Kevin Glew’s Canadian Baseball History Blog
My weekly opinions, observations and rants about some Canadian baseball stories (Please follow me on Twitter: @kevinglewsports): Around 1,500 people were on the Hall of Fame grounds on Saturday for the events surrounding the induction of Expos legend Rusty Staub, New Brunswick-born big leaguer Rheal Cormier, current Milwaukee Brewers GM Doug Melvin (Chatham, Ont.)... Continue Reading →
Rheal Cormier almost made it through his Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame induction speech without tears. But when it came time to talk about his father, Ronald, who passed away last September, the Cap-Pele, N.B., native couldn’t contain his emotions. At a pre-ceremony press conference on Saturday, Cormier recounted how his father, a truck driver... Continue Reading →
These days, Jerry White is the first base coach of the Minnesota Twins, but a big part of his heart will always be with the Montreal Expos. A valuable outfielder during his 10 seasons (1974 to 1983) with the Expos, the California native loved playing in Montreal. “It was a beautiful city,” he said in... Continue Reading →
*Courtesy of http://www.baseballhalloffame.ca After living 43 years in Canada while carrying a U.S. passport, Jim Fanning officially became a Canadian citizen at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday in a ceremony in London, Ontario. The spirit-lifting honour couldn’t have come at a better time for the former Montreal Expos boss and current ambassador of baseball for the... Continue Reading →
Charlie Lea, the only Montreal Expo to toss a no-hitter at Olympic Stadium, died at his home in Collierville, Tenn., on Friday. Reports indicate that the 54-year-old, former all-star died of a massive heart attack. Lea, who had been working as a radio analyst with the Memphis Redbirds (St. Louis Cardinals' Triple-A affiliate), was interviewed... Continue Reading →
He finished his career with an ERA (3.17) better than Nolan Ryan and logged more innings per season than Sandy Koufax. Yet when Steve Rogers became eligible for the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991, the longtime Expos ace failed to garner a single vote. “I needed five to eight more years and 70... Continue Reading →
He’s the only Montreal Expo to toss a no-hitter at Olympic Stadium. And more than 29 years later, Charlie Lea, now an analyst on Memphis Redbirds’ (St. Louis Cardinals Triple-A affiliate) radio broadcasts, still remembers the game vividly. “I walked four guys, so it wasn’t like it was a perfect game,” he reflected modestly, in... Continue Reading →
Before he won 329 big league games, four Cy Young Awards and a World Series ring, Steve Carlton made 12 starts for the Winnipeg Goldeyes in 1964. At that time, the club was the Northern League Class-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. While in Manitoba, the 19-year-old southpaw would register four wins and a... Continue Reading →
It was the first time that baseball’s elite had assembled outside of the U.S. for the mid-summer classic. Five Montreal Expos populated the National League roster, including three – Gary Carter, Andre Dawson and Tim Raines – voted to the squad by the fans. When you add in that Expos ace, Steve Rogers, was the... Continue Reading →
