its games broadcast on The Score:
The league isn't releasing attendance figures. While baseball box-scores are supposed to contain attendance figures, most of the CBL box-scores do not. It seems attendance figures only appear when more than 500 people attend a game.
Umpires are complaining they haven't been paid since the start of the season, and the league is making lame excuses. I'm not happy to have been right about this, but it was an ill-advised venture from the start. Whoever thought they would attract 2,500 fans a game was dreaming, though in addition to recycled "names" like Franciso Cabrera, there seems to be a smattering of talent. Calgary's 3B Galindo Gomez is hitting 397/466/681 with 9 HR in 116 AB, and teammate Jesus Matos has struck out 52 while walking just 4 in 56.2 IP.
Meanwhile, down at Christie Pits, the Maple Leafs, led by Rob Butler and Paul Spoljaric, have won 36 straight at home in the Intercounty League and deserve your patronage. With MLB taking the night off next Wednesday, July 16, I'll be at the Leafs' game against second-place Kitchener (a 7:30 start) and invite the local chapter of the ZLC to join me.
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20030709091141999