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Canada‘s oldest baseball league is on the verge of striking out and there‘s nothing anydne can do to stop it. The imminent demise of the 68â€"yearâ€"old Inter County Major Baseball League came one step closer recently in Hamilton at a press conference introducing southern Ontario‘s second entry in the New Yorkâ€"Penn League â€" the Hamilton Redbirds. An affiliate of major leaghe baseball‘s St. Louis Cardinals, the Class A Redbirds flew north this winter from their previous nesting grounds in Erie, Pennsylvania. Toronto Blue Jays were the first majorâ€"league club to set up shop in Ontario with their St. Catherines entry in the NYâ€" Penn League. The Newark, N.J., franchise is expected to make a similar move in the next year OpJwo â€" likely to Welland. Another bigâ€"league club has i\f:yes on Niagara Falls. Closer to home, the Detroit Tige®s are apparantly interested in moving a Class A team to London, and although unconfirmed, Inter County League Commissioner Paul Collins says another team has approached Kitchener. Should all these possibilities come tq fruition, the Inter County League will have no other option but to roll over and die. Collins is obviously worried. "It‘s great for the sports fan," said Collins, "but it‘s going to kill amateur ball in Canada. We simply can‘t compete on a dollar basis with the big league clubs." Competing on a talent basis may be a different story. The big difference between Inter County and Class A ball is pitching. Class A has it, Inter County doesn‘t. The Inter County hitting is slightly superior though. Hamilton‘s Class A Redbirds and Inter County Cardinals are expected to play an exhibition contest in lateâ€"spring and maybe then we‘ll see what the best value is for your hardâ€"earned entertainment dollar. Reasons for the northern migration are obvious. First off, an Americanâ€"based team sponsoring a Class A club to the tune of $100,000 per season is suddenly able to translate that into Canadian dollars. The team either gets more for its money or is able to cut back without affecting the minor money or is league club. Secondly, and most say this is the key reason, is Canada‘s lenient rules regarding foreigners. According to Collins, the United States® government allows each team to carry approximately 25 nonâ€"Americans in their organization. By moving a team to Canada you still get the 25 foreign players south of the border, plus you can field a team of nonâ€"Ameriâ€" cans (or nonâ€"Canadians) in Canada. All of a sudden you can carry about 50 nonâ€"Americans in an ( rganization of approxiâ€" mately 180â€"200 players. I 1 1 . â€" 1 use m k Oaie Li hob ds lc ts diccts d css Abtutat The St. Catherine‘s entry is comprised mainly of Latin Americans from‘countries such as Venezuela, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. The team was required to add a Spanish translator to its payroll as a result. A third reason â€" proven by the City of Hamilton â€" is the way in which Ontario municipalities are reaching out to the American teams with open arms. Hamilton will spend more than $300,000 to renew Bernie Arbour‘ Stadium for the Redbirds‘ homeâ€"opener. The Redbirds will be the stadium‘s prime tenant and have first crack at the facility at all time. Because the NYâ€"Penn League plays everyday from the beginning of June to the beginning of September, the Inter County Cardinals could be forced to play all rainout and playoff games on the road. Unfortunately for Collins and the league under his crown, muncipalities would be crazy not to encourage American investment in their communities. Not only would the home and visiting players be spending money, but the team would actually be able to pay rent for the stadium they use. Many Inter County teams are given a free ride simply to keep the stadiums from turning into white elephants. Then there‘s the attendance. Class A ball could likely fill stadiums â€" at least partially â€" on a dayâ€"today basis. A typical evening at Bechtel Park on the other hand usually has more players on the premises than spectators. The key areas to watch are Kitchenerâ€"Waterloo and London. The relocation or establishment of Class A ball in either of these three centres could spell disaster for Canadian amateur ball. Historically the soundest entries in the Inter County league, the loss of either Kitchener Panthers or London Majors could in itself be the end. The end of the Panthers would mean the end of Waterloo Tigers and the loss of the Majors would halt operation of St. Thomas Elgins. Realizing