It was Jackie Robinson who reportedly encouraged the Brooklyn Dodgers to sign Bobby Wilson out of the Negro Leagues. And when No. 42 spoke, the Dodgers listened, especially after his 1949 season in which he won the National League batting title and was named league MVP. Born in 1925 in Dallas, Texas, Wilson proved to... Continue Reading →
1954 Montreal Royals Team Photo . . . Gino Cimoli
Who was the first player to walk to the plate in a major league game on the West Coast? The answer is Gino Cimoli, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound San Francisco native who was selected to bat leadoff for the Dodgers in their first regular season contest representing the city of Los Angeles. With his friends and... Continue Reading →
In Memoriam – Remembering Canadian baseball legends that died in 2011 – Part 1
As a new year approaches, it’s a good time to look back and savour the memories of the Canadian baseball legends that we lost in 2011. In part one of my two-part series, I've created obituaries for the legends that we lost during the first half of 2011: Roy Hartsfield, January 15 After 15 seasons... Continue Reading →
But What Do I Know? … Juan Rivera, Goose Gossage, Chuck Tanner
My weekly opinions, observations and rants about some Canadian baseball stories: Blue Jays fans: The good news about Juan Rivera, acquired in the Vernon Wells deal, is that he hits like George Bell. The bad news is that he also fields like George Bell. In reading Larry Millson’s 1987 book, Ballpark Figures: The... Continue Reading →