Kevin Glew’s Canadian Baseball History Blog
Did you know that the first night baseball game in Canada was played in Vancouver in 1931? Or that Jackie Robinson was rumoured to be the first manager of the Pacific Coast League’s Vancouver Mounties in 1956? These are just two of the engrossing and little-told stories shared in an outstanding new book called, “Play Ball! The Amazing Stories and Captivating Characters Who Have Made Baseball a Winning Ticket in Vancouver for Over 100 Years.”
“I owe more to Canadians than they’ll ever know,” Jackie Robinson once remarked after his playing days. “In my baseball career they were the first to make me feel my natural self.”
Here are five more interesting facts I learned at the Canadian Baseball History Conference at the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in St. Marys, Ont., this weekend.
For Matt Simpson, a George Gibson card is as treasured as a Honus Wagner card. That’s what happens when you focus your collection on Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductees.
Former Montreal Royals pitcher Joe Carbonaro passed away on April 15 at the age of 93. He played with Jackie Robinson during spring training and was a Royals teammate of Roberto Clemente.
Kevin Glew provides some midweek Canadian baseball news and notes about Tyler O'Neill, Nick Pivetta and Joey Votto.
“I owe more to Canadians than they’ll ever know,” Jackie Robinson once remarked after his playing days. “In my baseball career they were the first to make me feel my natural self.”
For someone who runs a blog called Cooperstowners in Canada, it's a dream photo. It features Jackie Robinson, in his Montreal Royals uniform, shaking hands with Honus Wagner. So when was it taken?
Jackie Robinson and his wife, Rachel, loved the city of Montreal, where Robinson played for the Royals in 1946.
Rob Thomson (Corunna, Ont.) delivering his Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame induction speech in 2019. Photo: Scott Crawford, Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame October 23, 2022 By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada My weekly Canadian baseball news and notes: -On Friday, the Toronto Blue Jays announced that they have signed manager John Schneider to a... Continue Reading →
