Kevin Glew’s Canadian Baseball History Blog
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Former Montreal Expos outfielder Larry Biittner died on Sunday at the age of 75. The news of his death was first reported on the Baseball Player Passings Facebook page by family friend Dan Pritchard on Sunday morning. The Des Moines Register reported that Biittner died of cancer. Most will... Continue Reading →
Jeff Heath. Photo: Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Fate and, some would say, karma, attempted to humble Jeff Heath. For no matter what the brash, broad-shouldered Canadian-born slugger did on a professional baseball field – and much of it was remarkable – he always seemed to be overshadowed. It’s... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada He may have been the most important hitting coach in Montreal Expos history. Yet, even some of the most diehard Expos fans probably won't remember Mickey Vernon's tenure as the club's batting instructor. When the two-time American League batting champion took over as the team's hitting coach under manager... Continue Reading →
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: · It was 41 years ago today that the Toronto Blue Jays began assembling their first team via the 1976 Major League Baseball Expansion Draft. With their first pick, the Blue Jays selected Bob Bailor from the Baltimore Orioles. Bailor proceeded to bat .310 in... Continue Reading →
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: The 1982 Topps Montreal Expos Future Stars card (pictured above) showcases Terry Francona and Brad Mills together on their first Topps baseball card. Both played for the Expos’ only playoff team in 1981 and 35 years later, Mills is serving as Francona’s bench coach for... Continue Reading →
His toughness was legendary. On many occasions, Frank O’Rourke “took the field so crippled up that every move caused him intense pain,” wrote Toronto Star sportswriter Charles Good in 1933. For 13 professional seasons, the Hamilton, Ont.-born infielder had persevered through sprained ankles, sore arms and the deep body bruises that accompany being perennially amongst... Continue Reading →
Jim King, who was named the International League's MVP while with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1960, died on February 23 in Fayetteville, Ark., at the age of 82. On top of his heroics in Hogtown, King also clubbed 117 home runs in parts of 11 major league seasons between 1955 and 1967 with the... Continue Reading →
Don Johnson, who pitched parts of five minor league seasons with the International League's Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1950s, died of kidney failure in Portland, Ore., on February 10 at the age of 88. Though his wild and hard-drinking ways sometimes overshadowed his on-the-field performance, Johnson managed to pitch in parts of seven big... Continue Reading →
*Writer's Note: This is an updated version of an article that I've published previously on this blog. He’s Canada’s Mr. October. But even though George Selkirk earned five World Series rings during his nine-year career with the New York Yankees, the vast majority of baseball fans in Canada and the U.S. don’t know who he... Continue Reading →
From ace starter in Montreal to World Series-winning closer in Brooklyn, Ed Roebuck certainly proved his versatility on the mound in the mid-1950s. After tying for the team lead in wins (18) with the Triple-A Montreal Royals in 1954, Roebuck made the big league Dodgers as a reliever the following spring. Brooklyn bench boss Walter... Continue Reading →
