Times Colonist from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada • 24

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2008 B8 timescolonist.com i WEB EXTRA: Ricciardi defends record after seventh straight non-playoff season Jays GM sees winning records of last three years and farm system that is paying dividends as signs of his accomplishment. Editor: Brian Drewry Telephone: 250-380-5344 E-mail: sportstc.canwest.com SCOREBOARD, B10 KAJCiI IIAGIE BASEBALL Toronto 8 Baltimore 7 Tampa Bay 10 Boston 3 Milwaukee 6 Chicago Cubs 2 BCHL Prince George 3 Quesnel 2 Times Colonist SPORTS ho baseball headed back to Victoria Golden Baseball League team expected to begin play in May at Royal Athletic players who manage or coach teams in the Golden league, including 1981 World Series MVP Steve Yeager of the Long Beach Armada, former National League all-star Mike Marshall of the Yuma Scorpions, former NL championship series MVP Jeffrey Leonard of the Reno Silver Sox and former U.S. Olympian and AL slugger Cory Snyder of the St. George Roadrunners of Utah. The Golden league is entering its fifth season and was founded in 2005 by two baseball-obsessed Stanford University students David Kaval and Amit Patel as a class project, backed by a group of investors that included Tim Draper, the father of viral marketing, Ross Peters of Ross Stores and Sta- have had their contracts purchased by major-league teams with those players placed on respective Triple-A, Double-AA, Single-A or rookie league teams.

Rickey Henderson and Jose Canseco are among the former major leaguers who have played in the Golden league. In the immediate previous attempt at pro baseball in Victoria, the Capitals were the surprise lone hit at the gate in, the Canadian Baseball League, which folded in the midst of its inaugural season in 2003. Other, pro baseball teams in the capiy tal were the Mussels and Blues of the Northwest League at RAP from 1978 to 1980 and thg New York Yankees' affiliate, Athletics and Tyees at RAP from 1946 to 1954. pies, Cisco Systems vice-president Kevin Outcalt and Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak. Calgary and Edmonton are currently the two Canadian franchises in the circuit, although the Edmonton situation has become unsettled.

The 2008 teams included Calgary, Edmonton, Long Beach, Orange County, Reno, St. George, Yuma, and Chico, Calif. Each team played 88 games in a regular-season running from May to Aug. 31. The 2009 schedule is not finalized.

The GBL is among seven independent pro baseball leagues in North America. Teams are not affiliated with major-league clubs but are another portal of development. The Golden league lists more than 50 alumni, who as soon as next season. Victoria and a B.C. Interior city, Kam-loops or Kelowna are tentatively expected to field franchises in the league in 2009." Albertan Darren Parker, whose father Russ Parker owns the junior hockey Regina Pats of the WHL and who also owned the Triple-A baseball Calgary Cannons from 1985 to 2001, was in Langford in January looking into the feasibility of a Golden league franchise for Greater Victoria.

The Edmonton Sun also reported earlier this month: "Darren Parker and his father CLEVE DHEENSAW Times Colonist Victoria will take a swing again at professional baseball next summer with a franchise in the Golden Baseball League. The Times Colonist has learned an expansion team will play at Royal Athletic Park, with an official announcement to be made Oct. 1. The story recently broke in the Calgary Herald, which reported: "The Calgary Vipers and Edmonton Cracker-Cats may have new Canadian rivals in the Golden Baseball League CANUCKS PROSPECTS CAMP Camosun College teams charged up rr r- i Russ are making their way to Victoria to start a Golden league franchise." Darren Parker refused comment when reached yesterday. The only new GBL franchise officially announced for next season is the former Triple-A Tucson Toros of Arizona, who will play at Hi Corbett Field, the spring training stadium of the Colorado Rockies.

The Orange County Flyers, managed by Baseball Hall of Fame member Gary Carter and coached by 1985 American League home-run champion Darrell Evans, defeated Calgary three games to two in the best-of-five 2008 GBL playoff final which concluded this week. Carter and Evans are among the list of former major-league not just a quick fix. He has to have No. 1 potential and must be a quality goaltender." Ellis's injury overshadowed a solid signing in the Albertan Wedderburn, who played last season for Cortina SG of the top Italian league. "He's a very, very good defenceman who was a key player on that Chicago Wolves team that went to the 2005 AHL Calder Cup final," said Morrison.

"He has family reasons for staying in Canada, although he will probably be seriously sought after when veteran spots open up on AHL rosters." Meanwhile, the Canucks broke prospects camp by inviting Victorians and draft picks Taylor Ellington and Dan Gendur to the main Vancouver train-ing camp this weekend in Whistler, along with former Salmon Kings defenceman Darnel Rahimi. While that was on coop l(( for players in different age groups will be announced at a later date. For more information on the camps, contact the Highlanders at 250-818-2280. It was a record day for -Victoria runners at last weekend's Land's End half- marathon and 10-kilometre event in Sidney. The 13th annual Land's End half marathon was won by Ian Druce of the Lions Gate Road Runners in 1 hour 13 minutes 8 seconds, but it was Victoria runners Dave Jackson and Cheryl Murphy who stole the show, setting new race records.

