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CLAPP! Goes Canada
Canada beats Mariners prospects
By BOB ELLIOTT -- For SLAM! Sports
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Stubby Clapp photo courtesy of Canadian Olympic Committee.


It doesn't matter the season, the country or the continent.

Put a red and white Team Canada uniform on Stubby Clapp and watch out.

No matter whether it was the 1991 World junior championship team, which won gold in Kindersley, Sask; the 1994 World Seniors; the 1999 Pan-Am Games in Winnipeg; the 2003 Olympic qualifier in Panama or the 2004 Olympic Games, Canada's Mr. Baseball is still Mr. Baseball.

Clapp (Windsor, Ont.) picked up where he left as Team Canada warmed up for the Olympic qualifier with an 8-5 exhibition game win over the Seattle Mariners in Peoria, Az.

Clapp had three hits, including a pair of doubles and knocked in a run, as the old melded with the young.

Scott Thorman (Cambridge, Ont.) knocked in three runs and centre fielder Sebastien Boucher (Ottawa, Ont.) reached base three times, representing the new wave on the Olympic bid scene. At the same time, Olympic veterans Ryan Radmanovich (Calgary, Alta.) -- three hits -- and shortstop Kevin Nicholson (Vancouver, BC) -- two hits, two RBIs -- each contributed as well.

Boucher and Clapp batted 1-2 in the lineup of manager Ernie Whitt (Clinton Township, Mich., a Windsor, Ont. suburb).

Boucher, a Mariners farmhand, led off the game, working an eight-pitch walk. Boucher then stole second base and advanced to third on a passed ball. With two out, Radmanovich walked and Thorman hit a two-out, two-run double to left-centre.

Clapp doubled to the gap in left-centre to leading off the third. Russ Martin (Chelsea, Que) walked and Radmanovich singled to set up Thorman's third RBI of the afternoon to make it 4-1.

Boucher had a hit, a walk and was hit by a pitch, not to mention a stolen base and a run scored.

RHP Mike Meyers (London, Ont.) started and pitched three innings for the win. He allowed one hit and one run while striking out three.

Canada went up 7-1 in the sixth behind a two-run bloop single from the bat of Nicholson that plunked into shallow right field.

The Mariners, came alive in the late innings, especially in the bottom half of the sixth when back-to-back homers and a two-out double cut the lead to 7-4. They would add another in the seventh, but that was it, that was all.

Thorman had three RBIs with his two hits; Radmanovich, coming off a 31-homer season had three hits, while Nicholson had a pair of hits and knocked in two runs. Jeremy Ware (Guelph) had a pair of hits and drove in a run.

Canada will play two more exhibition games before opening the Olympic Pre-Qualifier in Phoenix, Nov. 15 against Nicaragua.













Do you think Jesse Litsch will bounce back and pitch for the Blue Jays again?
  Yes, the bullpen needs help
  No, his injury was too severe
  I don't want him back


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