PAG1~ 4, W-bNEbÀ whitby Voice of the County Town Michael lai ERVING OVER 28,000 READERS in Burgess, Publisher-Managing Editor CommunIty Editor -Brian Wlnter Published every Wednesday Cotributing Editor - a iter Production Manager -Marie Burgess Print & Promotiona' by M.B.M. Publishingi Manager -Robin Ly.on. and Photography Inc.clCassified Ad Manager- -S. van Deelen Phone 668-6111 'circulation. Manager -usiaron Lyon Mailing Permit No. 460 The Free Press Building, Member of the: 121 Brock Stereet North, Better Business'Bureau of Toronto P.O. Box.206, Whitby, Ont. Whtby Chamber of The only Whitby newspaper independentuly owneaand operaiupVL. li ' y 1 -* l uJ -- - Medical secretaries invited to meeting Dear'Sir: Re: Medical Secretaries. The response to our last letter in your paper was most gratifying and because of the interest that was shown, we are calling a meeting to be held at the home of Sybil Creech at 401 Henry Street, Whitby, on Tues- day 15 November at 7:30 p.m. All Medical Secre- taires interested in having our own local group, are invited to attend. The parent group of Medical Secretaries was formed twenty-one years sronsered by and ago, with the support and backing of the Ontario Medical Association. The Fact that this parent group now has a family of twenty satellite groups in- dicates that we are filling a need and must be doing something right. Our aims are to update the skills and further the ed- ucation of Medical Sec- retaries. Show more than interest. Come and join us and be an active mem- ber. Yours sincerely, Sybil Creech, 401 Henry Street Whitby, 668-8618 Whitby basebalis iin serious trouble By NEIbMURKA The trophies and awards have been handed out, the bats have been put in storage, and the gloves have been oiled to wait another spring and another baseball season. For the boys in the Town of Whitby there will be another spring but there may not be anbther baseball season. Some will probably immediately claim this to be an irresponsible state- ment but those in the know on the local baseball scene rea- lize all too well that the Whitby Minor Baseball Association is in trouble, real trouble. At first this seems hard to understand with Blue Jay fever having caught on in Whitby as elsewhere, and with more aspiring young ballplayers roaming our streets with gloveand bat in hand than there has ever been before, and with baseball interest at an alltime height the local baseball association could be on the threshold of its greatest seasoi, but the record enthusiasm of the youngsters has been out- matched by record apathy on the part of adults who want their sons to play the game but who are themselves too sel- fish and unwilling to give up their time to help in the pro- gramme. Thisghas not been a good year for baseball in Whitby, and none are more aware of the shortcomings and problems than the members of the W.M.B.A. In nearly every case a critical shortage of volunteer help is the cause of the ills of the organization. In the past season clubs were without coaches, games were cancelled because umpires couldn't be found, contficts in scheduling occurred because some over- official just couldn't cope with the detail he had to admin- ister. What is happening to the W.M.B.A. is not new to sporting or any other kind of organization, but what makes it particulariiy painful is the fact that the association has had such top-flight years in its short history. The W.M.B.A. had its birth in 1969 in a situation the ironically parallels that occurring today. For many years the basebal Ractivity in Whitby had received the generous support of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 112, but a handfull of hardworking and dedicated workers were trying to operate with lîttie help and support from volunteers and although they worked valiantly baseballwas floundering. In the spring of 1969 a new group was formed, with the support and the blessing of the Legion, agroup of new and old faces, a. blend of experience and youthful enthusiasm, which is the mixture needed in a new organization. There By NEIL MIURKAR Public Relations Director Whitby Minor Baseball Association was a big job to be donc but the new group had the dedica- tion and spirit to take on the task. Registration had de- creased to only a few dozen, and the town's baseball dia- monds were in a pitiful state. Softball facilities had been maintained because there was a continuing softball pro- gramme, but the baseball diamonds had been neglected. Fields at Fairman School, at the north end of Centennial Park, at Peel Park, at Willow Park, at Blair Park, in Brooklin 'at the Senior School and in the Fairgrounds and at several schools were built from scratch or restored, and although there was some municipal assistance much of the actual manual, back breaking slugging was done by members and friends of the association. Countless hours of work went into making Whitby diamonds among the best in the area. and resulted on many occasions in the W.M.B.A. being asked to host important phiyoffgames involving clubs [rom distant points who had to meet for a final game or series on neutral grounds. In a very short time, with an explading registration, and a flourishing house league system, Whitby became the envy of other centres. In 1970 Whitby won an Ontario champ- ionship, repeated in 1972, and many times carried off East- ern Ontario titles. Along with outstanding success on the field, the organization functioned with tremendous success. Although there was never a surplus of help, there was al- ways an adequate number of highly enthusiastic volunteers, but then trouble slowly came into what had been a happy picture. Apathy and complacency had reared it ugly head among those who should be supporting the association, the parents of the boys who were enjoying the great game of basebail. t became increasingly difficuit to recruit coaches, officials and interested people to serve in an execu- tive capacity. Many different kinds of talent are required to operate a programme such as that of the W.M.B.A. Few new faces have come along to replace the old stalwarts who began to tire and lose their enthusiasm. As an example of the pliglit of the association the current Pres. Ken Mac- Donald who had been at the helm back in 1970 steppedin to assume the lead role once again tlis scason, o yterwise the organization might have foundcred. In May the W.M.B.A. Umpire-In-Chief Rod Fillier organized a clinic to instruct fledgling umpires in the rules of the game. The event was widely publicized and a plea was made for people to assist but not one soul appeared, and for this the fan must shoulder a major portion of the blame, because it has been the violent abuse handed by parents in the stands that has resulted in an almost complete drying up of the umpire pool. The association has tried to bring along a number of young officials, seasoning them in the lower ranks so that they would acquire confidence and experience, but this plan has been almost demolished by the umpire baiters who feel their seat entitles them to hurl a constant stream of abuse at officials. Among sports officials, the umpire is most vulnerable, because unlike the hockey or lacrosse referee who is involved in a fast moving game and who can moe out of range of obnoxious fans, the umpire is at the mercy of the neighbourhood loudmouth who can station himself directly behind the screen to hurl a torrent of abus and invective and it's almost humanly impossible to shake off some of the treatment. The umpÃring situation in Whitby is critical, and without the umpire there is no game, and it's too bad that the people who seem to delight in giving sports officials a bad time would realize this. Most umpire's are willing to accept the jibes of those who know what's going on, it's the people who really don't know what the rule book is all about who are the most annoying. The problems facing Whitby minor baseball are not in- surmountable, but they do exist and no longer can be ig- nored. To solve most of the ills will mean that a lot of people will have to switch from their "let George do it at- titude" and give of their own time. In the past weeks there has been a lot of behind thescenes talk about the futureof baseball in Whitby, several of th¯e present executive have indicated they are going to step aside andthey cannot be faulted for wanting to bow out, because they have devoted more than a fair share o f their time and energy. Th W.M.B.A. isholding its Annual Meeting on Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. in Whitney Hall at the Iroquois Fark Arena and it may well, be, that the most important day of the 1977 baseball season was not back in July or August, but on this November Sunday, because the turnout of this important event will be a fairly valid indication of how much interest there is in see- ing organized baseball survive in Whitby. LEST WE FORGE' NOV. Il NWM Umm m m %tPA hv Whithv-residents for Whitby residents. q ýss