Kevin Glew’s Canadian Baseball History Blog
Steve Shea, a reliever on the Montreal Expos first team, passed away on March 4 in North Hampton, N.H., at the age of 72. A cause of death was not released, but a comment below his online obituary suggests that it was not unexpected. The right-handed throwing Shea was purchased by the Expos from the... Continue Reading →
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: • Today seems like an appropriate day to remember “Luscious Luke” Easter, a hulking, six-foot-four, 240-pound slugger who became the 11th African-American to compete in the big leagues when he debuted with the Cleveland Indians on August 11, 1949. Known for clubbing tape-measure homers –... Continue Reading →
Courtesy of Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame Longtime Toronto Star baseball columnist and former Montreal Expos publicity director Richard Griffin will be presented with the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s 2014 Jack Graney Award during an in-game ceremony today when the Toronto Blue Jays take on the Cincinnati Reds in an exhibition game at Olympic... Continue Reading →
Riccardo Ingram, an outfielder on the London Tigers' 1990 Eastern League championship-winning team, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 48 after a long battle with brain cancer. Ingram played two of his 10 minor league seasons in London and socked a career-best 18 home runs with the Double-A club in 1991. The 6-foot,... Continue Reading →
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: • ESPN’s Darren Wolfson reports that free agent left-hander Scott Diamond (Guelph, Ont.) threw for the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday. With Alex Cobb, Drew Smyly and Alex Colome sidelined with injuries and ailments and Matt Moore still recuperating from Tommy John surgery, the Rays... Continue Reading →
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: • The Philadelphia Phillies have hired former Toronto Blue Jays catcher Pat Borders to manage the Short-Season Class-A Williamsport Crosscutters for the 2015 season. The 1992 World Series MVP suited up for 17 big league campaigns, including parts of eight (1988 to 1994, 1999) with... Continue Reading →
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: • The first spring training game I ever went to was in Dunedin, Fla., on March 20, 1987. The Cincinnati Reds were playing the Toronto Blue Jays and I was an eager 13-year-old with an autograph book. I was shy, but I stood above the... Continue Reading →
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: • Before he even threw a pitch in a spring training game for the Colorado Rockies, Canadian reliever John Axford (Port Dover, Ont.) was added to the club’s 40-man roster on Monday. The move means that the 6-foot-5 right-hander, who had signed a minor league... Continue Reading →
Jim King, who was named the International League's MVP while with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1960, died on February 23 in Fayetteville, Ark., at the age of 82. On top of his heroics in Hogtown, King also clubbed 117 home runs in parts of 11 major league seasons between 1955 and 1967 with the... Continue Reading →
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: • Just 35 days after Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks, died, Mr. White Sox has also passed away. Legendary outfielder Minnie Minoso died early Sunday at the age of 90. The trailblazing Cuban, who suited up in major league games in five different decades, played parts... Continue Reading →