Rheal Cormier at his 2012 Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony in St. Marys, Ont. Photo: Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Four Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductees passed away in 2021. As the end of the year approaches, please take a moment to remember them. I've written... Continue Reading →
Former Expos manager Bill Virdon passes away at age 90
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Former Montreal Expos manager Bill Virdon passed away on Tuesday at the age of 90. The Pittsburgh Pirates, whom Virdon maintained ties with, announced his death on social media early Tuesday afternoon. Virdon was the dugout boss of the Montreal Expos in 1983 and for most of the 1984... Continue Reading →
Omar Malave, former Blue Jays coach and longtime minor league manager, passes away at 58
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Omar Malave, who spent more than three decades in the Toronto Blue Jays' organization as a player, coach and manager, passed away yesterday in Dunedin, Fla., at the age of 58. In a brave and heartbreaking post on Twitter, his daughter shared that her father ended his own life.... Continue Reading →
Jerry Johnson, winning pitcher in Blue Jays’ first game, passes away at 77
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Jerry Johnson, who was the Toronto Blue Jays' winning pitcher in their first-ever game, passed away on Monday after a long battle with Lewy Body Dementia and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). He was 77. His wife, Susan Trautmann Johnson, announced his death on her Facebook page this afternoon.... Continue Reading →
Original Blue Jay Chuck Hartenstein passes away at 79
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Chuck Hartenstein, a relief pitcher on the 1977 Toronto Blue Jays, passed away on Saturday at the age of 79. The University of Texas Athletics department reported his death on their website on Tuesday. After major league tenures with the Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals and Boston... Continue Reading →
Canadian AAGPBL pitching star Audrey Haine Daniels passes away at 94
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Audrey Haine Daniels, who emerged from the sandlots of Winnipeg, Man., to throw multiple no-hitters in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL), passed away on Saturday at the age of 94. News of her death was shared with me by Andrew Jenkins of Jenkins Funeral Chapel in Westlake,... Continue Reading →
Canadian AAGPBL star Helen Nicol Fox passes away at 101
Helen Nicol Fox with the Kenosha Comets. By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Helen Nicol Fox, who emerged from the Alberta hamlet of Ardley to become the winningest pitcher in All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) history, passed away on July 25 at the age of 101. News of her death was shared with the... Continue Reading →
Former Montreal Expos pitcher Jim “Mudcat” Grant passes away at 85
Former Montreal Expos pitcher Mudcat Grant passed away on Friday at the age of 85. By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Jim “Mudcat” Grant, who threw the first regular season pitch in Montreal Expos history, passed away on Friday at the age of 85. The Minnesota Twins announced his death on Saturday. No cause of... Continue Reading →
Former Expos reliever Mike Marshall passes away at 78
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Former Montreal Expos closer Mike Marshall passed away on June 1 at the age of 78 from complications from Alzheimer's disease. The Los Angeles Dodgers reported his death on their Twitter account after being notified by Marshall's daughter Rebekah. Marshall died in hospice care in Zephyrhills, Fla. Durable, outspoken... Continue Reading →
Former Montreal Expos first baseman Hal Breeden dies at 76
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Former Montreal Expos first baseman and pinch hitter Hal Breeden passed away on May 3 at the age of 76. Veteran author and longtime Expos writer Danny Gallagher was the first to report Breeden's death. Breeden died at his home in Leesburg, Ga. No cause of death has been... Continue Reading →