Kevin Glew’s Canadian Baseball History Blog
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 →
Rob Thomson (Corunna, Ont.) has been named interim manager of the Phillies. Photo: Twitter June 3, 2022 By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada The Philadelphia Phillies have fired manager Joe Girardi and have named Canadian Rob Thomson (Corunna, Ont.) as their interim dugout boss for the remainder of the 2022 season. The underperforming Phillies, who... Continue Reading →
May 28, 2022 By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Montreal native Russell Martin is set to officially announce his retirement. The veteran catcher, who hasn’t played a big league game since 2019, told Guillaume Latendresse and Maxim Lapierre during an interview for their La Poche bleue podcast that he’ll make the formal announcement on social... Continue Reading →
May 3, 2022 By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Many of the biggest highlights of Gary Waslewski’s baseball career happened when he was pitching in Canada. In 1965 and 1966, he was a key pitcher for the International League’s Toronto Maple Leafs and helped them capture back-to-back championships. In the latter year, he won 18... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Former Chicago White Sox third baseman and Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Pete Ward has passed away at the age of 84. White Sox reporter James Fegan, of The Athletic Chicago, shared the news on Twitter on Thursday afternoon. Ward died from complications of Alzheimer’s Disease on Wednesday... Continue Reading →
Manitoba baseball legend Gerry MacKay has passed away at age 91. Photo: Redpath Funeral Home By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Gerry MacKay, the head coach of the first Canadian national team to compete in the Pan Am Games, passed away on January 22 in Brandon, Man., at the age of 91. A multi-sport legend... Continue Reading →
Legendary trainer Doc Younker was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005. He passed away six years ago today. Photo: Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Some Canadian baseball news and notes: -On Wednesday, Global News ran a wonderful tribute to Fergie Jenkins (Chatham, Ont.) as part... Continue Reading →
Russ Ford is in the bottom row, last player on the right in this 1910 New York Highlanders team photo. Photo: Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame Subscriber Content Add content here that will only be visible to your subscribers. By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada If you look closely at the 1910 New York Highlanders... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Left-hander James Paxton will sign with the Boston Red Sox, as first reported on Wednesday by Sportsnet’s Chad Dey. Chris Cotillo, Red Sox beat writer for MassLive.com, shares that the contract is a one-year deal that includes team options for 2023 and 2024. Details are here: Paxton (Ladner, B.C.)... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: -Jamie Romak (London, Ont.) announced his retirement from professional baseball on Saturday. Jeeho Yoo, of the YonHap News, reported Romak's decision on Twitter last night. The 36-year-old Canuck, who won the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame's Tip O'Neill Award... Continue Reading →
