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Sunday, December 7, 2003
On the Sandlots
Quebec No. 1, 40-man men, Axford injured, Zimmerman Mr. Canada
By BOB ELLIOTT -- For SLAM! Canadian Baseball
In 2003, La Belle Province was the Bell of the ball.
Quebec was named province of the year at the 16th annual fall convention -- held in conjunction with the the first ever Baseball Summit -- in Quebec City.
Of the seven national championships Quebec won three gold medals (in the peewee and senior divisions, as well as the Canada Cup at the national baseball championships in Windsor, Ont. Jean-Luc Blaquiere pitched a three-hitter as Quebec edged British Columbia 5-3 in the Canada Cup. Alexandre Villeneuve pitched a two-hitter as Quebec won the gold medal peewee game with a 4-2 win over Ontario and Pat Plante pitched a complete-game three hitter in the senior finale as Quebec edged Saskatchewan 2-1.
Quebec also finished with two silver medals, in the junior division and the bantam girls division, while winning a bronze in midget.
So, La Belle Province finished with a 3-2-1 record in the medal standings, going 6-for-7.
Ontario, aided by the host Windsor clubs, also took home medals in six of seven championships. Ontario won both the bantam and bantam girls division, while Windsor won junior. Ontario won the silver in peewee, while Ontario took bronze in senior and Windsor finished third in bantam for a 3-1-2 mark.
The winners:
| GOLD | SILVER | BRONZE |
Pee Wee | Que | Ont | BC |
Bantam | Ont | NB | Ont-H |
Bantam Girls | Ont | Que | Alta |
Midget | BC | Man | Que |
Junior | Ont-H | Que | BC |
Senior | Que | Sask | Ont |
Canada Cup | Que | BC | Alta |
(Ont-H denotes host team.)
Each year, Baseball Canada recognizes winners from all 7 National Championships as well as the Dick Willis Official of the Year, MLB & Baseball Canada Volunteer of the Year, the Lionel Ruhr Coach of the Year and the Baseball Canada Province of the Year.
Baseball Canada also gave out its annual awards:
The Lionel Ruhr Coach of the Year honours went to Todd Plaxton, of Saskatchewan.
The Dick Willis Official of the Year award went to Yves Poulin, of Quebec
The MLB and Baseball Canada Volunteer of the Year award went to Dave Shury (Wilkie, Sask.), 73, edged out Howie Birnie (Leaside, Ont.) keeper of the shrine known at Talbot Park in Toronto.
Shury was a worthy inductee into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in St. Marys in 2002 as he continues his non-stop career as an organizer, executive, historian and baseball enthusiast.
An original organizer of Canada's first national senior team for the 1967 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Shury was the first life member of Baseball Canada.
In 1956 he became President of the Saskatchewan Baseball Association and Secretary of Canadian Federation of Amateur Baseball in 1967.
Little did he know he was headed for one, but in 1983 Shury established the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and started the Saskatchewan Historical Baseball Review in 1984.
40-MAN WATCH: Six Canadians were added to the Nov. 20 40-man rosters which were submitted by all 30 Major League Teams.
The newcomers added, who didn't have to be protected, or were not on the 40-man in 2002 are:
LHP Adam Loewen, 19, (Surrey, BC), who signed a major-league deal with the Baltimore Orioles, which included a $4.02 million signing bonus. Loewen was 0-2 with a 2.70 earned run average in seven games with the Single-A Aberdeen Ironbirds this summer.
RHP Rich Harden, 22, (Victoria, BC), 5-4 with a 4.46 ERA in 15 games for the Oakland A's, was added to the Oakland roster. In the minors, Harden made two stops in the minors, going 9-4, with a 3.15 ERA in 16 games with the Triple-A Sacremento RiverCats and 2-0, without allowing a hit in two games for the Double-A Midland Rockhounds.
RHP Chris Mears, 26, (Victoria, BC) was 1-3 with a 5.44 ERA and five saves with the Detroit Tigers in 29 games and was added by the Tigers. Mears was 5-1, with a 2.78 ERA and two saves in 26 games for the Triple-A Toledo Mud Hens.
