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 →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Twenty-six years ago today, Tom Henke registered his 300th major league save when he secured the final four outs for the St. Louis Cardinals in their 4-3 win over the Atlanta Braves at Busch Stadium. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYbrLoDljdU In a Canadian baseball fan's perfect world, Henke would've reached that milestone with... Continue Reading →
Dave Parker played 13 games for the Toronto Blue Jays in 1991 By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Do you remember when the Cobra was a Blue Jay? No one would blame if you don't. After all, Dave Parker was only a Blue Jay for three weeks 30 years ago. But in that short tenure... Continue Reading →
Elliott Wahle, the Toronto Blue Jays' original administrator of player personnel, shown here second from the right, passed away on Friday at the age of 69. He is pictured here at the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony in St. Marys, Ont., in 2018 with ex-Blue Jays (far left to right) Paul Hodgson (Marysville,... Continue Reading →
Former Toronto Blue Jays left-hander J.A. Happ has signed a one-year, $8-million deal with the Minnesota Twins. Photo: Minnesota Twins/Twitter January 26, 2021 By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada My weekly roundup of former Toronto Blue Jays news and notes: Player Signings –LHP Matt Dermody has signed a one-year deal with the Seibu Lions of... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: – I was happy to see fellow London, Ont., native Jamie Romak be named this year's recipient of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame's Tip O'Neill Award on Thursday. In a year with so much gloom, this is a... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Who's the first former Toronto Blue Jays player to be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame? That's a question that often stumps Canadian baseball fans. And you can be forgiven if you don't remember Phil Niekro - who's the answer to the question - making three starts... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: - It was 31 years ago today that Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductee and 2020 National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Larry Walker (Maple Ridge, B.C.) made his major league debut. Batting sixth and playing right field for... Continue Reading →
You could say I'm batting .500. In my "rookie" year (2010) of this blog, I wrote down 10 things I would like to see happen in Canadian baseball in the ensuing decade. I remembered that I had written this post earlier today and decided to see how many of my wishes had come true. ... Continue Reading →
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: · In case you missed it, Ladner, B.C., native James Paxton was named winner of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame’s 2018 Tip O’Neill Award on Tuesday. Canada’s baseball shrine presents this honour annually to the Canadian player judged to have excelled in individual achievement... Continue Reading →