The absence of a junior team in the city forced the St. Albert Minor Baseball Association to apply for franchise status in the North Central Alberta Baseball League.
The St. Albert Junior Cardinals will make their debut this season after the NCABL voted to accept SAMBA's request to field a developmental team in what is billed as the most progressive baseball league in Alberta.
"The initiative started last summer, with the failure of the (St. Albert) senior Tigers to formalize their junior Tigers program last year," said SAMBA president Ed Ewasiuk. "We feel it's an integral part of our program, as well it provides the ability for players to play beyond the midget level and it also provides an opportunity for some who are playing ball in college the opportunity to come back in the summer months and continue to play ball."
The long application process for SAMBA was worth the effort.
"It means a lot to St. Albert minor baseball," Ewasiuk said. "We knew if we took the initiative and worked at it we would be successful. It just takes a little bit of effort and volunteerism so we're extremely happy that we were able to form the team.
"As well, with the introduction of this program, we wanted to start off on a very successful note. It's certainly a very well organized and structured league, so that was the primary reasoning for going into the NCABL."
NCABL commission Paul Riopel is thrilled to have a St. Albert team in the fold.
"Boy, am I happy. It's been a vision of mine for probably 20 years now," said the longtime NCABL mover and shaker and baseball enthusiast. "It's a wonderful, wonderful position for SAMBA to take because it basically augurs very well for their developmental program. It's going to keep more hometown boys in St. Albert."
Riopel said SAMBA did its due diligence to play ball in the NCABL.
"It's a year-long process, which goes from the inquiry stage to processing a series of documents. SAMBA, led by president Ed Ewasiuk, was very proficient in making sure that every detail of that application was filled properly and thoroughly," he added. "They made a tremendous presentation to the board of governors in April, which went into great detail about their program, their dedication and support of that program and they registered it as a full developmental program."
Ewasiuk said the Cardinals are focusing on players in the 19 to 21 age range and so far 15 to 20 are in the fold.
"We're going to have some older age kids up to 24-year-olds playing depending on the interest," he added. "We're also going to have a couple of under-age midget level players that were unsuccessful in making our triple AAA program but are keen on playing."
Riopel noted the average age in the NCABL over the last 20 years has dropped from 28 to 29 down to 23 to 24.
"We're no longer an old man's league. We're a very youthful league. That's what people fail to recognize and that's part of our success," he said.
Veteran skipper
The Cardinals' field manager is the legendary Ray Brown, a former minor league pitcher who is returning to the NCABL after a stint as the dugout boss of the Morinville Pioneers in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The part-time scout for the Seattle Mariners is the baseball development officer for the Oceania Region (1993 to present).
Brown is a former pitching coach for Cal-State Long Beach (1975-76), player/coach for the Edmonton Tigers Baseball Club (1977 to 1987) and head coach of the Alberta Baseball Association (1984 to 1987) and Professional Baseball Institute (1988 to 1983) and pitching coach for the Macerata Baseball Club in Italy (1990).
"We're very fortunate to have Ray step up and assume the role. He is certainly very well known historically through St. Albert and the Edmonton area. He is certainly going to bring a wealth of expertise with him," Ewasiuk said. "His name and bio certainly prompted a number of players to return (to St. Albert). He is certainly very keen on developing players and is more than willing to take on some of the younger age players as well."
The Cardinals will play ball in their inaugural season against the league champion Westlock Red Lions, Sturgeon Paladins of Bon Accord, Stony Plain Mets (formerly the Mayerthorpe Mets), Sherwood Park Athletics, Camrose Axemen (senior AA provincial semifinalists and league finalists) and four Edmonton teams – Athletics, Blackhawks, Indians (formerly the Legal Indians) and Warriors.
"The NCABL is officially recognized as a senior AA league. However, the top half of our league has over the last 10 years raised the calibre of play to such an extent that there is very little to differentiate senior AAA quality from senior AA quality within the NCABL. Therefore, what fans can expect to see is well played baseball and well managed baseball that is played at a very high amateur level," said Riopel.
He expects the Cardinals will be a team to fear by the end of the season.
"They will be starting with a very young club so I will dare say that it will take a little bit of time before Mr. Brown is able to shape them and mould them into a highly competitive team," Riopel said. "Knowing him as I have for the last 25 years, I know that they will be the kind of team when a Mr. (Gord) Gerlach was in charge (as a St. Albert coach). They will be practicing on a very regular basis. It will be entertaining baseball that is well played and well executed and as good an amateur level of baseball you will see anywhere in the province of Alberta."
This is the 46th year for the NCABL and plans are in the works for a gigantic 50th anniversary celebration.
"We've gone with the trends that have presented themselves, rather than battle against those trends and that helped sustained our vitality and our viability," Riopel explained. "In the first 25 years we were an established rural league, but with the migration of population towards the urban centres it dried out the product in the rural areas. We tried at first to combat that through an import program and for many years, about a decade, we brought in many players from California and other parts in the United States to maintain the quality but that was not sustainable and therefore we had to look to the urban areas. We went away from the unwritten understanding that we had between our sister league, the Sunburst (where the Tigers play) and ourselves, whereby they would not attempt to go north of St. Albert and we conversely would not make any attempts to go south of St. Albert. There were imaginary borders that had been maintained for about 25 years until the NCABL decided that it was time to challenge within the city of Edmonton. That sparked the beginning of the end for the Sunburst league (which is now run by Baseball Alberta) and it was the beginning of new revival of the NCABL.
"The NCABL will never be a province-wide league. It will always remain a regional amenity, but that is where we fit best."
The Cardinals play their first NCABL game May 8 in Sherwood Park against the Athletics at 7:15 p.m.
The home opener is May 14 against Westlock at 7:15 p.m. at Legion Memorial Park.
League games are seven inning affairs.