INF Simon Pond, 27, (North Vancouver, BC) was added to the Blue Jays winter roster after hitting .306, with five homers and 33 RBIs in 63 games at Triple-A Syracuse and batting .338, with seven homers and 49 RBIs in 61 games with the Double-A New Haven Ravens.
RHP Shawn Hill, 22, (Georgetown, Ont.) was placed on the Montreal Expos 40-man roster after going 3-1, with a 3.54 ERA in four games for the Double-A Harrisburg Senators and 9-4, with a 2.56 ERA in 22 games for the Single-A Brevard County Manatees.
1B Scott Thorman, 22 (Cambridge, Ont.) was added by the Atlanta Braves after hitting .243, with 12 homers and 56 RBIs in 124 games for the Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans.
A year ago 17 Canadians were on the 40-man rosters and with the six additions -- and others filing for free agency -- 18 are now on 40-man rosters. The others:
OF Larry Walker, 37, (Maple Ridge, B.C) with the Colorado Rockies after hitting .284 with 16 homers and 79 RBIs in 143 games.
RP Rheal Cormier, 36, (Moncton, NB), with the Philadelphia Phillies after going 8-0 with a 1.70 ERA in 65 games.
3B Corey Koskie, 30, (Anola, Man.) after hitting .292 with 14 homers and 69 RBIs in 131 games with the Minnesota Twins.
RP Jeff Zimmerman, 31, (Kelowna, B.C.) who pitched three scoreless innings on a rehab assignment with the Rookie-Class Arizona-League Rangers coming off surgery.
RP Eric Gagne, 28, (Montreal, Que.), the National League Cy Young award winner after going 2-3 with a 1.20 ERA for the Los Angeles Dodgers, while going a perfect 55-for-55 in save opportunities.
RHP Chris Reitsma, 26, (Calgary, Alta.) who was 9-5 with three saves and a 4.29 ERA in 57 games with the Cincinnati Reds. He was 1-2, with a 4.00 ERA in four games with the Triple-A Louisville Bats.
OF Aaron Guiel, 31, (Langley, B.C.), who hit .277 with 15 homers and 52 RBIs in 99 games with the Kansas City Royals. Guiel hit .279, with eight homers and 30 RBIs in 52 games with the Triple-A Omaha Royals.
1B Justin Morneau, 22, (New Westminster, BC) who hit .226 with four homers and 16 RBIs in 40 games for the Twins. In the minors, Morneau hit .268, with 16 homers and 42 RBIs in 71 games for the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings and .329, with six homers and 13 RBIs in 20 games for the Double-A New Britain Rock Cats.
OF Jason Bay, 25, (Trail, BC) who hit .287 with four homers and 14 RBIs for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Bay hit .250 with a homer and two RBIs in three games with the San Diego Padres. In the minors, Bay batted .303, with 20 homers and 59 RBIs in 91 games for the Triple-A Portland Beavers.
C Peter LaForest, 26, (Hull, Que.) hit .167 with six RBIs in 19 games. LaForest hit .269, with 14 homers and 38 RBIs in 61 games for the Triple-A Durham Bulls and .250, with three homers and 15 RBIs in 21 games for the Double-A Orlando Rays.
RHP Steve Green, 26, (Longueuil, Que.) was kept on the Anaheim Angels roster after going 9-5, with a 4.66 ERA in 21 games with the Triple-A Salt Lake Stingers and 1-1 with a 1.29 ERA in two games with the Rookie-Class Mesa.
LHP Erik Bedard, 25, (Navan, Ont.), coming back from surgery with Baltimore, was 0-1, with a 7.36 ERA in one game with Single-A Frederick Keys, was 0-0, with a 2.25 ERA in two games with the Single-A Aberdeen Ironbirds and 0-0, with a 1.13 ERA in three games for the Rookie-Class, Gulf Coast Orioles.
