NDG’s sixth annual Robert & Steve Michelin memorial baseball tournament was played last weekend with a team from Vermont taking top honours for the first time.
With the two-time defending champion North Country Athletics from Philadelphia, NY, sitting this one out, the field was open and it was their American compatriots from the Green Mountain State who were the big winners, taking the title in a 2-0 win over Lac St. Louis last Sunday.
Vermont was solid throughout the weekend, going 3-0-0 in the round robin, allowing just four runs against and scoring 25 in the process.
They opened their tourney with a 6-0 win over Cornwall, followed by an 8-1 romp over perennial Quebec powerhouse Valleyfield, and an 11-3 ripping of South Ottawa.
For its part, Lac St. Louis was strong, going 2-1-0 with a 7-3 opening loss to Valleyfield followed by a 10-0 win over NDG and a 9-1 win over Cornwall.
Lac St. Louis opened the playoff round with a 15-5 elimination victory over South Ottawa, while Vermont knocked Cornwall out by an 8-1 mark, before winning the final 2-0.
Despite the playoffs and final being played at Côte St. Luc’s Pierre Elliot Trudeau Park, the tournament was hosted by NDG – who unfortunately did not fare especially well this time around.
The hosts were 1-2-0 in the round robin, with that 10-0 loss to Lac St. Louis, a 12-4 defeat to Cornwall, and a 7-5 win over South Ottawa.
“This tournament was started in 2004 to commemorate the excellent service of two devoted volunteer coaches, (Rob & Steve Michelin),” states the NDG Baseball website. “Both brothers passed away during the 2003 and 2004 seasons to the disease Cystic Fibrosis. This tournament is our way of thanking both brothers for their years of service.”
In other tournament news, the association will host its second annual Senior Classic this coming weekend, with games starting Friday night at both NDG’s Loyola Park and Trudeau.
The host team will open the contest that night at 8 p.m. at Loyola, playing the Cornwall River Rats, while Lac St. Louis will face the Montreal Titans at Trudeau, starting at 7:30 p.m.
The round-robin tournament with a playoff Sunday will also feature teams from Ottawa, Nepean and Kanata, Ontario, and St. Albans, Vermont.
As I write this column on the morning of the Alouettes’ pre-season finale against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Tuesday night, I’m excited to report that things look good for the team once again this year.
As always, the disclaimer here is that I work for the team as my fulltime job, but of course, my opinions here are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of the franchise.
Every year I am hopeful and feel good about the Als because of the team’s commitment to winning and its ability to execute that mandate.
This year is a little different, however, as one can’t help but feel good about a team led by a man like Marc Trestman.
The head coach and his staff have made some hard choices already, letting a couple of vets go including last year’s team leader in tackles, TJ Hill.
Hill was certainly a skilled player and may very well pop up with another club in the not-so-distant future, but the Als’ coaches decided they needed to make some changes on defence and had the moxie to make a move.
With Trestman and most of his crew getting set for their second CFL season together, the leadership of the Alouettes is as solid as ever and that should play out well in the locker room.
Couple that with the poise and talent demonstrated by the team’s veteran players and the enthusiasm of its rookies, and it should be yet another exciting year of Montreal Alouettes football.
On the other side of the pro coin in Montreal, the Canadiens were recently sold back to the Molson family after a little over half a decade under the direction of American George Gillett.
When Gillett first came to Montreal, fans and media were immediately furious that an American had bought the franchise and attacked him from Day 1 as a foreigner who would ruin the heritage of a great organization.
Well, Gillett turned out to be probably the best owner of the Montreal Canadiens in the last 30-40 years, showing a commitment to winning first, and to the heritage of a Quebecois and Canadian institution.
Now, let’s give the new coach, Jacques Martin, a little leeway and see what he can do. He’s been picked on and attacked from the day he was hired earlier this month… perhaps we can learn something from the Gillett story and give the guy a chance?
You can always reach me at noahsidel@gmail.com.
