By Kevin Glew
Cooperstowners in Canada
One of the benefits of spending a lot of time reading old stories about the Toronto Blue Jays and Montreal Expos is that I’ve stumbled across a number of fascinating long-forgotten photos.
Here are two highlights from this week’s research:
Tony Kubek in a Toronto Blue Jays’ uniform?
Most of us remember former New York Yankees shortstop Tony Kubek as an insightful analyst on Toronto Blue Jays TV broadcasts from 1977 to 1989. That’s why I did a double take when I saw this photo (above). I had never seen a picture of Kubek wearing a Blue Jays uniform, nor had I heard of him being a coach with the club. So on Monday, I asked my Twitter followers (most of whom are well-versed in Blue Jays history) if anyone knew if Kubek regularly participated in Blue Jays’ practices?
Fortunately, one of my Twitter followers is Marysville, N.B., native Paul Hodgson who was the second Canadian to play for the Blue Jays (Dave McKay, Vancouver, B.C., was the first). Hodgson played 20 games for the Blue Jays in 1980 and he provided this response to my query about Kubek:
So it sounds like the answer was yes, at one point Kubek was participating in Blue Jays’ practices.
1980 Topps Montreal Expos team card
Every Tuesday I like to post a Trivia question on Twitter. This week I asked people if they could name the five National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees in the Montreal Expos team photo on this 1980 Topps baseball card (above).
The five Cooperstowners in the photo are: Tony Perez (far left, first row of team members in chairs), Dick Williams (middle of same row as Perez), Gary Carter (second row from top, third player in uniform from the left), Andre Dawson (ninth from the left, top row) and Tim Raines (fifth from the right, top row).
I also learned something from examining this photo more closely. Initially I thought there were only four Hall of Famers in it and that Raines was absent. But after doing some research I learned that Raines wore No. 32 in his six games with the Expos in 1979 (obviously when this photo was taken). That season, as Warren Campbell, a strong baseball researcher pointed out to me on Twitter, Dave Cash wore No. 30 – the number Raines would later make famous.
The background in the Kubek photo looks like Spring Training. It’s a grass field with the sun shining. Not Exhibition Stadium for sure.
Great info Kevin. Those old photos r awesome to see and think back with. Thanks for sharing
Thanks for your comment and support, Scott.
Great information. Thank you so much.
Thanks for reading and your support, Phil.
Wow, Tony Kubek in a blue jays uniform. Awesome pictures.
Thank you for reading and your support.
THE PHOTO IN QUESTION OF TONY KUBEK WAS TAKEN AT THE ORIGINAL CECIL P. ENGLEBERT FIELD TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE PROPERTY WHEN OUT FRONT LOOKING LEFT TO RIGHT AS IT WAS AT THAT TIME AS ANYONE WHO WAS THERE CAN TELL BY THE FENCE AND TREES IN BACKGROUND NOW LONG GONE FOR THE HOUSING – TONY ALSO THREW SOME BP AT EXHIBITION STADIUM FOR A TIME THOUGH MAY HAVE STOPPED AS PAUL HODGSON SAID THAT DAY IN QUESTION – HE DID THIS TO STAY IN SHAPE AND TO HELP OUT IN EARLY YEARS OF THE TEAM WHEN THEY DID NOT HAVE THE COACHING STAFF THEY HAVE HAD IN LAST 20+ YEARS.
HAVE SIGNED UP A NUMBER OF TIMES TO RECEIVE YOUR WEEKLY SENDS HOWEVER NOTHING HAS EVER COME THROUGH – PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS AND ADVISE – THANK YOU – CM
Thanks for providing the background for this photo, Clay. That answers a lot of questions in my mind. Thank you again. I have sent you an email invite to sign up for my blog. Hopefully this will work. Thanks again.
HERE IS THE PHOTO LEGEND FOR 1979 EXPOS TEAM PHOTO
AS DEPICTED ON 1980 TOPPS TEAM CARD SHOWN ABOVE –
Seated on ground, left to right:
Batboy Frank Albertson, Rodney Scott, Batboy Dino Trubiano.
First row:
Tony Perez, coach Vern Rapp, coach Felipe Alou, coach Norm Sherry, manager Dick Williams, coach Ozzie Virgil, coach Jim Brewer, coach Pat Mullin, Rusty Staub.
Second row:
Travelling Secretary Gene Kirby, Equipment Manager Harvey Stone, Elias Sosa, Steve Rogers, Gary Carter, Bill Lee, Ken Macha, Dave Cash, Woodie Fryman, Assistant Trainer Rene Lavigueur, Head Trainer Yvon Belanger.
Third row: Stan Bahnsen, Chris Speier, Duffy Dyer, Warren Cromartie, Randy Bass, Jerry White, Ross Grimsley, David Palmer, Andre Dawson, Bill Atkinson, Scott Sanderson, Tommy Hutton, Dale Murray, Tony Bernazard, Larry Parrish, Tim Raines, Bob Pate, John Tamargo, Rudy May, Dan Schatzeder.
Ellis Valentine is absent from this photo.
Thank you very much for provided the names, Clay. Sincerely, Kevin