And the numbers will swell once the free-agents land. Canadian free-agents yet to be signed, include:
RHP Paul Quantrill, 35, (Port Hope, Ont.) who was 2-5 with one save and a 1.70 ERA in 89 appearances with the Dodgers.
OF Matt Stairs, 35, (Saint John, NB), who hit .292 with 20 homers and 57 RBIs in 121 games for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
RHP Ryan Dempster, 26, (Gibsons, B.C.), who was 3-7, 6.54 in 22 games with the Cincinnati Reds in 22 games. He was also 1-1, with a 3.29 ERA in two games with Triple-A Louisville.
INF Danny Klassen, 28, (Leamington, Ont.) who hit .247 with one homer and seven RBIs in 22 games with Detroit after hitting .246, with 11 homers and 48 RBIs in 112 games at Triple-A Toledo.
RHP Aaron Myette, 26, (Surrey, BC), who had a 23.62 ERA in two games for Philadelphia. In the minors, Myette was 5-4, with a 4.27 ERA in 11 games for the Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre Red Barons, while going 0-0, with a 4.59 ERA and one save in 23 games for Triple-A Buffalo Bisons; and throwing five scoreless innings in five games with the Double-A Akron Aeros.
NEW No. 1: RHP John Axford (Port Dover, Ont.), who was headed into the June 2004 draft as the top Canadian, has suffered a setback. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish righty underwent Tommy John surgery last week and will not throw a pitch next spring. Axford worked one inning in his only fall start, allowing one run as Notre Dame Blue edged the Notre Dame Gold team 13-10 in fall game.
Axford, like Billy Koch, Kerry Wood, Hentgen and countless others, will no doubt be as strong as ever for the 2005 draft.
Axford was 9-3 in 2003, starting 13 games and striking out 69 in 71 innings. In two seasons for the Irish, the 6-foot-5 Port Dover native had a combined record of 14-5, with a 4.13 ERA, striking out 133 and walking 109 in 141 2/3 innings. The respected Baseball America had ranked Axford 44th among its top 200 college players for 2004. Chicago Cubs team physician Dr. Michael Schafer performed the successful surgery.
Catcher Joel Collins (Richmond Hill, Ont.) of Team Ontario and the Canadian Youth Team, takes over the No. 1 spot.
Now, Axford will rehab and be back in the saddle next fall preparing for the spring of 2005 and the June draft.
Axford (Port Dover, Ont.) underwent reconstructive elbow surgery in the first week of November and is slated to miss the entire 2004 season. Axford was expected to be one of the top starters on a 2004 staff that includes the deepest pitching talent in the program's history.
"This is a frustrating break for John but we expect him to make a full recovery and be back pitching for Notre Dame in the 2005 season," said Notre Dame head coach Paul Mainieri. "We always have been a team that has rallied when faced with injuries and other challenges. I certainly expect our team to respond in the same way for the upcoming season. The prognosis is good for a full recovery and John will have the support of our program while undergoing the rehab process under the expert care of our athletic trainer Mike Bean."
His first two seasons with the Irish include a 4.13 ERA and 14-5 record in 31 appearance (25 starts), with 133 strikeouts, 109 walks, 122 hits allowed, a .243 opponents' batting average in 141.2 innings.
Axford tied for the team lead in wins, while ranking second in strikeouts (69) and games started (13) and third in innings pitched (71). The 6-5, 180-pounder's other 2003 stats included a 4.31 ERA, 50 walks, 63 hits allowed, a .245 opponent's batting average, 14 wild pitches and hit five batters in 14 appearances. His average of 8.75 strikeouts per nine innings ranked second on the staff, while he tied for the team lead with 26 called strikeouts. Axford also ranked fourth for lowest opponent batting average with runners on base (.238) while his average of eight hits allowed per nine innings was fifth-best on the staff.
YEAR II: On the way to the Athens Olympic Games in Athens, Baseball Canada will host its most distinguished alumni, at Renaissance Hotel at SkyDome in Toronto Saturday, Jan. 17th, 2004.
The National Teams awards banquet and fundraiser will honor the accomplishments of many big leaguers and Olympians.
