By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada It was approaching the middle of May in the 1997 season and the Toronto Blue Jays’ offence was sputtering. Joe Carter, in his final season with the club, had belted just two home runs in April. The club had resorted to using aging utility man Juan Samuel as aContinue reading “He played for the Blue Jays? . . . Ruben Sierra”
Tag Archives: Cito Gaston
He played for the Blue Jays? . . . Frank Viola
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada No one would blame you if you don’t remember any “Sweet Music” at the SkyDome in 1996. After all, the Toronto Blue Jays finished a dismal 74-88 that season and left-hander Frank Viola (nicknamed “Sweet Music”) struggled in all but one of his six starts with the club. Yes,Continue reading “He played for the Blue Jays? . . . Frank Viola”
But What Do I Know? . . . Jose Bautista, Montreal Expos, Matt Stairs, Fergie Jenkins
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: · To Toronto Blue Jays fans, it’s simply known as the “bat flip” and it happened three years ago today. The seventh inning of Game 5 of the 2015 American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers was arguably the wildest and most exciting inningContinue reading “But What Do I Know? . . . Jose Bautista, Montreal Expos, Matt Stairs, Fergie Jenkins”
But What Do I Know? . . . James Paxton, John Axford, Joey Votto, Brett Gray
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: · If I’m a Canadian major leaguer, I’d consider wearing full body armor in the field these days. In the past two weeks, three Canadians, James Paxton (Ladner, B.C.), John Axford (Port Dover, Ont.) and Joey Votto (Etobicoke, Ont.) have been hit with fast-moving baseballsContinue reading “But What Do I Know? . . . James Paxton, John Axford, Joey Votto, Brett Gray”
But What Do I Know? . . . Jose Bautista, Andre Dawson, Paul Spoljaric, Joey Votto
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: · Etobicoke, Ont., native Joey Votto reached two more statistical milestones this week. On Tuesday, the Cincinnati Reds slugger scored his 100th run of the season. This marks the fifth time he has tallied 100 runs in a major league season, tying him withContinue reading “But What Do I Know? . . . Jose Bautista, Andre Dawson, Paul Spoljaric, Joey Votto”
But What Do I Know? . . . Don McDougall, John Gibbons, Cliff Floyd, Rob Zastryzny
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: Take a bow, Don McDougall. It was 41 years ago today that the American League approved the sale of the Toronto expansion franchise to the Labatt Brewing Co. for an estimated $7 million. Part of McDougall’s mandate as president during the mid-’70s was to secureContinue reading “But What Do I Know? . . . Don McDougall, John Gibbons, Cliff Floyd, Rob Zastryzny”
But What Do I Know? . . . Brett Lawrie, Cito Gaston, Arleene Noga, Pat Hentgen
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: Five years ago, Langley, B.C., native Brett Lawrie was on top of the Canadian baseball world. After recording a .373 on-base percentage and belting nine home runs in his first 43 major league games with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2011, the sparkplug infielder wentContinue reading “But What Do I Know? . . . Brett Lawrie, Cito Gaston, Arleene Noga, Pat Hentgen”
But What Do I Know? . . . Mark Shapiro, Russell Martin, Cito Gaston
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: Plenty of criticism was levelled at Toronto Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro last off-season when the club did not re-sign David Price. Of course, in hindsight, given that J.A. Happ outperformed Price this season and Price’s post-season struggles have continued, it’s now easy to applaudContinue reading “But What Do I Know? . . . Mark Shapiro, Russell Martin, Cito Gaston”
But What Do I Know? . . . Cito Gaston, Joey Votto, Reggie Cleveland
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: In July, the National Baseball Hall of Fame announced it would be revamping its Veterans Committee voting so that separate committees will now examine overlooked candidates from four different eras: Today’s Game (1988 to 2016), Modern Baseball (1970 to 1987), Golden Days (1950 to 1960)Continue reading “But What Do I Know? . . . Cito Gaston, Joey Votto, Reggie Cleveland”
But What Do I Know? . . . Justin Smoak, George Kottaras, Cito Gaston
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: The Toronto Blue Jays signed first baseman Justin Smoak to a two-year contract extension on Saturday. The question many Blue Jays fans are asking is why? Though the payout is relatively modest by today’s standards ($4.125 million per season in 2017 and 2018 and aContinue reading “But What Do I Know? . . . Justin Smoak, George Kottaras, Cito Gaston”
