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 →
In Memoriam – Remembering Canadian baseball legends that died in 2011 – Part 1
As a new year approaches, it’s a good time to look back and savour the memories of the Canadian baseball legends that we lost in 2011. In part one of my two-part series, I've created obituaries for the legends that we lost during the first half of 2011: Roy Hartsfield, January 15 After 15 seasons... Continue Reading →
But What Do I Know? … Edwin Encarnacion, Roberto Alomar, J.P. Ricciardi
My weekly opinions, observations and rants about some Canadian baseball stories (Follow me on Twitter: @kevinglewsports): I still feel that Blue Jays fans are too harsh on Edwin Encarnacion, but I have to admit they are very clever. With his two errors at first base in Wednesday’s game, witty Jays supporters have taken to... 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 →
Ron Piché (1935 to 2011): Memories of Monsieur Baseball
He pitched in the big leagues alongside Warren Spahn and Bob Gibson, but Ron Piché’s most important contribution to his sport was as a mentor, ambassador and inspiration to baseball-loving kids in Quebec. One such youngster was Derek Aucoin, who, with a relief appearance on May 21, 1996, became the only Montreal-born player to be... Continue Reading →