Probable Starters G. Clarence Stars vs. M. Ovsonka Cheifs 0-0 Record 0-0 0.00 E.R.A. 0.00 0 K 0 0 BB 0 0 HR 0

Once the elites of their respective divisions, the Stars and Dodgers endured forgettable 2005 campaigns while watching rebuilt teams and expansion franchises take the top rankings they once occupied.

Restored honor may be the underlying objective for both when the two nostalgic squads kick off the 2006 season at Ritson Park on Sunday afternoon.

The Stars, winners of back-to-back OSSBA championships in 2001 and 2002, finished up the 2005 regular season with their second consecutive losing record - going a woeful 7-18 before being swept out of the playoffs in embarrassing fashion by the Richmond Hill Phoenix. The Stars, who fell to the Bloor Jays in the first round in 2004, haven�t won a playoff series since 2003.

The Dodgers went through an extensive process in the off-season to change their look and team name from the Whitby Chiefs in an attempt to avoid confusion with a divisional foe.

But there was no confusing them with the Durham Chiefs in 2005.

The Dodgers were promptly displaced by the juggernaut Chiefs last season as the top team in the Walker division, finishing with a lackluster 13-13 record before being ousted by their main rival in the Walker Division final. It was only the second time in five years the Dodgers had not appeared in the OSSBA Championship.

Significant off-season pitching acquisitions have garnered optimism towards the 2006 season for the Stars, whose tattered and shallow pitching staff, coupled with shoddy defense, have prevented the struggling franchise from being a contender in recent years.

David Naismith, a Stars� 2004 draft selection, gives the club a much-needed number one starter to anchor the staff and will likely make the opening day start.

Naismith, whose only previous Stars� action came in a brief, eight-run appearance against the Dodgers (then Whitby Chiefs) on June 6, 2004, is joined on the roster by Matt Bellbeck, another promising pitcher expected to vastly improve the rotation.

Brooklin is likely to counter with 2005 all-starJeff Canning, who was also the Dodgers� opening game starter last season.

Canning�s last appearance against the Stars, a complete-game, five-inning effort, came in a 17-5 Dodgers� (Chiefs) rout on August 28, 2005.