National League Cy Young Award winner Eric Gagne received an Alumni Award at in 2003.
Awards will be handed out for Baseball Canada's National Senior and Junior Teams.
Interested parties should contact Greg Hamilton (613-748-5606, ghamilton@baseball.ca).
If Team Canada ever gets a nickname it should be the Zimmermans.
RP Jeff Zimmerman (Kelowna, BC), of the Texas Rangers, has again made a generous financial donation to Baseball Canada. The closer and 1999 American League all-star has been the leading supporter of Canada's National Teams program, since he last wore a Canada jersey as a member of the 1995 Olympic qualification Team.
"Representing Canada in International Baseball is an experience I will never forget," Zimmerman said, "I had the opportunity to see the World and compete against some of the best talent in the game. The intensity level and competitiveness is magnified in every game. It would be great to have the opportunity to do it again."
Baseball Canada President Ray Carter echoed sentiments of thanks.
"We are thankful for Jeff's ongoing support of our National Teams Program.
Zimmerman, restricted to only three innings in 2003, will attend the banquet at the Renaissance Hotel.
BLAZE SPREADS: The Langley Blaze, coming off a 35-9 British Columbia Premier League season, is expanding. The Blaze will have an entry in the Pacific Coast International League for 2004.
Established in 1992, the PIL is the Northwest's premier summer collegiate baseball league and acts as a developing ground for collegians.
Players can fill out an online player application form (http://pil.langleyblaze.com/modules/homepage/).
The Blaze is looking for sponsors, coaches and volunteers as well.
COLLEGE NEWS: RHP Robbie Findlay (senior, Etobicoke, Ont.), of the Texas Christian Horned Frog, worked 3 1/3 scoreless innings allowing five hits and striking out two in fall play.
"Findlay threw very well over the weekend along with some others, we have not begun to throw very many breaking balls yet," Jim Schlossnagle, head coach said. "I like the top half of our pitching staff right now but we need some of the returning pitchers who didn't pitch much last year to continue their improvement."
Pennsylvania Quakers RHP Ben Krantz (senior, Toronto, Ont.) was selected to the 2003 Jewish Sports Review College Baseball All-America Team, by the Jewish Sports Review. Krantz led the Quakers in several pitching categories this season including wins (four), innings pitched (55 1/3 innings) and strikeouts (52). He ended the spring season with a 4-3 mark and a 4.88 ERA. The senior earned honorable mention All-Ivy League before being drafted in June by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 15th round in the 2003 amateur draft. The Red and Blue finished with a 22-17 overall record and a second-place finish in the Lou Gehrig Division of the Ivy League. Krantz graduated from the College of Arts and Sciences with a Bachelor's Degree in biological basis of behavior in May 2003.
Maine Black Bears C Aaron Izaryk (sophomore, Markham, Ont.) finished with a .321 average in the NECBL. Izaryk was named a second team All-Star at DH and went 2-for-2 and drove in two runs in a 6-0 win. Izaryk received the Maine silver pin for achieving a GPA of higher than 3.5 for two or more consecutive terms (four).
TOPS IN ONTARIO: The Ontario Baseball Association held its 87th annual and gave out its annual awards at the general meeting at the Taboo Resort in Gravenhurst.
Cherie Piper from the Wexford Womens team won the senior Player of the Year honours.
Catcher Ian Choy (North York) a member of the national champion North York bantams, was named OBA Junior Player of the Year.
Choy hit 16 homeruns in 2003 for the Mississauga North Tigers, was a COBA all-star, was a Canadian national champion silver medallist in 2001.
Randy Pickle (Oshawa) was re-elected as president for his second year in office.
Mike Ignor of the Kitchener Minor Baseball Association, was named Baseball Ontario Volunteer of the Year.
Howie Birnie, long time president of the Leaside Baseball Association in Toronto, was Ontario's Baseball Canada Nominee for Volunteer of the Year.
