Kevin Glew’s Canadian Baseball History Blog
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada He was the Toronto Blue Jays’ first ace. Before there was Dave Stieb, there was Dave Lemanczyk. And few have fought harder to stay on the mound than Lemanczyk, who tossed 11 complete games for a hapless Blue Jays squad in their inaugural season. The strong-willed, 6-foot-4 right-hander pitched... Continue Reading →
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada He was the first rifle-armed Toronto Blue Jays right fielder. Before Jesse Barfield, Shawn Green, Raul Mondesi and Jose Bautista, there was Steve Bowling. The former University of Tulsa running back was the starting right fielder for the Blue Jays in the franchise’s first game on April 7, 1977.... Continue Reading →
He’s the most versatile player ever to don a Montreal Expos uniform. During the 1970 season, Ron Brand, who was primarily a catcher, played every position except for pitcher and first base. “I believe I’m the only guy who’s ever caught 300 [major league] games and played all of those other positions more than once,”... Continue Reading →
He’s the answer to one of the more challenging Canadian baseball trivia questions. Who is the only person to be in a big league uniform for the first game at Exhibition Stadium and the first game at the SkyDome? The answer is Chuck Hartenstein, who was a member of the Toronto Blue Jays bullpen for... 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 →
My weekly opinions, observations and rants about some Canadian baseball stories: I’m a big fan of Toronto Star hockey writer Damien Cox. He’s one of the best hockey writers in the business, but for him to speculate in a blog entry that Jose Bautista might be using steroids is irresponsible journalism. It taints Bautista’s... Continue Reading →