The Barrhead Orioles are preparing for the upcoming North Central Alberta Baseball League (NCABL) this spring, by doing something unexpected, watching hockey.
On New Year’s Eve the Barrhead Orioles are inviting the community to come to the Roxy Theatre and watch the Canada-USA game of the World Junior Hockey Tournament.
Ryan Warehime, a third baseman with last year’s Barrhead Orioles, said the baseball team is hoping to capitalize on the popularity of hockey and the World Junior Tournament to help raise money for the local men’s baseball team.
Last spring, after a decade long absence, the Barrhead Orioles took the field to compete as part of the NCABL, something they hope to do again in 2015.
The NCABL is a AA Senior men’s amateur baseball league that has been in existence since 1968. Most of the teams are based in the Edmonton region and depending on how many teams there are in any given year, each team plays a 20 game regular season schedule.
Last year there were 11 teams, four of them based in Edmonton, while the other teams were in St. Albert, Sturgeon County, Camrose, Stony Plain, Sherwood Park, Westlock and Barrhead.
“Baseball has a long tradition in Barrhead, (winning the league championship in 1983). Until we dropped out of the league in 2003, Barrhead always had a senior men’s baseball team,” Warehime said, adding that unlike many baseball leagues the NCABL plays real baseball.
He said in recent years many leagues and communities have taken to play softball instead.
“We wanted to do something that was going to be fun for the community and be a bit of a fundraiser,” Warehime said.
Tickets for the game are $10 each and are available at Leon’s Carpet and Paint at 5132- 50 St and at Toivonen and Greilach Accounting 5015-50 Ave. Tickets will also be available at the door.
The event is licensed and a concession will be available as well. Because it’s a fundraiser, Warehime suggests people bring cash, because Interact will not be available. Doors open at 1 p.m. with the game starting an hour later.
“It will be a great event for the whole family and there is not a better place to watch a hockey game,” Warehime said, adding no matter how large a person’s TV is, it is probably not as large as the screen at the Roxy.
