Joey Votto (Etobicoke, Ont.) signs autographs for fans at Rogers Centre on Friday. Photo: Cincinnati Reds May 22, 2022 By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada My weekly Canadian baseball news and notes: -My hope is that fans at the Rogers Centre will rise to their feet and give Joey Votto a standing ovation today in... Continue Reading →
Tag: Ron Piche
Remembering Hank Aaron and his Canadian connections
One of Hank Aaron's Milwaukee Braves' teammates over the years was right-handed pitcher and Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Ron Piche (Verdun, Que.), shown on the left, with Aaron. Photo: Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Hank Aaron, Major League Baseball's longtime home run king and one of its... Continue Reading →
Remembering Bob Gibson and his Canadian connections
Bob Gibson and Fergie Jenkins (Chatham, Ont.) were mound rivals and perennial National League Cy Young Award contenders between 1967 and 1972. By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada After it was announced that longtime St. Louis Cardinals ace Bob Gibson had passed away on Friday, Canadian baseball legend Fergie Jenkins (Chatham, Ont.) paid tribute to... Continue Reading →
Remembering Lou Brock and his Canadian connections
Lou Brock served as a coach with the Montreal Expos in 1993. By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada On top of his 3,000 hits, 938 stolen bases and first-ballot induction in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Lou Brock is also the answer to an important Canadian baseball trivia question. Who was the first major... Continue Reading →
Find the Canadian Connection – 1979 Topps Roger Metzger
This is the fourth in my “Find the Canadian Connection” feature. For this feature, I close my eyes and reach into a random box of baseball cards in my basement and pull out a single card. I then try to establish a Canadian connection for the player featured on the card. The card I... Continue Reading →
But What Do I Know? . . . Ryan Dempster, Jason Bay, Brett Lawrie, Frank Robinson
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: · In case you missed it, the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame announced its 2019 induction class on Tuesday. Former slugger Jason Bay (Trail, B.C.), versatile ex-pitcher Ryan Dempster (Gibsons, B.C.), esteemed coach Rob Thomson (Corunna, Ont.) and long-time executive Gord Ash (Toronto, Ont.) will... Continue Reading →
But What Do I Know? . . . Justin Morneau, Eric Gagne, Bob Emslie, Ron Piche
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: · The Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame will announce its 2019 induction class on Tuesday at 9 a.m. E.T. I will publish the Hall’s press release on this site. The new inductees will be honoured in a ceremony at the Hall of Fame grounds in... Continue Reading →
But What Do I Know? . . . John Gibbons, Ron Piche, Steve Rogers
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: If it feels like John Gibbons gets thrown out of a lot of games, that’s because he does get thrown out of a lot of games, at least that’s what the statistics say. Just 45 games into the 2016 season, the Toronto Blue Jays skipper... Continue Reading →
Cooperstowners in Canada: Steve Carlton
He won four Cy Young Awards, was selected to 10 all-star games and was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. But what you might not know about legendary left-hander Steve Carlton is that he started his professional baseball career in Canada. After he was signed as an... Continue Reading →
Cooperstowners in Canada: Joe Torre
In a previous blog entry, I noted that Bobby Cox and Tony La Russa - two of the three legendary managers recently elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame - spent portions of their professional careers in Canada. Cox, of course, managed the Toronto Blue Jays for four seasons from 1982 to 1985, while... Continue Reading →