After Roberto Alomar is inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum (CBHFM) in St. Marys today, he will likely be feted in Cooperstown in 2011. This got me thinking about how many players or managers are members of both the CBHFM and the National Baseball Hall of Fame? The answer, it turns out, is six:
Gary Carter – the longtime Montreal Expos catcher was inducted into the CBHFM in 2001 and Cooperstown in 2003. A seven-time all-star while with the Expos, Carter ranks near the top in most of the franchise’s all-time offensive categories. He was also the first player to feature an Expos cap (though begrudgingly Carter wanted the Mets cap) on his Cooperstown plaque.
Andre Dawson – inducted into the CBHFM in 2004 and to be inducted in Cooperstown in 2010. See previous blog entry on Dawson for a rundown of his accomplishments.
Tommy Lasorda – inducted into Cooperstown in 1997 and CBHFM in 2006. Best known as the Dodgers charismatic manager, Lasorda owns almost every Montreal Royals’ (longtime Brooklyn Dodgers Triple-A squad) pitching record. His CBHFM induction speech was more of a banquet act, but the crowd loved it.
Sparky Anderson – inducted into Cooperstown in 2000 and CBHFM in 2007. Like Lasorda, Anderson is best known as one of the best dugout bosses of his era, but the diamond icon played in the International League for both Montreal and Toronto. His first professional managerial job was with Toronto in 1964. I’ll never forget how he walked into the museum in St. Marys on the day before his induction and began shaking hands with unsuspecting museum visitors. Watching the visitors faces light up was one of the highlights of my tenure at the museum.
Fergie Jenkins – inducted into the CBHFM in 1987 and Cooperstown in 1991. This Chatham, Ont., is the only Canadian elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The owner of six consecutive 20-win seasons from 1967 to 1972, Jenkins recorded 284 big league wins with mostly mediocre teams (Chicago, Texas). I never got tired of hanging out with Fergie on induction day in St. Marys. He’s truly a class act.
Jackie Robinson – inducted into Cooperstown in 1962 and posthumously into the CBHFM in 1991. Before Robinson broke Major League Baseball’s colour barrier in 1947, he was signed and eased into professional baseball with the Dodgers’ Triple-A team in Montreal in 1946. Branch Rickey reportedly sent Robinson to Montreal because of its reputation for cultural acceptance. Robinson didn’t disappoint. He hit a league-leading .349 and led the Royals to a championship
Leave a Reply