My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: • Sudbury, Ont., native Farhan Zaidi was named the general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers last week to become the sixth Canadian to be named a big league GM. The others are George Selkirk (Huntsville, Ont., Washington Senators, 1964 to 1969), Murray Cook (Sackville,... Continue Reading →
But What Do I Know? . . . Babe Ruth, Erik Bedard, Jeff Francis
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: - To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Babe Ruth’s first professional home run which he hit at Hanlan’s Point Stadium on Toronto Island on September 5, 1914, the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame is selling limited edition prints (numbered to 714 and shown above) that... Continue Reading →
Beloved Blue Jays coach, Mel Queen, passes away
Former big league pitcher and longtime Blue Jays coach, Mel Queen, passed away this morning at the age of 69. The Blue Jays made the announcement on their website just after noon today. The cause of death was not released. “Our organization would not be what it is today without the contributions of Mel Queen,”... Continue Reading →
But What Do I Know? … Ryan Dempster, Justin Morneau, Jose Canseco
My weekly opinions, observations and rants about some Canadian baseball stories: Ryan Dempster, the pride of Gibsons, B.C., has been named the Chicago Cubs Opening Day starter in 2011. This will be his third Opening Day assignment. He started two previous openers with the Florida Marlins in 2001 and 2002. With 102 career victories... Continue Reading →
Five things you might not know about John Farrell
It was hard not to be impressed by John Farrell in yesterday’s news conference that introduced him as the Blue Jays new manager. The Jays new field boss came across as ambitious, articulate, intelligent and confident, and the former Red Sox pitching coach appears to be universally respected in baseball circles. The New Jersey native... Continue Reading →