Kevin Glew’s Canadian Baseball History Blog
Former big league pitcher and longtime Blue Jays coach, Mel Queen, passed away this morning at the age of 69. The Blue Jays made the announcement on their website just after noon today. The cause of death was not released. “Our organization would not be what it is today without the contributions of Mel Queen,”... Continue Reading →
*I thought I would re-run this blog entry on baseball pioneer Larry Doby that I wrote back when I started Cooperstowners in Canada. Not many people read it at the time, but I believe Doby's story is worth another look.* Like Jackie Robinson, Larry Doby, the first African-American to play in the American League, also... Continue Reading →
Esteemed Toronto Sun baseball scribe Bob Elliott was named the 2010 winner of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame's Jack Graney Award yesterday. This honour has been handed out just 12 times in the past 24 years. Here's a list of the previous winners, as well as some information about Jack Graney himself (courtesy of... Continue Reading →
A bad attitude and a bad shoulder make for a bad investment. This is probably an unfair assessment of Navan, Ont., native Erik Bedard, who has been sidelined by injuries for the bulk of the past three seasons. He missed the entire 2010 campaign with shoulder woes. A Cy Young candidate with the Orioles in... Continue Reading →
It was hard not to be impressed by John Farrell in yesterday’s news conference that introduced him as the Blue Jays new manager. The Jays new field boss came across as ambitious, articulate, intelligent and confident, and the former Red Sox pitching coach appears to be universally respected in baseball circles. The New Jersey native... Continue Reading →
In recent years, British Columbia has become a hotbed for baseball talent. Current major leaguers Justin Morneau (New Westminster, BC), Jason Bay (Trail, BC), Ryan Dempster (Gibsons, BC), Rich Harden (Victoria, BC), Jeff Francis (North Delta, BC) and Blake Hawksworth (North Vancouver, BC) all hail from Canada’s western-most province. But 55 years ago, Bob Alexander... Continue Reading →
Like Jackie Robinson, Larry Doby, the first African-American to play in the American League, also enjoyed a tenure in Montreal. His stint in Canada, however, came 23 years after he originally expected it. As Jackie Robinson was starring for the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate Montreal Royals in 1946, Doby was tearing it up with the Newark... Continue Reading →