To be the best, you've got to beat the best.
The schedule for the Toronto Maple Leafs' semifinal series versus the London Majors has been confirmed:
Game 1: Friday Aug 19 @ London, 7:35 p.m.
Game 2: Sunday, Aug 21 @ Toronto, 2:00 p.m.
Game 3: Tuesday, Aug 23 @ London, 7:35 p.m.
Game 4: Wednesday, Aug 24 @ Toronto, 7:30 p.m.
*Game 5: Friday, Aug 26 @ London, 7:35 p.m.
*Game 6: Saturday, Aug 27 @ Toronto, time TBD
*Game 7: Sunday, Aug 28 @ London, 7:05 p.m.
* If necessary.
London compiled a 27-9 regular season record and won the 2016 IBL pennant in a tiebreaker game over Kitchener.
They then trampled Guelph four games to none in their quarterfinal series.
The number that hangs heaviest over the Forest City, however, is 40. That's the number of years that have passed since they won the IBL championship.
When they last hoisted the trophy in 1975, baseball clubs had newsletters instead of websites. People used payphones instead of cellphones. The other Trudeau was prime minister. It's the league's longest title drought, and the Majors are sick and tired of hearing about it.
The Majors approached this season with a maniacal determination to shake that monkey off their backs. They play a methodical game. Noisy if necessary, but not necessarily noisy. Throughout the summer, they pursued the Panthers for the pennant and clinched it on the final day of the regular season (plus one).
In head-to-head matchups, London won this year's season series against Toronto three games to two. Both of Toronto's wins came on the road at Labatt Memorial Park, which bodes well. The world's oldest ballpark is sure to be jammed with local rooters, but the Leafs have won there twice this season and they'll have to do it again if they want to make it to the championship.
The Leafs offence will once again be powered by The Big Beasts, The Swinging Sixers, The Four Batsmen of the Apocalypse... [*runs out of breath*]. I mean Jon Waltenbury, Justin Marra, Johnathan Solazzo and Sean Mattson. Between them, they racked up 37 hits, 6 home runs and 25 RBIs in the first round of the playoffs.
The Leafs' outfield is defended by the trio of Grant Tamane, Connor Lewis and Brendan Keys, and the middle infield is anchored by Ryan White and Dan Marra. These dudes are solid. Everyone came up with critical stops during key plays in the quarterfinal.
The rotation of Justin Cicatello, Brett van Pelt, Marek Deska and Mike Wagner kept almost every game against the Brantford Red Sox close, which will be a valuable plus in the series ahead.
Having gotten past Brantford, folks in Leafland feel that the Tronnos match up well against the pennant winners.
The semifinal series begins tonight. Let's do this!
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