My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: · Friday would’ve been New York Yankees legend Mickey Mantle’s 86th Birthday. In 1951, Mantle’s rookie season, the 19-year-old outfielder was slumping badly when the Yankees demoted him to the triple-A Kansas City Blues in mid-July. The Blues were managed by Huntsville, Ont., native and... Continue Reading →
But What Do I Know? . . . Jesen Therrien, Andrew Albers, David Cone, Bob Lemon
Photo Credit: Baseball Quebec (Twitter) My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: · Philadelphia Phillies reliever and Montreal native Jesen Therrien wins our unofficial award for best Canadian nickname on Players Weekend. The back of the 6-foot-2 right-hander’s jersey (see above) says “MTL-NORD” – a tribute to his home city. Unfortunately, it... Continue Reading →
But What Do I Know? . . . Joey Votto, Tim Raines, Fergie Jenkins, James Paxton, Scott Diamond
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: · Congratulations to Joey Votto (Etobicoke, Ont.) who clubbed his 248th career home run last night to move past Justin Morneau (New Westminster, B.C.) into third place for most home runs by a Canadian. It was a solo shot in the first inning off Miami... Continue Reading →
But What Do I Know? . . . Gary Carter, Dave Stieb, Kirk McCaskill, Fergie Jenkins
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: Yesterday would’ve been Montreal Expos legend Gary Carter’s 63rd birthday. It seems fitting that Carter’s birthday falls on the same date as the first-ever Expos regular season game. Carter would’ve turned 15 on April 8, 1969 when the Expos defeated the New York Mets (the... Continue Reading →
But What Do I Know? . . . Tim Raines, Larry Walker, J.P. Arencibia, Rusty Staub
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: Everyone from Hall of Famers Dave Winfield and Frank Thomas to former Montreal Expos teammates Warren Cromartie, Vladimir Guerrero, Cliff Floyd and Tim Burke to current Blue Jays like Kevin Pillar offered their congratulations to Tim Raines via Twitter after he was elected to the... Continue Reading →
But What Do I Know? . . . Tim Raines, Edwin Encarnacion, Rance Mulliniks, Delino DeShields
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: The National Baseball Hall of Fame will announce its class of 2017 on Wednesday at 6 p.m. ET and it’s looking as though Montreal Expos legend Tim Raines will finally be elected. Thanks to the hard-working Ryan Thibodaux, who documents baseball writers’ ballots that have... Continue Reading →
But What Do I Know? . . . Fergie Jenkins, Tim Raines, Larry Walker, Jeff Francis
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: It was 26 years ago today that Chatham, Ont., native Fergie Jenkins was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame to become the first – and still only – Canadian player honoured by the Cooperstown shrine. The 6-foot-5 right-hander won 284 major league games... Continue Reading →
But What Do I Know? . . . Paul Quantrill, Tim Raines, Gary Carter, Ralph Branca
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: Congratulations to Port Hope, Ont., native and Canadian Baseball Hall of Famer Paul Quantrill who’s set to become the ninth member of Baseball Canada’s Wall of Excellence. He will be honoured during the organization’s National Teams Awards Banquet & Fundraiser set to take place at... Continue Reading →
But What Do I Know? . . . Scott Richmond, Tim Wallach, Joey Votto
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: Congratulations to Vancouver, B.C., native and ex-Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Scott Richmond for helping the EDA Rhinos capture the Taiwan Series championship yesterday. The 37-year-old right-hander won nine games and hurled 152-2/3 innings for the Chinese Professional Baseball League club and was named the league’s... Continue Reading →
But What Do I Know? . . . Edwin Encarnacion, Joaquin Benoit, Adam Loewen
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: Seven years ago today, the Toronto Blue Jays dealt Scott Rolen to the Cincinnati Reds for pitching prospects Zach Stewart, Josh Roenicke and a struggling 26-year-old third baseman named Edwin Encarnacion. It was Stewart the Blue Jays coveted the most, but the Reds would only... Continue Reading →