My weekly "But What Do I Know?" column discusses the World Baseball Classic, Cal Quantrill, Tristan Pompey and Jerry Howarth.
But What Do I Know? . . . Cal Quantrill, WBC, Tristan Peters, Jerry Howarth
Barfield, Boucher, Harden, Wiwchar to be inducted into Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum
Two former big league pitchers, a legendary Toronto Blue Jays outfielder and a grassroots coach and executive who has devoted seven decades to baseball have been elected to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Former Montreal Expos left-hander Denis Boucher (Montreal, Que.), ex-Oakland A’s right-hander Rich Harden (Victoria, B.C.) and rifle-armed ex-Blue Jays right fielder Jesse Barfield will be inducted in a ceremony at the Hall of Fame grounds in St. Marys, Ont., on June 17. Longtime Manitoba baseball coach and executive Joe Wiwchar will also be inducted.
But What Do I Know? . . . John Axford, Tyler O’Neill, Mike Soroka, Andre Dawson, Damaso Garcia
Right-hander John Axford (Port Dover, Ont.) would like to play for Canada at the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Photo: Baseball Canada July 10, 2022 By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada -Right-hander John Axford (Port Dover, Ont.) is hoping to pitch for Canada at the 2023 World Baseball Classic. The 39-year-old right-hander hinted at that in... Continue Reading →
But What Do I Know? . . . Walter Gretzky, Rowan Wick, Jordan Romano, Joe Carter
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: – Rest in peace to Canada's hockey dad, Walter Gretzky. He passed away on Thursday at the age of 82 after battling Parkinson's disease and a number of other health issues. The senior Gretzky was also a big baseball... Continue Reading →
But What Do I Know? . . . Joey Votto, Denis Boucher, Larry Walker, Tim Wallach
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: – Canadian Joey Votto (Etobicoke, Ont.) appears to have found his batting stroke again. Hitting leadoff for the Cincinnati Reds, the Canuck slugger is 8-for-24 (.333 batting average) in his last seven games. Three of those hits have been... Continue Reading →
Find the Canadian Connection – 1991 Ultra Update Bill Pecota
This is the third in my “Find the Canadian Connection” feature. For this feature, I close my eyes and reach into a random box of baseball cards in my basement and pull out a single card. I then try to establish a Canadian connection for the player featured on the card. The card I... Continue Reading →
But What Do I Know? . . . Roberto Osuna, Josh Donaldson, Larry Walker
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: • Who says you need to have a lively young arm to be a successful big league pitcher? With the shutout he tossed on Saturday against the Miami Marlins, 42-year-old, former Montreal Expo Bartolo Colon has now hurled 25 consecutive scoreless innings for the New... Continue Reading →
But What Do I Know? . . . George Selkirk, Denis Boucher, Vince Horsman
[twitter-follow screen_name='coopincanada'] My weekly observations about stories around the baseball world from a Canadian perspective: - Thanks to Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame volunteer and SABR member, Andrew North, for sharing with me that Huntsville, Ont., native George Selkirk, a former New York Yankees outfielder, once belted four home runs off of the same pitcher... Continue Reading →
Cooperstowners in Canada: Frank Thomas
The consensus among Blue Jays fans is that Frank Thomas's tenure in Toronto was a disaster. The Big Hurt was 38 years old when he inked a two-year, $18.12-million deal with the Blue Jays on November 18, 2006. It's a contract that many Jays supporters rank as one of the worst in franchise history. But... Continue Reading →
But What Do I Know? … Scott Diamond, Ernie Whitt, Chuck Diering
Some Canadian baseball stories from the past week (Please follow me on Twitter: @kevinglewsports): Guelph, Ont., native Scott Diamond has jumped out to a commanding lead in the online voting for the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s Tip O’Neill Award. The Minnesota Twins lefty, who won 12 games and posted a 3.54 ERA this... Continue Reading →