Fans of the Weyburn Senior Beavers might notice a decrease in Canadian content this year, but more importantly, they're going to be fielding a team.

At the Beavers' AGM on Wednesday night, coach Bob Narkaus said they have about 15 players lined up for the 2005 season. That includes at least six U.S. players, and they're waiting on another U.S. addition in the form of a catcher out of Louisiana.

"So we're going to have a team," said Narkaus.

Because there's a big pool of imports, the Beavers are going to need a big pool of billets. If anyone's interested in hosting a player, secretary Jan Beahm said the team helps out each billet with a $300 monthly allowance and $50 in hamburger, noting also that players spend a lot of time on the road.

Although the American content will be up this year, Narkaus noted that many of the Canadian players are being scooped up by the other teams in the Western Major Baseball League (WMBL), especially those in Alberta.

The year of 2004 was a particularly brutal one for Weyburn, as the injury-plagued Beavers finished with only 11 wins in the regular season. Looking to 2005, however, Narkaus feels that the quality of this year's team is way up over last, noting that they have a lot more arms and some quality starters on their pitching staff.

"It's looking a lot more competitive," said Narkaus.

And the Beavers will need to be a lot stronger this year, as the league just keeps getting bigger. The Regina Red Sox and Edmonton Big River Prospects were announced before Christmas as the newest additions to the WMBL, joining Swift Current, Moose Jaw, Calgary, Lethbridge, Red Deer, Yorkton, Medicine Hat, Melville, Saskatoon and Weyburn. That's a field of 11 very competitive teams, making it arguably the best baseball league available in Western Canada.

The Beavers' 37-game schedule begins in late May with a road game in Regina on May 27. They then host two home games against the Saskatoon Yellowjackets on May 28-29.

President Garnet Hansen noted that, in the schedule, Weyburn will only play the Western Division (Alberta) teams once. Most of the Beavers' games in 2005 will be played within Saskatchewan, and many will be part of a series. For example, when Weyburn visits Saskatoon one weekend, they will stay to play two or three games.

"We've upped our overnights, but cut our travel down," he said.

With such a big league, travel costs were of course a big line item in the 2004 financial report, which was reviewed at the AGM. Between vehicle rental, meals, rooms and fuel, the Beavers spent just over $10,770; in 2004, that was roughly a fifth of the total expenses.

Turning to income, ad sales and season tickets were way up over 2003, with ad revenues growing from $18,345 to over $30,000, and season ticket sales increasing from $3,520 to $12,000.

Counting in some income received before the end of 2003, and some bills that were actually paid but accounted for in the 2004 financial statements, the Beavers actually made a profit of roughly $5,000 last year, said Hansen.

That may or may not sound like a significant amount, but one thing is certain: with the size and stature of the WMBL, it's growing increasingly difficult for the Beavers to compete with markets like Calgary and Edmonton, who have twice the operating budget. So every penny helps.

Hansen said they were discussing some kind of major fund-raiser in 2005, though didn't release any specifics. Beer sales were also tossed around as a viable fund-raising option, though it wasn't clear as to what municipal law stated about outdoor beer sales at ball games.

As with every year, the quality of the field at Tom Laing Park was a subject of heated discussion, especially the lighting. One executive referred to the ball park as the single worst in all the WMBL.

Finally, the Beavers noted with some sadness that one of their most reliable volunteers and vocal fans, Reinhard Eisbrenner, will not be helping them out as ball retriever in 2005, as he has moved to Regina.

The executive discussed supplying a lifetime pass to Beaver games for Eisbrenner, just as the Red Wings did.

"We'd certainly like to thank Reinhard for all his dedication over the years," said Hansen.