there is very little he can do about the situation, Collins has sent a letter to Canada‘s Minister of Fitness and Sport Otto Jelinek, letting him know of the concerns. Even at that, Collins admits his situation is like hitting a deep fly ball into a strong wind. It will likely end up as a long, loud out. â€" m 0s w2 uk en s OuE. I for one hope the wind changes direction and Canadians are given a chance to play higherâ€"calibre ball in their own country. â€"with Mark Bryson Rookies Brad Haelzle (left) and John Williams have been making major contributions to the Siskins on the ice and even try to do a little singing on the side. Mark Bryson photo As planned, the two Waterloo Siskins‘ rookies showed up at the local Adult Recreation Centre to join their teammates in a round of Christmas carols. Upon arrival though, they noticed they were the only two to show up at the preâ€"arranged time. Mark Bryson Chronicle Staif Brad Haelzle and John Williams spent a very unusual Christmas Eve together. _____ _ o They must of showed up at the wrong time, they thought to the themselves. Fifteen â€" minutes passed...half anâ€"hour...a full hour...an hourâ€"andâ€"aâ€"half. Something must be wrong, they finally concluded. A curious worker at the rec centre, puzzled by the lengthy presence of the two 17â€"yearâ€"olds, finally broke down and asked why they were hanging around. question. "Would you two be rookies by any chance?," she asked with a growing smile. That‘s when the pair finally clued in. ‘"When she asked us whether we were rookies, we just looked at each other and laughed," said Haelzle prior to Sunday night‘s 7â€"4 win over Kitchener Bs at Albert McCormick Arena. ‘"We got got," chimed in Williams. Getting "got" is a part of dayâ€"toâ€"day life for a rookie on the Midwestern Junior B hockey league‘s top team, but as any player will tell you, there‘s a time for joking around and a time to get serious. flAfié;explaining their situation â€" still in the dark â€" Haelzle and Williams finally figured out what was going on when the worker asked one final _"The veteran players have some fun with us#tom time to time," said Haelzle, "but they‘re also there to help us out." _ o _ "From what I‘ve heard about other teams in the league, rookies and veterans go their separate ways. It‘s not like that in Waterloo." Haelze and Williams, both students at Bluevale coilegiate and graduates of the Waterloo Minor Hockey system, have logged their fair share of iceâ€" time recently as the Siskins have been hampered by Springsteen look out: Siskins‘ singing skaters injuries and suspensions. As is often the case, the two have flourished as a result. â€" _ ‘"We‘re domg a bit of everything these days, but it‘s a lot more fun playing than sitting on the bench," said Williams. fal ‘"We‘re even killing penalties and that‘s someâ€" thing I‘ve never done before." Williams was a winger with last year‘s Waterloo Chevy‘s major midget allâ€"Ontario championship team. Haelzle played centre with the minor midget Rebels. It was the first year the two close friends had ever played on different teams for as long as either can remember. But they‘back together this season, and by all accounts, are performing to preâ€"season expectations. "Both of them have their own strengths and weaknesses," reports Siskins‘ coach Gerry Harriâ€" gan. "‘They‘re both very strong offensively but in different ways. Johnny is a corner man and Brad‘s more of an openâ€"ice skater." _ We didn‘t know how much ice time they‘d get at the beginning, but because of suspensions and injuries, they‘ve stepped in and done a good job for us." What Harrigan didn‘t go into great detail about was the defensive skills of his two rookies. That‘s not to say he hasn‘"‘t mentioned it to them. "He‘s let us know about our defensive work a few times and we‘re really working on it," said Williams, who according to league statistics, has scored 12 goals and 17 assists in 30 games. Haelzle has chipped in with eight goals and seven assists. Eooo oe P s um ies oi s e O Both appear to have made the transition from midget hockey rather comfortably and appear ready to make a significant contribution to the team as it continues its quest for first place. _ vfi;;.t“;uez;: will be even more important for the two, as both hope to obtain hockey scholarships for their efforts. â€" s "All we‘re thinking about now though 18 | this team in any way we can," said Haelzle And u;r.}.l-a;): somewhere in the back of their minds, looking forward to sending a couple of next year‘s rookies on a singing engagement. about now though is helping