Kevin Glew catches up with Rance Mulliniks whose skills and smarts helped transform the Blue Jays into contenders in the 80s and early 90s.
Barfield to join Bell, Moseby in Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame
February 1, 2023 By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada When Jesse Barfield was 13, he was sitting in the upper right field bleachers at Comiskey Park watching the Chicago White Sox with his friends, when he leaned over to them and said, “You know one day I’m going to be playing right out there.” “And... Continue Reading →
But What Do I Know? . . . Josh Naylor, James Paxton, Fergie Jenkins, Jimy Williams
May 15, 2022 By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada My weekly Canadian baseball news and notes: -What Canadian do I think will have the best offensive season in the majors? If you had asked me this at the beginning of April, I would've said Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Montreal, Que.), Tyler O'Neill (Maple Ridge, B.C.) or... Continue Reading →
But What Do I Know? . . . Andrew Case, Fergie Jenkins, Matt Stairs, Andre Dawson
Bob Bailey was the hero of the Montreal Expos' first spring training game. By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Some Canadian baseball news and notes: -Fifty-three years ago today, the Montreal Expos played their first spring training game. They defeated the Kansas City Royals 9-8 in front of 1,768 fans in a road game at... Continue Reading →
Ex-Blue Jays: Whatever happened to . . . Boomer Wells?
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada The first "Boomer" Wells to play for the Toronto Blue Jays wasn't given much of an opportunity to excel with the club. And in hindsight, it's hard to understand why. In August 1981, when the 6-foot-5 slugger, whose birth name is Greg, was summoned to the big leagues for... Continue Reading →
He played for the Blue Jays? . . . Phil Niekro
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Who's the first former Toronto Blue Jays player to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame? That's a question that often stumps Canadian baseball fans. And you can be forgiven if you don't remember Phil Niekro - who's the answer to the question - making three starts... Continue Reading →
But What Do I Know? . . . J.A. Happ, Justin Morneau, Matt Stairs
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: It’s now been confirmed that 2016 Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Tony Kubek will not be attending the ceremony on June 18 in St. Marys, Ont. The four other living inductees – Pat Hentgen, Dennis Martinez, Wayne Norton and Howard Starkman – will all... Continue Reading →
Jerry Howarth to receive Canadian ball hall’s Jack Graney Award on Sunday
Courtesy of http://baseballhalloffame.ca/ St. Marys – Jerry Howarth, the longtime radio voice of the Toronto Blue Jays, has been named the winner of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s 2012 Jack Graney Award and will be presented with the award prior to the Toronto Blue Jays game on Sunday, August 11. The St. Marys, Ont.-based... Continue Reading →
The 25th anniversary of George Bell’s three-homer Opening Day performance
It's the most dominant Opening Day performance in Toronto Blue Jays history. On April 4, 1988, George Bell unleashed his frustrations and fury on Bret Saberhagen at Royals Stadium in Kansas City to become the first big leaguer to belt three home runs on Opening Day. Almost as newsworthy was that the spirited slugger's power... Continue Reading →