The umpires of the year are: David Bunce - Mississauga Southwest, as the junior ump of the year; and Dayle Legros, of St. Catharines Ont., senior umpire of the year,
Honor roll:
Junior
1995 SS Chris Green, Brampton.
1996 OF Paul Brown, Chatham.
1997 RHP-3B Scott Thorman, Cambridge.
1998 RHP Bradley Gould, Thornhill.
1999 OF Chris Emanuele, Mississauga North.
2000 SS Derek Lowe, Port Dover.
2001 LHP Dan Zehr, Guelph.
2002 RHP-SS Kate Psota, Burlington.
2003 C Ian Choy, Mississauga North.
Senior
1995 LHP Mike Kusiewicz, Ottawa-Nepean Canadians.
1996 OF Shawn Pearson, Guelph.
1997 RHP Jason Mandryk, Langdon.
1998 1B Pat Nailer, Leaside.
1999 RHP Tanner Watson, Arnprior.
2000 1B-DH BJ Richardson, Windsor.
2001 C Chris Robinson, Dorchester.
2002 3B-OF Jamie Romak, London.
2003 Cherie Piper, Wexford.
PBL EXPANDS: The British Columbia-based Premier Baseball League will increase by two teams in 2004. Canada's best 18-year-old amateur league will add franchises in Kelowna and Pentiction.
Now, the PCL consists of 13 clubs with each playing a 48-game schedule. Interested players can contact Kelowna general manager Greg Newmarch (gnewmarch@shaw.ca) or Pentiction GM Ed Schweitzer (eschweitzer@shaw.ca).
The two teams join:
Four clubs in the Island Division: the Nanaimo Pirates, the Parksville Royals, the Victoria Mariners and the Cowichan Valley Canadians. Cowichan won't be back for 2003.
Four teams in the Mainland Division: the Vancouver Mounties, the Coquitlam Reds, the North Delta Blue Jays and the North Shore Twins.
Four teams in the Valley Division: the Langley Blaze, the White Rock Titons, the Whalley Chiefs and the Abbotsford Cardinals.
The 2003 PCL All-Conference Team:
FIRST TEAM
Catchers: Lyall Foran, Vancouver.
Infielders: Jordan Lennerton, Langley; Brett Murray, Vancouver; Devon Franklin, White Rock; Mike Griffin, Nanaimo.
Outfielders: Cory Wiltshire, Vancouver, Adam Parliament, Langley; Nic Lendvoy, Whalley.
Utility: Dillon O'Krane, Langley.
Pitchers: Douglas Grant, Vancouver; Evan Bailey, Langley; Sean Sargent, White Rock.
SECOND TEAM
Catcher: Christian Winstanley, Victoria.
Infielders: Jeff Paz, Whalley; Rene Tosoni, Coquitlam; Cory Eckstein, Abbotsford; Sean Sargent, White Rock.
Outfielders: Nick Chernoff, Langley; Cam Vale, Parksville; David Dyck, White Rock.
Utility: Mike Tomlinson, Parksville.
Pitchers: Henry Mabee, Victoria; Kevin Pockett, North Shore; Kurtis Schumacher, Coquitlam.
Individual Awards:
Top hitter: Devon Franklin, White Rock.
Top Pitcher: Douglas Grant, Vancouver.
MVP: Devon Franklin, White Rock.
Golden Glove: Jeff Paz, Whalley
Top offensive player: Jordan Lennerton, Langley.
Rookie of the Year: Kevin Atkinson, White Rock.
TEAM AWARDS
Organization of the Year: Parksville Royals.
Team of the Year: Langley Blaze.
NOISY IN TECUMSEH: The Tecumseh Thunder continue to provide solid players who can adjust to college baseball south of the border. Consider how these :
SS Alan Cattrysse (freshman, Chatham, Ont.), of the Michigan State Spartans, won the Big Ten Rookie of the Year award.
OF Eric Cassidy (freshman, Windsor, Ont.), of the Concordia Cardinals, was runner up in the NAIA Wolverine-Hooiser conference batting title.
