September 30, 2022 By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada He was Pat Gillick’s favourite player. At least that’s how Willie Upshaw was described in some newspaper articles in the 1980s. And the description seems appropriate. After all, it was Gillick who drafted and signed Upshaw for the New York Yankees in 1975 and then again,... Continue Reading →
A look at Toronto Blue Jays 100-RBI seasons
September 20, 2022 By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada When Willie Upshaw singled to drive in Dave Collins and Rance Mulliniks in the third inning of the Toronto Blue Jays' 7-3 win over the Seattle Mariners at Exhibition Stadium 39 years ago today, he became the first Blue Jays player to record 100 RBIs in... Continue Reading →
These Blue Jays stars were originally drafted by who?
You probably know that John Olerud played with the Mets from 1997 to 1999, but did you know that he was draft by the Mets in 1986? By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada Last week, while listening to former big leaguer Bret Boone interview John Olerud for his podcast, I learned that Olerud was originally... Continue Reading →
But What Do I Know? . . . Ellen Harrigan, Freddie Freeman, James Paxton, Jackie Robinson
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: – Congratulations to Kim Ng, who was named the general manager of the Miami Marlins on Friday. With this assignment, she becomes the first female general manager in major league history. Ng has spent 21 years working in the... Continue Reading →
But What Do I Know? . . . Joey Votto, James Paxton, Jason Bay, Roy Halladay, Willie Upshaw
By Kevin Glew Cooperstowners in Canada My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: – When Joey Votto (Etobicoke, Ont.) homered in the third inning for the Cincinnati Reds on Monday, it was his 1,900th MLB hit. With that, as the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame tweeted out, Votto became just the second... Continue Reading →
But What Do I Know? . . . Colby Rasmus, Willie Upshaw, Hal Lanier
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: • The ERAs of R.A. Dickey, Mark Buehrle, Drew Hutchison and Aaron Sanchez, who have been in the Toronto Blue Jays’ starting rotation for the entire season, are 5.76, 5.54, 6.17 and 4.26 respectively. The ERAs of the top four starters – Randy Wolf, Scott... Continue Reading →
But What Do I Know? . . . Russell Martin, Daniel Norris, Dick Teed
My weekly observations and notes about some Canadian baseball stories: • When Russell Martin (Montreal, Que.) doubled off of right-hander Buck Farmer in the third inning of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 8-4 loss to the Detroit Tigers on August 13, he became the 13th Canadian to collect 1,000 hits in their big league career. He also... Continue Reading →
But What Do I Know? … Jon Rauch, Rene Tosoni, Willie Upshaw
My weekly opinions, observations and rants about some Canadian baseball stories: I was once told to never trust a man with a neck tattoo. Just wondering if that applies to Jays closer Jon Rauch. Yes, he has five saves in six opportunities, but he has also allowed three homers in 11 innings. Over the... Continue Reading →