With the weather finally coming around, it is time for the annual Investors Group Yew Bat Baseball Tournament.

In its eighth year, the tourney brings together 10 teams (including Victoria, Burnaby, and Sointula) for four days of "real" baseball. Seven teams from the Komoux Masters Real Baseball League round out the schedule. Four teams will be in the 45+ division, and the other six teams will play in the 35+ division.

Games began Thursday evening at Highland Field, with the Griffin Cubs and Happy鈥檚 Source for Sports Indians going at each other. Today (Friday) at the host fields of Bill Moore Park in Courtenay, the action starts at 5 p.m. with the Cubs and Burnaby on the smaller #1 field to the south, and Victoria versus the Blue Jays on #2. Games continue with two more games at 7:30 at Bill Moore under the new and improved lights.

The schedule continues Saturday, with an added feature this year. At 2 p.m. at Bill Moore #2, the new under 35 league will play an exhibition game. "This will be a hard-throwing, long-ball-hitting affair, one that will bring back some fond memories for many of us that now play on the smaller field," a spokesperson said. "Come early for this one to get a good seat, and don鈥檛 be letting your eyes wander too much from the ball while the game is in progress."

The semifinals go at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, and the finals at 2 p.m.   There will be eight teams trying to knock off the defending champion Indians and Victoria teams.

"Book some time in your weekend schedule to drop by, catch some sun, enjoy a couple of cool beverages, and relive your youth a bit as the boys of summer, young and old, hit the diamonds," the spokesperson said.