1B Matt Chabot (freshman, Windsor, Ont.), of the Urbana Blue Knights, earned top honors in the NAIA American Mideast conference. He was named first-team All-American Mideast Conference South division as a right-handed pitcher/DH.
C Darren Kipping (freshman LaSalle, Ont.), of Urbana, was named best defensive catcher in the Mideast Conference and made the Urbana Dean's Honor Roll. Kipping studied under catching coach Tom Dufour.
NEW LOOP: The ever-changing horizon of competitive baseball in Ontario will change again this year with the formation of the Ontario Premier Baseball League.
Entrants in the 16-year-old division: Team Ontario Red, Team Ontario Black, the Hamilton Astros, the Ontario Blue Jays, the Welland Renegades and Team Toronto
And in the 18-year-old league: Team Ontario 17s, Ontario Blue Jays 17s, Team Ontario 18s, Ontario Blue Jays 18s, the Hamilton Astros, the Aigles de Quebec, the Tecumseh Thunder, the London Badgers, Team Toronto and the Welland Renegades.
BETTER THAN THE REAL ASTROS: The Hamilton Astros 16s and 18s each qualified for the National Amateur Baseball Federation championships this summer for the third year in a row. That's a claim only the Astros, run by Murray Marshall, can make.
The 18s went undefeated at the Altoona, Pa., regional to earn a berth in the NABF World Series at St. Marys, Ont.
RHP-3B John Marriotti, who played for four years and is now at Gulf Coast Community College; RHP Kyle Hill, at Wayne State, a three-year veteran; and RHP Aaron Smith, who attended the University of Maine before being injured, were the stalwarts.
In the previous years the 18s went to the World Series in Florida, they finished sixth and fourth. The 16s went to CABA World Series in Marietta Ga. and won their pool, despite RHP Corey Berniski (Mississauga, Ont.) letting one hitter know what pitch was coming. They finished 10th and sixth the previous two seasons.
The Astros lost out in the Preliminary round of the NABF World Series with losses to Maryland and Team Florida. The Astros 16s went to CABA World Series in Marietta Ga., home of the East Cobb Astros and won their pool, advancing to the championship round only to lose out to Illinios and California.
The Astros were in the CABA World Series in 2002 finishing 10th and at the AABC Mickey Mantle World Series in 2001 finishing sixth.
Over 90 Astros, the latest of which is RHP Jeff St. Dennis (Mississauga, Ont.) received scholarship offers or funding support in one fashion or another over the previous six years.
Some of the coaches, who helped the Astros over the years:
James Lee, a former college player south of the border and a pro in Korea, is in his fourth year coaching the 18s.
Dennis Hill, from Erin Mills, in his second year coaching the 18s.
Nathan Kazin, a former college player in his third year coaching 16s.
Brock Marshall, a former college player, in his second year, coaching the 16s.
David Peirce, a former OBA coach and midget elimination winner in his second year.
Ernie Stephanson, a former OBA coach, in his fourth year.
Previous coaches include: Jack Wood, Mark Nicholson, Rick Lostracco, Mike Wasyluk, Paul Koritko, Paul Ripco, Brian Westlake, Chris Windsor and Blake Leist. Guest instructors over the years include the likes of Greg (Chopper) Minor and Rick Johnson.
KUDOS TO RICO: Nick Rico was the well-deserved recipient of the Carmen Bush Signature Club Award.
Beginning his career with the Kiwanis Boys' Club in 1937, this infielder and pitcher had an extraordinarily strong arm, sound glove and a powerful bat at the plate. As a blossoming ballplayer in the 1940s, he spent every hour he could at the ballpark and built his strength working in the family's wholesale banana business. Ever a student of the game, he was constantly observing other ballplayer's movements on the field, and incorporated what he saw into his playing. Pitching a no-hitter while with the Kiwanis Boys, a feat that made the local papers, was one among the many highlights of his early years.
In his second year of Midget he joined Carmen Bush's Columbus Boys' Baseball Club and signed his first professional contract with the Kingston Ponies of the Border League in 1948.
