Joey Payeur
A fledgling league’s main goals are to continue building in interest and viability.
The Rainy River District Women’s Fastball League fits the bill on both counts with its new season just around the corner.
Now entering its third year of existence after being dormant for 30 years, the league kicks off May 11 with two new squads in what has become a 12-team circuit.
The Fort Frances MudDogs and the Pinewood Diggers will join the fray for what RRDWFL president Candy Teeple hopes is the league’s best season yet.
“It’s important to have these new teams join, especially in the western part of the district,” said Teeple, who will be part of the inaugural Diggers’ team after two seasons with the Fort Frances Herricanes.
“I think even Emo could house a team,” she added.
“There’s so many players to pick from,” she noted. “But it’s also so hard to have nine players every game as the season goes on in some places.
“In the west end of the district, there’s still slo-pitch for women and they still have that beer league mentality, where you can play with just eight players and you don’t care if you don’t have a second baseman or not,” Teeple said.
“But I tell the girls once you play in our league, you’re not going to want to go back.”
The MudDogs, meanwhile, will make it three Fort teams in the league, joining the Herricanes and the second-year Fort Frances Juniors.
“It’s great that they came on board, although we would have taken just one new team if that’s what was happening,” said Teeple.
“The scheduling would have been a little bit of a nightmare but not so much.”
Led by the two-time defending champion Red Gut Babes, the league will feature a different format this season.
Each team will play each other once in what’s being called the “first round” of games.
After that, the squads will be split into two divisions based geographically in east and west regions.
Teams then will play once each within their own division, with all teams then reseeded by their records in advance of the playoffs—much as it’s done by the men in the Rainy River District Fastball League.
“It will give the teams a bit of a break when it comes to not having to drive so much in the second half [of the season],” Teeple reasoned.
“We figured let’s just try it this year and see how it goes.
“I think the calibre of ball in both divisions is very balanced between the two,” she added.
“That’s especially important for the new teams so that they’re not getting spanked every game.”
The league also will hold its second all-star game this season, which Teeple hopes can be done in conjunction with the men’s one.
“We’re going to have it in Stratton and we want to try to have ours on the same afternoon as the men’s and have both games there, maybe on a Sunday afternoon,” said Teeple.
“It would make the day more of an event for everyone—the players and the fans.”
And as always, Teeple is crossing her fingers that Mother Nature is a fastball fan.
“There’s a lot of breath-holding when it comes to the weather,” she conceded.
“Last year was brutal weather-wise and with 12 teams now, we don’t have room in the schedule for too many make-up games.
“We had kids going back to school and parents getting back into school mode,” Teeple noted.
“We can’t go as late as we did last year.”
But Teeple said the enthusiasm among players in the league is as strong as ever.
“I heard through the grapevine the girls were out having scrimmage games already,” she enthused.
“There are even some going to the Manitou gym to get some throwing in.”
Meanwhile, Teeple is encouraging anyone who hasn’t seen the league in person to give it a try.
“Come out and watch,” she urged. “They will be surprised at the good calibre of ball we have.
“It’s a nice evening out and there’s no charge.”
