Major League Baseball isn't the only form of the age old pastime that has suffered from dwindling fan support in the past several years.

In the Yukon, minor league baseball saw such a drop in participation numbers from year to year that it was finally cancelled for the 2005 season. But while the MLB decrease in popularity is mainly due to the lockout in 1994 and rising salaries, the reason for the lack on interest locally is hard to pinpoint. And softball isn't fairing much better in the minor leagues either.

'The big winner in the last few years has been soccer,' said Greg Cowman, president of Baseball Yukon. 'Baseball and softball are now third and fourth on the list of priorities. We're fighting for virtually the same market.

'We're also fighting 15 or 16 year old teenage brains. And a lot of people see soccer as a less expensive sport.'

It's people like Cowan, who grew up around baseball in B.C., that refuse to see the sport die completely in the territory. He and several others made a pitch to the local high schools this year to get ball going, once the minor league action was cancelled. And while it hasn't been incorporated into the actual curriculum yet, the teachers were interested in putting something together.

So on Thursday night, teams from Vanier, Porter Creek and F.H. high schools faced off in the finals of a tournament which started last week. Vanier fielded two teams in the tournament, and ended up walking away with bronze and gold medals.

In the bronze medal game, the Vanier White Sox took on the Porter Creek Athletics, and in the championship game, the Vanier Cardinals faced the F.H. Angels. The Cardinals were trailing the Angels 6-5 when they exploded for five runs in the third inning, and they never looked back from there.

'We had key base running and good hitting,' said Cardinals pitcher Jimmy Semaschuk, who was named tournament MVP for Vanier. 'All the guys played good games throughout the tournament. The last inning was tough but the guys held through, especially Justin Peterson.'

Mateo Geuvaro started on the mound for the Cardinals, and while he didn't pitch past the first inning, Geuvaro and his brother Juan were named the most dedicated players on the squad when the awards were handed out following the final game.

'If it weren't for Juan and Mateo, none of this would have happened,' said Semaschuk. 'They're the stars of our team.'

The most improved player award for the Cardinals went to Wes Houston, who had a standout game Thursday at first base and at bat.

Vanier coach Carmen Semaschuk said the camaraderie between both of the school's teams was great all tournament, even though the Cardinals ended up knocking the White Sox down to the bronze medal game after a come from behind victory Wednesday.

Carmen gave full credit to F.H. Collins for their effort in the final, pointing out how much they developed just within the last couple of weeks.

'Scottie (Justin Saunders) for the F.H. Collins team had never pitched before, and he was a very competitive pitcher,' said said.

Saunders was rewarded by the Angels for his efforts, as they named him most improved player. The most dedicated player for F.H. was Conrad Gryba while pitcher Adam Henderson, who also played shortstop in the final, was named MVP.

'It was a success overall and I'm really looking forward to doing it again next year in the schools,' said Carmen.

'Joe Morrison was our school liaison and he was great, and for F.H., their school liaison was very good as well. We just need to get P.C. on side now. They've got a young group of boys and their future looks really good.'

Cowman, who was the umpire for the final games on Thursday, said he was delighted with the way the tournament turned out and he hopes to get more fans out and more games on the schedule next year.

He said if the schools incorporate it into their curriculum, they can start the season a little bit earlier, as soon as the fields are ready to play on in the spring.

'We hope the schools really take advantage of the opportunity and make it an annual event,' he said. 'If we can get the schools going, maybe there will be some interest in a community program again in the future.'

Cowman said baseball is appealing to youth once they try it, because it's very much a team sport and it's never over until the final inning, no matter how many runs the other team may be ahead by.

'That's the interesting thing about baseball. Anything can and usually does happen. Just ask the (New York) Mets.'

Those are the aspects which keep Jimmy Semaschuk interested in the sport. Jimmy may be one of the most serious young baseball players in the territory, as well as one of the most talented.

He attends camps every summer in B.C., and next year he will be heading to Saskatchewan for three months in the spring to play ball.

Jimmy played minor baseball in Whitehorse until it was cancelled, and was thrilled when the schools gave him an opportunity to pick up his bat and glove once again in the territory.

'I think everyone should be involved,' he said. 'It was a very good idea when we had it before. Baseball is way better than softball.'

If local coaches get their way, we haven't seen the last of Jimmy or the other young baseball enthusiasts this season. They're interested in putting together a development team to travel Outside and represent the Yukon at least a couple of times over the summer.

'The whole thing is to help baseball grow,' said Carmen. 'We might end up playing some games against the RCMP as well, just so you're always keeping the core players strong.'