Kevin Glew’s Canadian Baseball History Blog
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 →
September 30, 2022 By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada He was Pat Gillick’s favourite player. At least that’s how Willie Upshaw was described in some newspaper articles in the 1980s. And the description seems appropriate. After all, it was Gillick who drafted and signed Upshaw for the New York Yankees in 1975 and then again,... Continue Reading →
Jay Schroeder, the Toronto Blue Jays' 1979 first-round pick, stretches with coach Jimy Williams at Blue Jays spring training in Dunedin, Fla., in 1981. Photo: Toronto Star Archives/Toronto Public Library July 6, 2022 By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada The Toronto Blue Jays have had their share of outstanding first-round picks, but they have also... Continue Reading →
The scene after George Bell clubbed a walk-off home run for the Toronto Blue Jays in their final game at Exhibition Stadium 32 years ago today. Photo: YouTube By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada It was a dramatic and fitting end for the Toronto Blue Jays at Exhibition Stadium. Thirty-two years ago today, on an... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: – MLB agent Scott Boras told reporters on Tuesday that free agent left-hander James Paxton (Ladner, B.C.) is almost completely healthy after an injury-shortened 2020 season. "He's far into bullpen [sessions] and is throwing bullpens for select teams," Boras... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: – Congratulations to Kim Ng, who was named the general manager of the Miami Marlins on Friday. With this assignment, she becomes the first female general manager in major league history. Ng has spent 21 years working in the... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Two numbers fuel the legend of Brian Milner in Toronto Blue Jays' lore: 18 and .444. At 18 years old (and 218 days), he remains the youngest player ever to suit up for the club. He accomplished this feat when he was the Blue Jays' starting catcher on June... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Who was the first player to record 1,000 hits as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays? This is one of those questions that might trick even the most diehard Blue Jays fan. I think the majority of us who have followed the Blue Jays since the 1980s would... 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: · Up until my mid-teens, he channeled his inner Mickey Mantle to hit me countless fly balls down Thames Crescent in Dorchester, Ont. And I chased them pretending to be Jesse Barfield, Lloyd Moseby or Dale Murphy. He’s a kind, quiet, patient, gentle and responsible... Continue Reading →