February 17, 2022

Official Toronto Maple Leafs News Release

TORONTO - The Toronto Maple Leaf Baseball Club is pleased to announce our organizational structure for the 2022 IBL season.

Ty Crawford, the team’s long-time legal council and former manager, will serve as Chief Operating Officer.

Damon Topolie, the franchise’s current general manager/field manager and 27-year veteran player, will return, adding the role of Vice President of Baseball Operations to his responsibilities.

Roger Lajoie, who was the public address announcer and statistician of the team from 1979 to 2013, returns to the fold as Vice President of Business Operations.

The trio combined has more than 100 years of experience in the IBL and will operate the franchise for the 2022 season after the passing of long-time owner Jack Dominico in January.

“We felt it was extremely important to keep the great tradition of the Intercounty Baseball League alive at Christie Pits,” Crawford said. “We were deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Jack Dominico earlier this year and we have made the collective decision to work together to ensure the team operates smoothly in 2022 in Jack and Lynne’s memory.”

Crawford is a former minor league baseball player in the Detroit Tigers’ organization and a former All-Star player in the IBL with the London Majors. Crawford also managed the Leafs in 1973 and 1974.

He has been the team’s legal counsel for many years and has also served as the franchise’s general manager.

Topolie has been a Christie Pits mainstay for decades and has played in the IBL since 1995. He was selected as one of the Top 100 greatest players in IBL history in 2018 and is second on the all-time IBL career hit list. He has been handling most of the day-to-day operations for the franchise during the past several seasons.

“Jack was one of a kind and he will never really be replaced,” Topolie said. “But I am delighted that Ty has agreed to lend his services to ensure a successful continued operation of the franchise and thrilled that Roger has agreed to come back to our team to help ensure IBL baseball continues at Christie Pits.”

Lajoie was the voice of the team for 35 seasons, starting with Jack and Lynne as a student and remaining in his role as statistician and announcer from 1979 through 2013. He has 42 years of experience in the sports industry, including current roles as Marketing Director of the Ottawa Senators and as one of the official scorers of the Toronto Blue Jays.

“IBL baseball is an important summer tradition at Christie Pits in Toronto,” Lajoie says. “I am pleased that Ty and Damon wanted me to return to help them make sure this great tradition continues in 2022 and that tradition will indeed continue this year.”

Plans are currently underway to modernize the operations of the franchise and provide local baseball fans with another great summer of baseball entertainment with a refreshed look.

More announcements on plans for the new season will be coming soon.