Team History
The team was organized by visionaries Kerry Felstead and Rob Walters in 1995 after the Niagara Parks League was no longer a challenge.
Then known as the Greasy Infomaniacs (a combination of Parks Information and Queenston Heights Sanck Bar employees, with a few Maid of the Mist ringers), the team generally won by margins of 25+.
The next summer as Kelly's Place was under renovations, the team signed a small contract with the Cairn Croft Hotel and thus formed the "Croft Cubs" which participated in the
Regency Slo-Pitch League. The team finished their first year in the middle of the pack, including a quick exit in the playoffs.
The following year again as the CUBS, the team finished in the middle of the pack, but then gained momentum in the playoffs. That season the team finished as Playoff Finalists.
After that second season, the team was signed by the newly renovated "Kelly's Winghouse" as majority sponsor, thus forming the...
KELLY'S RED WINGS
That first year representing "Kelly's", was indeed the teams breakout year. The team captured both the Regular Season and Playoff Championships. That success carried over the following season.
Again the team captured the Regular Season Championship. Unfortunately, injuries to key players in the Playoffs lead to an unexpected early exit in the playoffs.
For a report on the '99 season click on 1999 Full Season Report
In the 2000 season a number of team records were broken. The team captured the regular season crown and were playoff finalist.
For a report on the 2000 season click on 2000 Full Season Report
The 2001 season started slowly for the Red Wings as they struggled to find their stride. The finished the first half of the season with a record of 7-7. They finished the second half on fire going 11-2-1, giving them the Regular Season title thanks to a tie in their final game. They cruised through the playoffs winning the Playoff Title to finish the season with a 21-10-1 record.
For a report on the 2001 season click on 2001 Full Season Report
The 2002 season was a season to forget. The Wings struggled from the very beginning and finished with an 8-19-4 record. The team was without their star 1st baseman for almost the entire season. That coupled with a line-up that differed from night to night, caused inconsistencies in team play.
The Wings did have a consistent showing from the roster in the playoffs and managed a few upsets in route to their third place finish. They were 2 runs shy of making a thrid straight appearance in the Championship Finals.
For a report on the 2002 season click on 2002 Full Season Report
The 2003 season started off with a bang with a season opening win by a score of 22-3. A few wins here and there and the next thing you know the Wings ended the season with their best record ever...25-6, with two losses being forfeits. Included in the 25 win season was a new first for the team. To win the regular season Championship, they had a one-game showdown against Twilight Zone. A 14-2 victory allowed the team to capture their 5th regular season title in the franchises brief history. With the win also came a bump up to the "D" division for playoffs. The team advanced through the double-knock out format and pulled off some upsets including sending the second seed home packing for the year. A loss in the semi's ended the Wings very successful year.
For a report on the 2003 season click on 2003 Full Season Report
2004 saw a return to the "D" Division. The team started out as the Kelly's Red Wings. Kelly's Winghouse went under half way through the season leaving the team without a title sponsor. Luckily, Mac O'Rooney's picked up the sponsorhip of the team for the remainder of the season.
The team flirted with the .500 mark for most of the season before going in the tank to finish with a 14-20-3 record, including a huge upset win over Zapp, a team which they had never beaten in 3 years.
In the playoffs, the team went on a tear and ended up in the semi-finals, before being knocked out.
The team headed into the 2005 season without a sponsor as Mac O'Rooney's closed.
However, Sinclair's Eatery and Sport Bar opened in the old Kelly's Winghouse, and the team was picked up thanks to owner Chris Vandermeer.
And so, a new page in slo-pitch history is opened with the formation of the...
SINCLAIR'S SAND GNATS
The 2005 season saw a major turn over for the team. The team welcomed 3 new players to the fold, and all three had an impact on the season. The team finished 13-18 in the regular season (good enough for 12th out of 16 teams), before rattling off a 5-1 record in the playoffs to earn the PLAYOFF CHAMPIONSHIP. 2005 Full Season Report
The 2006 season was the Sand Gnats second season sponsored by Sinclair's. The team had very little player turn over from 2005 team. The team started out strong going unbeaten in their first 6 games, en route to a 17-10-1 record overall, good enought for 5th place. In the playoffs, the Sand Gnats once again showed why they had won so many championships. They went a perfect 5-0 in the playoffs, knocking off #1 seed Sin City in the Semi-finals, and again in the Championship Game. The Sand Gnats won their second straight playoff championship, and ninth overall title. 2006 Full Season Report
CASA D'PIZZA SAND GNATS
The 2007 season saw a sponsorship change from Sinclair's Bar and Eatery to the more popular Casa D'Pizza.
The season started out promisingly as the team ended July with a 11-4-1 record. The wheels fell off in August as the gnats went winless through August. They ended the regular season with a 13-15-2 record which relegated them to the "B" Flight Playoffs. The Gnats cruised to the "B" Championship where they fell victim to Somebuddy's in two straight games.
2007 Full Season Report
TEAM M.V.P.'s
1995 - George "The King" Saddler
1996 - George "The King" Saddler
1997 - Dan "Cotton Top" Nywening
1998 - Chris "Pop Up" Shickluna
1999 - Duane "The Franchise" Kemp
2000 - Duane "The Franchise" Kemp
2001 - Duane "The Franchise" Kemp
2002 - Chris "Pop Up" Shickluna
2003 - Duane "The Franchise" Kemp
2004 - Ryan "Hodgie" Hodges
2005 - Kyle Lentz
2006 - Kerry "White Jeter" Felstead & Josh "Mr. September" Gullion (tie)
2007 - Kerry Felstead
Back to Main page
