In the interest of friendly geographic rivalry, I am pleased to announce the First Annual Maxwell Weiss Jr. Rocky Mountain Classic – an extracurricular Cup Challenge style competition between the three Western Canadian clubs in the BBA: the Vancouver Mounties, Calgary Pioneers, and Edmonton Jackrabbits. Named for Maxwell Weiss Jr., a well-loved catcher who is without question the greatest ballplayer to come out of Western Canada, the competition will highlight the tenacity, hard work and excellence that mark baseball on both sides of Canada’s Rocky Mountains.
This competition will be played out concurrently with, and as part of, the regular Brewster Baseball Association schedule. The games between these three teams, however, will have added drama as they will also decide the winner of the Maxwell Weiss Jr. Rocky Mountain Cup.
Format:
Qualifying for the Maxwell Weiss Jr. Rocky Mountain Classic will take place in the first portion of the regular season schedule, during which each team plays four games at home and four games away against each of the other competitors – that is, eight total home games and eight total road games, for a combined total of sixteen games each, played between April and July.
CGY@EDM, 4 games, April 16-19
VAN@EDM, 4 games, April 24-27
VAN@CGY, 4 games, May 25-28
EDM@CGY, 4 games, June 11-14
EDM@VAN, 4 games, June 20-23
CGY@VAN, 4 games, July 23-26
At the end of July, the two teams who win the most of these games will advance to the Maxwell Weiss Jr. Rocky Mountain Classic, also to be played as part of the regular season schedule. Any ties will be broken first by head-to-head record, and then by run differential.
The Maxwell Weiss Rocky Mountain Classic will be played on the following dates, depending on which two teams qualify:
CGY@EDM, 4 games, August 9-12
VAN@EDM, 4 games, August 18-21
VAN@CGY, 4 games, September 17-20
Unfortunately one of the teams will be stuck on the road, but that’s unavoidable (and will even out over the long run as random schedules are generated going forward).
This tournament will be played for the glory of it all -- and while it of course could never compete with the Landis Memorial as a prize, I hope it can give our three teams something secondary to care about over the course of a long season. In addition to that, however, I would like to put up a small prize of $1,000,000 to the team that wins the whole thing -- assuming the governing board lets me, of course.
Game on, gentlemen.
