March 6, 1969: Montreal Expos’ first spring training game

On February 24, I wrote about the Toronto Blue Jays’ first spring training game that took place on March 11, 1977 in Dunedin, Fla. But what happened in the Montreal Expos’ first spring training contest eight years earlier? To find out, I trekked over to the D.B. Weldon Library at Western University to track down... 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 →

Niekro a Hall of Famer despite dreadful stint with Jays

It’s safe to say that Phil Niekro was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in spite of his performance as a Toronto Blue Jay. Enshrined in 1997, the ageless knuckleballer won 318 big league games, was selected to five all-star teams and won five Gold Gloves during his 24-year career. “Trying to hit... Continue Reading →

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