Jackson broke the Land's End 10-kilometre race record by more than two minutes, while Murphy erased the long-standing women's half marathon record also by more than two minutes as well. Both Jackson and Scott Simpson completed the 10-kilometre course that started and finished at North Saanich's Sandown Raceway faster than the previous record of 32:38. But it was Jackson's time of, 30:36 that won the race while Simpson, his Sauconyn teammate, had to settle for second just 11 seconds back; Patricia Roney topped the women's 10K field with a time of 38:03. Juliette Christie of Island Runner was second in 40:57. Taking third was 12-year-old Chloe Hegland of North Saanich with a time of 41:47.

Coming in behind half marathon winner Druce was Prairie Inn Harriers Nick Best and Shane Ruljancich respectively, in 1:16:08 and 1:17:18. Murphy's time of 1:17:34 deleted Ida Mitten's 1:19:56 time from the Land's End record book. Nancy Baxendale of the Prairie Inn Harriers was the second woman overall in 1:25:38. 1 Third was Erica Sumers in 1:32:16. More than 300 runners took part in the two races of the Land's End event.

If you have a name or a game that deserves recognition, e-mail us at: sportstc.canwest.com ARLEN REDEKOP, CANWEST NEWS SERVICE Victoria native Dan Gendur impressed the Canucks coaches so much at prospects camp that he was one of nine rookies invited to the NHL team's main camp which goes this weekend in Whistler. Ellis injury has S-Kings scrambling BRIAN DREWRY Names and Games bdrewrytc.canwest.com The Camosun College Chargers kick off their sporting season this weekend with a pair of fundraising events. First up is tomorrow night's annual Chargers Tip Off Dinner Fundraiser. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. at Helmut Cafeteria at the Interurban campus.

Special guest speaker this year is former CFL great Dave Cutler. For more information, contact Brett Westcott at 250-388-9807. Also beginning Friday is the annual Chargers Women's High School Volleyball Tournament. Twelve teams will battle for the title at St. Margaret's School, including defending provincial AAA champs Timberline of Campbell River.

Oak Bay, Spectrum, Belmont and Fleetwood of the Fraser Valley will also be in attendance. Action begins at 3 p.m. tomorrow and continues all day Saturday. The finals are slated for 3:45 p.m. on Saturday.

The Chargers women's basketball team gets its preseason start on Saturday with its annual alumni game. The tip off is at 7 p.m. Over the next three Mondays the Victoria Highlanders soccer club will be casting a watchful eye on the Island's best young players. The Highlanders, who will begin play in the United Soccer League Premier Development League next spring, are holding scouting and development camps at the new field at the Pacific Institute for Sports Excellence. The camps are open to players born in 1991 and '92.

Future camps oft at I Name: 5n; complete expected for Rahimi and Saanich Minor Hockey-product and second-round pick Ellington, the Racquet Club grad and seventh rounder Gendur, who increasingly appears as if he can play with the Moose or the Salmon Kings, was one of the revelation of the prospects camp. "He Gendur did himself no harm," said Morrison. "He's trying to get a contract and has taken big strides to secure one. We'll have to see what the Canucks brass thinks." Canucks-contracted Salmon Kings blue-liner Patrick Coulombe, swift on his blades but still inconsistent, and Victoria Grizzlies junior graduate defenceman Jordie Benn didn't get those precious invites to Whistler but will head to Winnipeg to attend the AHL camp of the Moose while forward Tyler Matheson will return to junior and the Grizzlies. cdheensawtc.canwest.com CLEVE DHEENSAW Times Colonist As a member of the Las Vegas Wranglers, AM Seitsonen scored some wonderfully dexterous goals against goaltender Julien Ellis of the Victoria Salmon Kings.

But none were more costly than the goal the sniper scored on Ellis this week during the Flames-Canucks prospects game in Camrose, Alta. In stretching awkwardly for the shot, Ellis sustained a serious high ankle sprain that will keep him out of action a minimum of eight to 10 weeks and dramatically alter the crease equation in the Canucks' minor-pro system. It was bad news in a week in which the Salmon Kings otherwise took a big skate-stride forward on the back end by inking six-foot-two high-impact defenceman Tim Wedderburn, who has played 293 games in the American Hockey League since graduating from the Prince George Cougars of the major-junior WHL. "We're definitely pursuing a goalie now and Manitoba Moose GM Craig Heisinger and I are discussing it this week," said Mark Morrison, Salmon Kings head coach and GM. "This is a huge blow to us but Julien will fight back for sure.

He has all sorts of talent and we've been waiting for him to have that professional attitude to battle through anything." But this wasnt the sort of battle Ellis, entering the third and final year of his contract with the Canucks, was expecting. "We're going to be short a goalie in the system for a couple of months, but we're not looking for just a quick fix," said Morrison. "The person we bring in has to be a guy who can play and GAS! me ana crop me I Peninsula Co-op! Listen to 1 00.3 TIibQ! to WIN A TANKER Day phone: Date o' birth: ULL OF Who hosts The ISoming Show?.