London Majors Hope to End Championship Drought
By Matt Betts
Canadian Baseball Network
It’s been 43 years since the Intercounty Baseball League championship has been celebrated in London, Ont.
The franchise was founded in 1925 and has won 12 league titles but is searching for its first since 1975. Along the way they have been crowned as the London Cockneys, Silverwoods, Army Team, Pontiacs and Majors.
The Majors play their home games at historic Labatt Memorial Park. The stadium is Canada’s oldest continually used ballpark. The first game was played on May 3, 1877. Overall, twenty of the Top 100 players of all-time have played in London.
Top 100
Said to be an iron man of his time, Arden Eddie has done it all for the Majors. On top of playing he has also managed, been the general manager and owned the team. Eddie amassed a 36 year IBL career, 32 as a player from 1967-1999 and 27 as an owner from 1976-2003. He played in 834 career games. Over that span he walked 668 times and stole 170 bases. He has been inducted into both the London Sports Hall of Fame and the Wallaceburg Sports Hall of Fame.
Since coming north from Georgia, Cleveland Brownlee has become one of the most beloved players in franchise history. From 2010 to the present day Brownlee has used his infectious smile and physical strength to both engage and intimidate people around the league.
Brownlee played his collegiate baseball at Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia. From there he suited up for seven games with the Alexandria Aces of the Continental Baseball League in 2009, hitting .200 with an RBI. Since joining the Majors to start the 2010 campaign he has played in 393 games and hit .308. He has launched 93 home runs and driven in 369. His current hit total sits at 472.
Catcher Wayne Fenlon (1966-1988) and pitcher John Faragher (1982-1998) were also notable London players to crack the Top 100.