By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: – It took 30 years but Fergie Jenkins (Chatham, Ont.) finally has some Canadian company in the plaque gallery in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Larry Walker (Maple Ridge, B.C.) joked about joining Jenkins in his... Continue Reading →
Rod Carew turns 75, a look at his Canadian connections
Photo: Minnesota Twins program By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Without Rod Carew, Tony Fernandez probably wouldn’t have recorded more hits than any other player in Toronto Blue Jays history. Fernandez, who rapped out 1,583 hits with the Blue Jays, idolized the Panama-born Hall of Famer and modeled his batting stance after him. And if... Continue Reading →
Remembering Lou Brock and his Canadian connections
Lou Brock served as a coach with the Montreal Expos in 1993. By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada On top of his 3,000 hits, 938 stolen bases and first-ballot induction in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Lou Brock is also the answer to an important Canadian baseball trivia question. Who was the first major... Continue Reading →
But What Do I Know? . . . Joey Votto, Denis Boucher, Larry Walker, Tim Wallach
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: – Canadian Joey Votto (Etobicoke, Ont.) appears to have found his batting stroke again. Hitting leadoff for the Cincinnati Reds, the Canuck slugger is 8-for-24 (.333 batting average) in his last seven games. Three of those hits have been... Continue Reading →
Find the Canadian Connection – 1976 Topps Bill Stein
This is the sixth of my “Find the Canadian Connection” features. For this feature, I close my eyes and reach into a random box of baseball cards in my basement and pull out a single card. I then try to establish a Canadian connection for the player featured on the card. You can read... Continue Reading →
But What Do I Know? . . . Luke Easter, Al Kaline, John Hiller, Fergie Jenkins
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: · It has become an Easter tradition on this blog 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... Continue Reading →
Find the Canadian connection – 1974 Topps Jerry Terrell
This is the second in my “Find the Canadian Connection” feature. For this feature, I close my eyes and reach into a random box of baseball cards in my basement and pull out a single card. I then try to establish a Canadian connection for the player featured on the card. The card I... Continue Reading →
But What Do I Know? . . . Harold Baines, Lee Smith, Jamie Romak, John Hiller, John Axford
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: · Think of what it would be like if you performed at a high level in your field for more than two decades and then finally 17 years after you’ve retired you receive the ultimate honour and are inducted into your field’s Hall of Fame... Continue Reading →
But What Do I Know? . . . James Paxton, Jim Adduci, John Hiller, Terry Puhl, Rich Harden
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: · I have to think that Ladner, B.C., native James Paxton will be named to his first All-Star team when the American League roster is unveiled on Sunday (UPDATE: He was not named to the roster). The Canadian lefty boasts an 8-3 record and a... Continue Reading →
But What Do I Know? . . . Mike Soroka, Nick Pivetta, Michael Saunders, Tom Robson
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: · After consulting with my friends at Alberta Dugout Stories (@ABDugoutStories) and with Alberta baseball expert Ruben Lipszyc, I believe I can safely say that when Calgary native Mike Soroka started against the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday that he became the first pitcher born... Continue Reading →