After working out with three pro teams during the 1948 season, including the Toronto Maple Leafs, he was sent to play for Bradford, Pennsylvania in 1949. As the only Canadian on the squad, he beat out 12 other players to secure a spot at third base. After just over two months with Bradford, his contract was released and he returned to Canada and pitched for Waterloo in the Inter-County League.
The following spring, in 1950, he was invited to the Philadelphia Phillies training camp, where he was cut and directed to an independent club playing out of Bristol, Connecticut in the Colonial League. After pitching nine weeks with Bristol, the team folded and his contract was optioned to another club in Baxley-Hazlehurst, Ga. where he pitched and played third base. In his final start with Georgia, he pitched them to a 4 - 1 victory and hit the game-wining home run. Despite his heroics he was released the following day! He finished the season of 1950 with a team in Gastonia, North Carolina.
In 1951 he signed with Mooresville, North Carolina as a pitcher. That year he suffered a career-threatening elbow injury brought on by the improper release of his curve ball. For the better part of two months that season he played utility, boasting a .355 batting average.
In 1952, after being released from North Carolina near the end of the previous season, his elbow had healed and he gained a spot with a Cincinnati Reds farm team down in Lawton, Oklahoma. He tried his hand at pitching and bounced between second and third base as well as the outfield until, one day on the mound, he struck out nine batters in a row and completed the game with fifteen strikeouts. The manager penciled him into the starting rotation and wired the organization in Cincinnati with the news. Ironically, his next start hardly lasted two innings. His elbow injury was more serious than he imagined. Without the use of his pitching arm, there his pro career ended.
His playing career finished up here in Toronto in the late 1950s with the Western City Baseball League, out of Christie Pits. In his final season he hit sixteen home runs in 22 games, won the league's Triple Crown and MVP award, and became one of the very few players to ever hit the roof of the clubhouse with a home run ball.
He began his coaching career at the Junior level assisting Ed Terry under Carmen Bush in the early 1960s with a team sponsored by Primo, for whom he worked. Some of his players included Bob Duguid, who went pro with the Milwaukee Braves. Ty Crawford was signed by the Detroit Tigers organization. Doug Beckett later played "AAA" with the Boston Red Sox. Bob Smyth, now manager of the Etobicoke Rangers pitched and Ken Dryden pitched and played shortstop. As the above names suggest, this was a very powerful team that won numerous tournament and city championships.
His real passion, however, has been instructing younger kids. As a ballplayer, he often regretted not having received any basic teaching on the mechanics of the game. Injury had prematurely ended his playing career, and he hoped to help develop kids early so they could avoid the same.
Baseball Camps became his forum for instruction and he got involved with the Board of Education Camp in Toronto, where he taught in July four hours a day. Later, he was asked to teach at the Olympia Sports Resident Camp in Huntsville from April to September, and did so for several years.
With the necessary teaching experience under his belt, he began the Etobicoke Kingsway Lions Baseball Academy in 1993. The first camp launched in 1994 and was open to kids between the ages of seven and fifteen. He did all he could to keep the entry fees to his camp as low as possible so that all who were interested in joining would have the chance to do so.
Teaching basic baseball mechanics to kids has always been a joy for him. He would marvel at how quickly and eagerly the young players would pick up on his instruction and he always sought to improve his teaching style and delivery.
One of the mainstays of his teaching approach included the fungo, a long and skinny lightweight bat designed specifically for practice drills. To him, this bat serves an important dual purpose: one, the batter develops bat control and rhythm with the baseball; and two, other players improve their fielding skills by taking the ground balls.
In his teaching he drew mostly on his experiences as a ballplayer. He would recall how as a youngster, there would be times he did not want the ball hit to him for fear of making a mistake. As an instructor, he labored hard at making sure kids had their feet set and glove out "on time," as he called it, so that they would have confidence in the field. With pitchers, he emphasized proper arm action, so that the young player could throw with ease and have fun, even if he was "jocked" around. When instructing batters he would refer to "the dance and rhythm at the plate." He would often say that hitting is ballet.
