Congratulations to the D’Backs, the 1st place finishers in Division AAA! The D’Backs also finished first in 2016 and 2018. Sounds like a dynasty to me!

The Blue Jays finished in 2nd and the Twins in 3rd after last night’s play.

Therefore the Twins (3) will play the Red Sox (6) in the first round of the AAA Division playoffs tonight and the Yankees (4) will play the Braves (5) tomorrow night. All playoff ‘series’ are just one game this year due to the lateness of the season.

The second round of the AAA Division playoffs is scheduled for next Tuesday/Wednesday and the AAA Division finals will be next Thursday night.

Good luck to all!

Gary Paukert
CSMS League Communications

The Calgary Senior Men’s Slopitch League would like to express it’s heavy heart and condolences to the family of Al Fitzsimmons who passed away September 4th, and especially to our friend and team-mate Mike Fitzsimmons, Al’s son.

Al was deeply involved in our league, having played some 18 years from 2000-2017. In addition, Al worked to make our league great by being on the Board of Directors from 2006-2009.

It was a special and unique thing to have a father and son combination in our league, and both such joys to know and play slo-pitch with and against.

A Memorial Mass for Al will be held Friday, September 24, 2021 at 11:00am at St. Michael’s Catholic Community, 800-85th Street SW.

Al’s obituary follows, and can also be seen here:

https://www.simplycremations.ca/obituary/William-Fitzsimmons

As a reminder, we memorialize all CSMS League players who pass away under the ‘League History’ section of the website. Each year lists those we have lost and has a permanent link to their obituary.

The CSMS League would like the Fitzsimmons to know we are joining you in grieving the loss of Al.

Best regards,

Gary Paukert
CSMS League Communications
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William Allen (Al) Fitzsimmons passed away with a grateful heart and in peace on September 4, 2021, at the age of 88 years.

Al was born in Calgary and preceded in death by his parents James and Roselean Fitzsimmons and older siblings George, May, Margaret, Agnes, Elizabeth, and James. Al grew up in Bankview and attended Sacred Heart School and later St. Mary’s High School where he played hockey and football.

He married his love Dolores Deck in 1955 and together they celebrated over 65 incredible years forging many memories. They raised seven children: Michael (Teresa), Robert (Marie), Terry (Julie), Patricia (Simon), John (Carol), Thomas (Doneen), and Brian (Michael). Al’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren will dearly miss their gregarious, generous, and goodhearted GGpa, who has left them with a blueprint for a good life. He lived a life which exemplified total honesty, unwavering loyalty, and unconditional love.

_Apart from his family and friends, Al loved horses. He worked on the track grooming horses before taking on a career in the trades where he became a master plumber and gasfitter. Al retired from Fitzsimmons Plumbing after 30 years to enjoy time with Dolores, his family as well as his church and baseball community. _

While focused on family and faith, Al always gave his time and energy to make his community better. His hands and heart impacted many including the Scouts, Guides, Calgary Big League Baseball, Calgary Exhibition and Stampede, Springbank Park for All Seasons, St. Michael Catholic Community, Inn from the Cold, Calgary Drop-in Centre and so many more.

Al was also extremely talented with his hands as evidenced in his building of homes, garages, and furniture as well as carving (totem poles!) and making woodcraft and games.

In his final years, Al loved to be on the ball diamond. Whether at his home field in Charleswood or on the road in St. George, Utah, and spring training in Palm Springs, California, Big Al was still crushing and bare handing the ball even in his 80’s. It was off the field, however, where he found his greatest joy in his many treasured friendships.

Al’s family would like to thank the staff, volunteers, and medical team at Rosedale Hospice for their extraordinary care, comfort, and tenderness to him in his last days.

A Roman Catholic Mass of Resurrection will be celebrated on Friday, September 24, 2021, at 11:00 AM at St. Michael Catholic Community, 800 85 Street SW, Calgary, AB. With respect to current Covid-19 precautions and city bylaw, we anticipate the requirement to wear face coverings and no funeral reception.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to a charity of your choice in Al’s memory. Many of his special charities focused on the homeless including the Calgary Drop-in Centre

Hello League,

CONGRATULATIONS! to the Dodgers, the 2021 CSMS League ‘A’ Division Gold Medal Winners!

This week the Dodgers beat the Brewers 20-7 to grab the playoff gold, with the Brewers getting silver.

Meanwhile, in an 8-inning nail-biter, the Jays beat the A’s to grab the Bronze medals.

Well done EVERYONE in Division ‘A’ for prevailing through a second COVID year. Have a great off-season and let’s hope for a return to normalcy for the 2022 CSMS League season.

Gary Paukert
CSMS League Communications

Hi folks,

Dayball is cancelled for tomorrow. Part of the learning from our Grand Dayball Experiment this year is that Friday slo-pitch is a tough sell. In addition, we have two games per day Saturday and Sunday at the Mike Church Tournament. That would have been 8 games in four days. I know you guys are a buncha studs, but that’s a lot of softball.

We’ll see you Dayball guys at 10:00am on Monday. Remember Charlie 2 is now closed to us for Dayball and those games will now be at Triwood. Charlie 1 remains open.

Have a great weekend and be sure to come out to Triwood/Charleswood for the Tournament, Beer Garden, Food Trucks and Farmers Market.

Cheers,

Gary Paukert
CSMS League Communications

In the absence of any evidence of COVID transmission from the one infected league member, the CSMS League 2021 season will re-start tomorrow, Wednesday, September 8th.

The Division A and AA playoffs will resume. In Division AAA, the remaining rain-out games will be made up and the AAA playoffs will start Tuesday, September 14th.

The schedules on TeamPages are in the process of being updated, but contact your coaches to make sure you know when and where you are playing.

Dayball will continue until…it doesn’t, due to weather.

Please note that due to school now being back in session at the Senator Patrick Burns school, we no longer have access to Charleswood 2 during the days. All daytime Charleswood 2 games are moved to Triwood 1 across the parking lot from the Triwood Community Centre.

Cheers,

Gary Paukert
CSMS League Communications