Kevin Glew’s Canadian Baseball History Blog
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Former Montreal Expos manager Bill Virdon passed away on Tuesday at the age of 90. The Pittsburgh Pirates, whom Virdon maintained ties with, announced his death on social media early Tuesday afternoon. Virdon was the dugout boss of the Montreal Expos in 1983 and for most of the 1984... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada It was the fall of 1975 and it seemed like the stage might be set for Larry Doby to once again make major league history. Doby, who, in July 1947, became the first African-American player to compete in the American League, was a highly respected hitting instructor in the... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada For the past month, I've been posting an "Uplifting Canadian Baseball Photo/Video of the Day" on Twitter and Facebook. I realize that many of you don't follow me on social media, so each Friday, my plan is to share the top three (most retweeted, liked or shared) of these... Continue Reading →
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: • When Scarborough, Ont., native George Kottaras replaced Josh Thole in the seventh inning in last Wednesday’s game, he became the second Canadian to catch for the Toronto Blue Jays. The first was Vancouver-born Mike Nickeas who saw action in one game last season. •... Continue Reading →
If only Canadian baseball fans could turn their clocks back 30 years. That was my initial reaction when a fellow baseball aficionado handed me a copy of the July 11, 1983 edition of Maclean's magazine (cover pictured above) last week. With 2005 Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductees Dave Stieb and Steve Rogers (who are... Continue Reading →
On December 23, 1974, Montreal Expos president John McHale and general manager Jim Fanning trekked to Ahoskie, N.C., to attempt to reel in a "Catfish." No, this wasn't a fishing expedition, but rather a pitch by the Expos' top executives to try to convince reigning American League Cy Young Award winner, Catfish Hunter, to toe... Continue Reading →
My weekly opinions, observations and rants about some Canadian baseball stories (Please follow me on Twitter: @kevinglewsports): With his homer off of Rays lefty David Price at Yankees Stadium yesterday, Derek Jeter joined the 3,000-hit club in style. For the record, 285 of his hits have been recorded against the Blue Jays (third most... Continue Reading →