50 for 50: Week 4 voting
Baseball Canada’s 50 for 50 contest is designed to find the top moment or story in the 50 year history of the organization.
Week 4 (Voting: May 26th 12pm ET-May 30th 10am ET)
Out of the following five choices, which one do you feel should move on to the semi-final round?
1) Saskatchewan wins 1994 Baseball Canada Cup
Saskatchewan came into the 1994 Baseball Canada Cup in Moncton with one thing in mind – win a gold medal. Not only did they accomplish that goal, they did so in dominant fashion cruising to a 4-0 record in round-robin play before defeating traditional power BC in the semi-finals, and then upsetting defending gold medalists Québec 9-8 in the gold medal game. Trevor Bishop, who pitched in the gold medal game, played with the 1994 Junior National Team, while first baseman Curtis Brown went on to play for the Junior National Team before turning to hockey full-time where played over 700 games with Buffalo, Chicago and San Jose. Ryan Anholt, a catcher, was drafted by both the New York Yankees (1994) and Los Angeles Dodgers (1996). Pitcher Quinn Uzelman played in the 1995 World Youth Championship in Boston before going on to a successful college career. Saskatchewan returned the gold medal game of the Baseball Canada Cup in 2011 when the event was coincidentally held in Moncton, but came up short in the gold medal game to claim silver.
2) Baseball Canada is established in 1964
Federally incorporated in 1964 as the Canadian Federation of Amateur Baseball, Baseball Canada is the national governing body for baseball in Canada and is celebrating its 50th Anniversary in 2014. Baseball Canada is made up of 10 provincial associations representing players, coaches and umpires nationwide. Thousands of players, coaches and umpires have participated in Baseball Canada programs since 1964 with some lucky enough to participate in a Baseball Canada National Championship that the organization runs each summer. Having participated in three Olympic games, Baseball Canada is a member of both the Canadian Olympic Committee and the International Baseball Federation, and annually operates three National Teams (Senior, 18U, Women’s). It is funded and recognized by Sport Canada and Heritage Canada, and is recognized by Revenue Canada as having charitable status.
3) Trevor Grieve umpires 2013 WBC Final
Canadian umpire Trevor Grieve accomplished something in March 2013 that no Canadian umpire had done before him – work the final round of the World Baseball Classic. One of two semi-final games featured two-time WBC defending champion Japan against upstart Puerto Rico that saw Grieve work third base, while was assigned right field for the championship game won by the Dominican Republic over Puerto Rico. The Oshawa, Ontario native has a wealth of international umpiring experience including the 2012 World Baseball Classic Qualifier in Florida and the 2010 IBAF World Junior Championship in Thunder Bay where he worked home plate in an unforgettable elimination game between rivals Cuba and USA.
4) Jimmy Van Ostrand wins 2012 IBAF Player of the Year
Jimmy Van Ostrand had an unforgettable string of three games at the World Baseball Classic Qualifier in Regensburg, Germany in September 2012. Van Ostrand was on fire from game one against Great Britain and went on to lead the tournament with four home runs and hit .538 in three tournament games. His 10 RBI, 20 total bases and 2.138 OPS were far and away tops in the tournament. In April 2013, the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) honoured him for his tremendous performance by being presented with the 2012 IBAF Senior Athlete of the Year Award. In receiving the accolade, Van Ostrand became the first Canadian baseball player to win such an award. Van Ostrand went on to represent Canada at the 2013 World Baseball Classic in Phoenix and retired from professional baseball following the season.
5) Canada wins 2011 Pan Am Games gold medal
On October 25, 2011 a group of 24 players along with four coaches did something that no Senior Canadian team before had ever done – win a gold medal at a major international baseball competition. The 2-1 victory over the United States was a special moment for many long-time National Team players and especially members of the coaching staff including Manager Ernie Whitt who said this following the gold medal game: “I’m a US citizen but I feel like I’m a Canadian at heart. I couldn’t be more proud of these kids and more proud to have Canada written across my chest.” Whitt’s gold medal game starter Andrew Albers gave up a run in the first and then went on to throw 6 2/3 innings and allowed six hits, while striking out eight. With one-out in the sixth, Jimmy Van Ostrand’s double down the right field line scored two and Scott Richmond came out of the bullpen to retire seven straight to preserve the victory. The entire team was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in June 2012.
