Kevin Glew’s Canadian Baseball History Blog
Book Review: The Man Who Made Babe Ruth: Brother Matthias of St. Mary’s School, by Brian “Chip” Martin A Canadian was the “greatest man” that Babe Ruth had ever known. And it’s that unheralded Maritimer that the spotlight is finally shone on in Brian “Chip” Martin’s superb new book, The Man Who Made Babe Ruth:... Continue Reading →
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: It has become an Easter tradition in this column to pay tribute to ex-big league slugger Luke Easter on Easter Sunday. “Luscious Luke” was a hulking, 6-foot-4, 240-pound slugger who became the 11th African-American to compete in the big leagues when he debuted with the... Continue Reading →
Former owner Harry Frazee has long been portrayed as the biggest villain in Boston Red Sox history. After all, it was the portly theatre owner who sold Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees in 1920, initiating an 86-year championship drought that superstitious supporters attributed to “The Curse of the Bambino.” But Bosox fans should... Continue Reading →
It was an optimistic Canadian named J.J. Lannin who secured the rights to Babe Ruth for the Boston Red Sox. Orphaned at age 14, Lannin had migrated from Quebec City to Boston in search of work in the 1880s. According to Bob Elliott’s groundbreaking book “The Northern Game,” the ambitious Lannin landed a job as... Continue Reading →