With the coaches, he emphasized that it is never too late to learn new skills. "If I learned to swim at the age of 42, you fellows can learn to use the fungo and make the workouts more interesting and fun for the kids." Nick has approached instructing the game of baseball at its roots: teaching the essential fundamentals. He taught players and coaches what they needed to know and let the rest, the peripherals, take care of themselves.
-- By Andrew Bradley
SIGNING: When the Canadian Baseball League folded, it didn't mean the end of pro aspirations for C Brent Swanson (Richmond, BC). Swanson, who hit .184, with one homer and six RBIs for the Calgary Outlaws, has signed with the San Francisco Giants.
The former Kwantlen Eagle, Swanson played a key role of the 2000 title team.
Said coach Kelly Gage-Cole: "his defensive skills behind the plate will help make him a quality player for the Giants. As he gets stronger, his offense will improve. I think they (Giants) would like to see a little more power from him, but that will come."
DOWN UNDER: CF Matt Moir (Oakville, Ont.), who played at Cuyahoga Community College and in the Intercounty is playing for the Toowoomba Rangers of the Greater Brisbane Baseball league in Australia. Each team is allowed two imports and Moir, coming off a two-homer game, owns a .400 average.
TOURNEY TIME: The Toronto Baseball Association, managed by Jeff Sawchuk, won the 13-year-old tournament in Newmarket 1-0 over the Eastern Ontario Baseball Association.
The Toronto Baseball Association also won the 14-year old Carson Cup in Brantford by a score of 5-1 over EOBA Association.
Peter Grouios and Cameron Gray combined for TBA's no-hitter.
UNDER OLD BUSINESS: Scott White of North York and Dennis Cornies, of Leamington, were Baseball Ontario's coaches of the Year for 2002.
Cornies has been a coach, umpire and or a board member with the Leamington Minor Baseball Association since 1972. Over that period of time he has held almost every position imaginable within the organization. As a coach he has taken teams to the OBA championship tourneys winning four OBA titles, the latest being the 2002 Leamington midgets who won the OBA C title.
He took over a team that had 5 wins and 35 losses the season before and won an OBA title in his first year with the team.
Former player Jason Wuerch went on to play pro.
Cornies continues to ump and help out with executive duties.
White has been coaching with the North York Minor Baseball Association coaching boys teams for five years and took over the Team Ontario Bantam Girls program in 2001.
In 2002 the Team Ontario girls bantam team played in the Ontario Women's invitational tournament at the end of June and placed third. In British Columbia they won the gold at Western Canada girls championship.
White also coached the North York bantam girls team in the 2002 Ontario Summer Games winning the Silver.
The Markham Mariners minor peewees were the Team of the Year, compiling a competitive record of 54-4 and they won their third consecutive OBA title. They won three tournaments -- Burlington, Vaughan, Markham -- as well as the York Simcoe regular season league and play-off titles.
Over three seasons the team has amassed an impressive 148-15-2 record. In the 2002 OBA championship tournament the M's lost the first game and came back to win six straight games to once again claim to the title.
The 2002 team consisted of: Anish Bhide, Aaron Caputo, James Kottaras, Daniel Mukai, Ryan Murphy, Argenis Paz, Peter Rodrigues, Chris Romano, Br
LETTER OF THE MONTH: My name is Tom Justice and I live in Panama City, Panama.
Being from the States and living in another country, one is proud to see their country play in the Americas Olympic Qualifier tournament, but one is also honored to see a
team with pride and play for the love of the game and for their country and Team Canada did just that.
The reason for this letter is to express my congratulations to Team Canada that qualified for the Olympics in Athens. It was a pleasure to watch this team play with pride and to play together as a team. I also would like to thank each and everyone of them for taking the time to talk with my nine year old son, Michael, and sign his hat and a baseball for his sister.
My son was very happy and vocal in routing for them against Mexico and Cuba just as I was.
Again congratulations and best of luck to the team that represents Canada in Athens.
I hope that the majority of those who played in Panama have the opportunity to play in Athens for they will represent Canada with class.
--Tom Justice
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