Kevin Glew’s Canadian Baseball History Blog
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: • Among the pitchers that Toronto Blue Jays left-hander Mark Buehrle has passed on the all-time wins list this season are Roy Halladay, Orel Hershiser and Hall of Famer Rube Marquard. But while I agree with the sabermetricians that say that wins aren’t a defining... Continue Reading →
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: • And then there was one. On May 1, the Toronto Blue Jays had five Canadians on their active roster. But after Jeff Francis (North Delta, B.C.) was designated for assignment on Monday, Russell Martin (Montreal, Que.) is the only Canuck remaining. Michael... Continue Reading →
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: • The official obituary for Canadian Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Fanning appeared in Saturday’s London Free Press. The life of the legendary Montreal Expos executive and field manager, who passed away of heart failure on April 25 at the age of 87, will be... Continue Reading →
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: • When you see tributes to Jim Fanning on Twitter from everyone from former players like Tim Raines and Tim Burke to Liberal leader Justin Trudeau to several members of the Toronto media, you realize just how universally loved and respected “Gentleman Jim” was. Fanning... Continue Reading →
Canadian Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Fanning passed away of heart failure early Saturday at his home in London, Ont., at the age of 87. Tributes for the Montreal Expos legend known as "Gentleman Jim", who spent 25 years in various executive positions with the club, including two tenures as field manager, have been pouring... Continue Reading →
Steve Shea, a reliever on the Montreal Expos first team, passed away on March 4 in North Hampton, N.H., at the age of 72. A cause of death was not released, but a comment below his online obituary suggests that it was not unexpected. The right-handed throwing Shea was purchased by the Expos from the... Continue Reading →
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: • Today seems like an appropriate day to remember “Luscious Luke” Easter, a hulking, six-foot-four, 240-pound slugger who became the 11th African-American to compete in the big leagues when he debuted with the Cleveland Indians on August 11, 1949. Known for clubbing tape-measure homers –... Continue Reading →
Courtesy of Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame Longtime Toronto Star baseball columnist and former Montreal Expos publicity director Richard Griffin will be presented with the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s 2014 Jack Graney Award during an in-game ceremony today when the Toronto Blue Jays take on the Cincinnati Reds in an exhibition game at Olympic... Continue Reading →
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: • ESPN’s Darren Wolfson reports that free agent left-hander Scott Diamond (Guelph, Ont.) threw for the Tampa Bay Rays on Friday. With Alex Cobb, Drew Smyly and Alex Colome sidelined with injuries and ailments and Matt Moore still recuperating from Tommy John surgery, the Rays... Continue Reading →
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: • The Philadelphia Phillies have hired former Toronto Blue Jays catcher Pat Borders to manage the Short-Season Class-A Williamsport Crosscutters for the 2015 season. The 1992 World Series MVP suited up for 17 big league campaigns, including parts of eight (1988 to 1994, 1999) with... Continue Reading →
