As the sun shone down from a near cloudless sky, the stands and hills overlooking Christie Pits were packed with rowdy blue and white clad Leaf supporters all hoping for a repeat of last year's championship title - and perhaps a glimpse of the six Baseball Hall of Famers present to mark the occasion Sunday afternoon.
"Anniversaries are a time to celebrate, especially when you get up to the big 40th," said club vice president Lynne Dominico, noting in her 2008 report that this year's anniversary season opener was made even more special by the presence of baseball greats Fergie Jenkins, Gaylord Perry, Bob Feller, Robin Roberts, Monte Irvin, and Ralph Kiner.
"It's a time to look back and remember the past...the people who have always been the most important: the players, the support staff and the fans that have been with us since the very beginning."
As those very fans clambered to get balls and programs autographed, the Leafs, helmed on the mound by rookie pitcher Drew Taylor, got off to an early lead against the Baycats in the bottom of the second inning with an RBI by Gamin Teague.
Barrie rallied in the fifth, tying things up with an RBI double off the bat of Glen Jackson. Two runs in the sixth inning sealed the win for the Leafs, despite a solo homerun by Barrie's Todd Betts in the ninth.
The Leafs triumphed over the Baycats by a score of 3-2.
"Good sportsmanship is great, but winning does beat losing," Dominico noted.
Not that the Maple Leafs have always done so. In 1969, when Dominico and husband Jack first acquired the Leafs and entered the IBL, the team finished in last place with a record of 5-23. But within three years they brought home to Toronto their first pennant and their first championship, and in their 39 seasons on the diamond they've won a total of eight championships and 20 pennants.
"Show me another Toronto sports team with a record like this," challenged the late, great sports writer George Gross, who, before his death in March, wrote a tribute for the Leafs anniversary for the game day program. "This year, going into their 40th season, Jack and Lynne are looking forward to yet another successful season, which would make their 40th anniversary so much more memorable," wrote Gross.