Percy Addelman’s baseball career began in 1925 when the league consisted of just three teams: the Sandy Hills, the Tigers, and the Granites.

At the time, the game was baseball rather than softball, and Percy played as a pitcher for Sandy Hills, with the late Dr. Jack Feller as his catcher. The games took place at the York Street School diamond, where players had minimal equipment—many didn’t have gloves, and uniforms were only made possible through the generosity of local merchants like Mac Abrams, Max “Mike” Baker, Izzy Shore, and Barney Weiss. Despite these challenges, the games were highly competitive, often drawing crowds of over 200 spectators.

By 1960, the league had expanded to teams from across Ottawa and became known as the Jewish Boys’ Softball League (JBSL). At the age of 50, Percy stepped back from playing, leaving the field to younger athletes. However, he remained deeply involved in the sport, dedicating his time to coaching, umpiring, and organizing leagues and tournaments within the Jewish community.

Percy remained an active and valued member of the community, always ready to lend his support to JCC programming and youth sports initiatives. He passed in 2003.