He once called his tenure as general manager of the Montreal Royals his best three years in baseball. That’s lofty praise when you consider that Buzzie Bavasi was the architect of four World Series-winning teams with the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers. Assembling talent like Sandy Koufax, Jackie Robinson and Duke Snider, the bold New Yorker also... Continue Reading →
Cooperstowners that were rumoured to be coming to Toronto
Phil Niekro, Dave Winfield, Paul Molitor and Rickey Henderson are Hall of Famers that once suited up for the Toronto Blue Jays. And Roberto Alomar will, of course, have his day in Cooperstown this summer. But in the club’s 34-year history, a number of other legends were also rumoured to be coming to Toronto. Part... Continue Reading →
But What Do I Know? … Ron Piché, Woodie Fryman, Michael Young
My weekly opinions, observations and rants about some Canadian baseball stories: Funeral services were held yesterday for Canadian Baseball Hall of Famer Ron Piché in Laval, Quebec. Hall president Tom Valcke reported that Piche would be buried in his honourary Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame blazer. Piché, who pitched for parts of six seasons... Continue Reading →
Roy Hartsfield, Blue Jays first manager, dies
The snow blanketing the field for the Toronto Blue Jays' inaugural game on April 7, 1977, must have been a shock for Roy Hartsfield, the team’s first skipper who had managed the Padres’ Triple-A club in Hawaii for the previous four seasons. But a little snow wasn’t about to cool Hartsfield’s excitement. After 15 seasons... Continue Reading →