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 →
Some trivia about Canadian Blue Jays for Canada Day
The Toronto Blue Jays are going all out to celebrate Canada’s birthday on Sunday. Players will don special red jerseys, there will be a street festival outside the Rogers Centre and the club will honour armed forces members and Olympians. This patriotic fervor makes me think of all of the Canadian players that have suited... Continue Reading →
But What Do I Know? … The All-Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame Inductees Edition
My weekly opinions, observations and rants about some Canadian baseball stories (Please follow me on Twitter: @kevinglewsports): As manager of the 2011 Senior National Team (SNT) that captured gold at the Pan Am Games that will be enshrined in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in June, Ernie Whitt is set to become the... Continue Reading →
“El Presidente . . . El Perfecto” – Dennis Martinez’s perfect game 20 years later
It seems fitting that former Expos broadcaster Dave Van Horne was honoured by the National Baseball Hall of Fame in the same week as the 20th anniversary of Dennis Martinez’s perfect game. Van Horne’s inspired call of “El Presidente … El Perfecto” on July 28, 1991 was one of the most memorable in Canadian baseball... Continue Reading →
Canadian Free Agents – Matt Stairs
Matt Stairs wants to be play at least one more season. “In a perfect situation, I’d love to go back to Boston because it’s close to home and I always loved hitting in that park,” Stairs told the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo in October. “But I’d play anywhere.” The 42-year-old New Brunswick native now resides... Continue Reading →