All of the Valley East Minor Baseball teams, with the exception of the T-Ball division, will be in action this weekend during the annual  House League Participation Tournament. Games will be played at Elmview, Farmdale, Blezard Valley and Confederation ball fields.

This year there are 18 teams consisting of boys and girls from 6 years of age to 17. As well there are travelling teams at the Mosquito, Pee Wee, Bantam, Midget and Elite (Junior) levels.

Yolanda Winfield convenes the T-Ball Division which consists of 4 teams of 6 and 7 year-olds.

Convenor of the 3 team Rookie Ball Division is Rick Wadge.

The 4-team Mosquito Division is convened by Marianne May.

The four teams in the Pee Wee Division are convened by Bob Bellrose.

Finally, the 3-team Bantam Division is convened by Claudette McDavid.

Once again, the Honda Hit Run and Throw competition for boys and girls aged 13 years and under will be a high point of the baseball season. The event takes place on June 11 for Mosquitos; June 14 for Rookie Ball; June 18 for Pee Wee; and June 21 for T-Ball. Winners of the skills competition will travel to Timmins in early July to compete in the Northern Ontario Regions to win a chance for a trip to the finals in the Sky Dome.

Local baseball fans should also make a note on their calendars to take in one of the excellent games being played by the Desjardins Food Basics Vipers Junior squad. They began their season in Timmins on May 26 and 27, opening the season with an 8 - 1 victory over the Sudbury Lakers. They also took losses against Sault Ste. Marie (4-0) and Timmins (16-12). During the June 2 weekend, the Vipers travelled to the Sault for a double-header, losing both games by close margins of 3 to 1 and 6 to 5. The season home-opener will be June 16 at Confederation Ball Field. They will play at 1:00 p.m. and 4 p.m. with Timmins Whiskeyjacks as the visitors. Team sponsor, Desjardins Food Basics will provide a free pop and bag of chips to each child wearing his or her minor baseball shirt in attendance at the game. The next time the Juniors will play in the area will be on June 29 in Sudbury and then again on August 4 at Confederation.