The CMBA is the progression of the old Winnemac/Riis Park Twilight league, which had flourished for many decades. After the 1993 season, our league president and his team left to join another league. The teams that remained had a meeting, and decided not only to continue the league, but to forge a new and dynamic one. We changed the game format from week nights only to a full Sunday thru Saturday slate, eliminating the problems of competing in separate weekend and week night leagues. Teams would not be required to possess their own field. Our league by-laws were clarified and updated to better serve this new association.

Each season has been fun and competitive, and every new year can bring new ballclubs and sometimes new fields. Starting with 6 teams in 1994, the league had grown to 15 teams for 2003. Since that season, the league determined to limit its membership to 12 teams to better serve the league. Each team typically averages 3 games per week, usually at least once on a week night and once or twice on weekends, for a total of 27-32 games. The advantage to this type of schedule is if you are rained-out on a day, you don't have to wait a week to play again. Also your players stay sharp and prepared, and playing time can be more easily administered throughout the season, as opposed to the purely recreational weekend only leagues. Game times for week nights are 5:50PM (twilight games), and weekend times vary from the morning to the late afternoon. Our season starts in mid-May and ends in early to mid August (in order to allow college players to participate fully). We hold our championship series at Grosche Field in Waukegan, a superb lighted facility. Unlike some johnny-come-lately leagues, ours is not-for-profit. All of your teams league fee (around $1000) goes to that baseball season. We play American League rules with a couple of exceptions, no funky defensive/offensive lineups or free substitution in this league. We realize that most skilled players want to play true competitive baseball, not glorified little league.

With the exodus of most of the Chicago area baseball to the suburbs, we feel that it is important for us to maintain baseball in the City proper. To try and maintain a week-in week-out league in the far suburbs would be difficult, and would involve much long distance traveling in rush-hour traffic. The travel times encountered in getting to many of these distant suburban fields are prohibitive for many, and to have a nearby league is a blessing for these players. Some leagues focus on all the "gift wrapping" of baseball, sacrificing a full competitive schedule and common sense, and their high league fees reflect the cost of these far-flung, expensive facilities. We are an age 18 and over league made up of amateur players seeking the best that we can get in the city & nearby suburbs. Our fields vary from excellent to adequate, we realize that a more convenient location can sometimes be more important than a distant gem. We are not about "driving many miles to find a game has been rained-out", or "$4000 league fees", or becoming "Chicagolands largest amateur baseball league". We are all about quality competition, less travel time, great organization, a full competitive schedule, the best city and nearby suburban fields that we can get, and keeping our league costs low. So to conclude, if it's bells and whistles you want in a league go elsewhere. If it's a tough, competitive season of baseball you expect, welcome home.

Regards,
R. Markowicz
Association President