As more and more Canadian born baseball players achieve growing success in their careers, another Canadian is enjoying success in the coaching ranks. The Toronto Blue Jays announced their Minor League staff and named Vince Horsman as the new Pitching Coach for the Gulf Coast Blue Jays in the Rookie Class Gulf Coast League. The Halifax, Nova Scotia native spent last season as the pitching coach with the Pulaski Blue Jays of the Appalachian League (Rookie Class) guiding the club to a league-best 588 strikeouts. Horsman spent five seasons in the Major Leagues from 1991 to 1995 with Toronto, Oakland, and Minnesota posting a 4-2 win-loss record and a 4.07 ERA in 141 games. He was also a member of the Senior National Team in 2000 for the World Cup Qualifying Tournament in Panama.
Baseball Canada would like to thank all of those involved in making our 2007 National Teams Awards Banquet and Fundraiser a success. Through the generosity of all those in attendance and committed sponsors, we were able to raise over $50,000 for Baseball Canada's National Teams Program. The event held for the fifth consecutive year at Toronto's Renaissance Hotel at Rogers Center was attended by a significant number of MLB Alumni, Corporate Partners and Friends of the National Teams Program. Canada's Olympic success in Athens as well as Team Canada's success at the inaugural World Baseball Classic was celebrated and awards presented to acknowledge accomplishments within the national team's family and on the world Baseball stage. "Once again, we were quite fortunate to celebrate Canadian Baseball excellence with so many committed alumni, MLB and Corporate Partners and Friends who have directly and indirectly contributed so much to the growth and development of our National Teams Program," says Greg Hamilton, Baseball Canada's Head Coach and Director of National Teams. "Baseball excellence in Canada continues to impact the game on a global scale and as such we are honored to have the support of so many of our country's key contributors." To see photos of the event, click here
Reigning American League MVP Justin Morneau and Baltimore Orioles pitcher Adam Loewen were at Richard McBride Elementary School in New Westminster, B.C. on Wednesday to go back to their roots and help introduce the new Winterball Program. Winterball is a Canadian school-based program that is incorporated as part of the physical education curriculum for schools throughout all 10 Canadian provinces. The program’s objective is to introduce the basic fundamentals of baseball in a fun, non-competitive manner, while providing a positive learning experience for participants. Students in grades 3-6 (ages 8-12) participate in the nine-week sessions that run throughout the winter and spring months. Winterball, created by Baseball Ontario in conjunction with Baseball Canada and Sport Canada in the 2002-2003 school year, has been supported by Major League Baseball since 2004. “I would have loved to have had something like this when I was that age,” says Morneau in an interview with the Vancouver Sun. “We never had anything related to baseball in the winter back then. If we can get the kids trying baseball in the winter, when spring comes hopefully they’ll be interested in continuing in the sport.” During its first three years, the Winterball Program has helped to introduce baseball in more than 1,100 schools, reaching more than 200,000 students. With a growing number of Canadians appearing in the Major Leagues and the recent success of the Canadian Olympic Team and World Baseball Classic Team, as well as the success of players like Morneau and Loewen in the Majors, it helps breed an interest for baseball in Canada. “I think it’s grown a lot, especially since Justin won the MVP_ that helped a lot,” says Loewen in a Canadian Press interview. “It brought a lot of exposure for the game and everybody saw that Canadians are doing well in the game. Everybody is excited about that, we’re kind of taking over you could say.” To see pictures of the Winterball launch, click here If you would like to acquire a Winterball kit for your school, please contact Baseball Canada at 613-748-5606, or by e-mail at info@baseball.ca
Baseball Canada announced today the site for its seven 2007 National Championships and two invitationals, and for the first time in four years they will all be at one site. From August 9-12 and August 16-19, the championship tournaments will be held in Quebec City. The last time the National Championships were held in a single city was in 2003 in Windsor, Ontario. But hopefully this time around there will be better luck with power sources. The championships were held at the same time as the major blackout that affected Southern Ontario and the North East United States. The first week of championships will see the Pee Wee Girls, Bantam Girls, Senior Women, Senior Men and the Baseball Canada Cup from August 9-12. The second week will see the Pee Wee Boys, Bantam Boys, Midget and Junior championships from August 16-19. The last time Quebec City hosted a National Championship tournament was in 1991 when the city hosted the Pee Wee championship.
André Lachance’s coaching career began when he was 17 years old. Now, 20 years later, he has reached a level of coaching that is a first in Canada. He is the first baseball coach in Canada to receive his level 5 certification from National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP). With a coaching resume that dates back to 1987, Mr. Lachance has gone from coaching at the mosquito level in Québec to being the head coach for the National Women’s Team. “With this, I hope that more coaches will apply for their level 5 and I can be there to help them along the way,” says Mr. Lachance. The NCCP is a training and certification program for coaches [five levels (1 to 5) and three components (Theory, Technical, and Practical)], offered across Canada in more than 60 sports. The program was designed to meet the needs of a wide range of coaches - from those who introduce youngsters to sport to those who work with Canada's high performance athletes. Mr. Lachance’s journey from his level 4 to his level 5 began in September 2005. Through the National Coaching Institute in Montreal, once a week he would complete coaching modules, 20 in total, before presenting his portfolio in a final presentation in front of a certification panel. Along with the National Women’s Team, Mr. Lachance has coached at many elite levels. In 1992, he coached Team Québec, with then young prospect and now MLB star Eric Gagne, to a gold medal at the Midget AAA Nationals. In 1995, he helped initiate the Université Laval’s baseball program where he would coach his team to a Canadian Interuniversity Baseball Association Championship in the programs first year. In 1997, he was a guest coach for the Montreal Expos at spring training and in 2006; he coached Canada’s Women’s Team to a bronze medal in the World Championships. However, Mr. Lachance’s experience isn’t limited to coaching. In 1996 and 1997 he was a regional scout for the New York Yankees. Along with his duties as head coach with the National Women’s Team, Mr. Lachance is also the Manager of Baseball Operations with Baseball Canada. And now as the first level 5 certified baseball coach in Canada, he wants to put that status to good use. “This has opened doors for me and I hope to continue to learn and improve and to increase the status of baseball across the country,” says Mr. Lachance. “Especially for the girls.”
Former Canadian National Junior Team member and World Baseball Classic team member Chris Reitsma signed a one-year, US$2.05 million contract with the Seattle Mariners. Reitsma, who is coming off elbow surgery, was 1-2 with an 8.68 ERA in 27 games with the Atlanta Braves last season before succumbing to injury. Reitsma will assume the Mariners' setup role for closer J.J. Putz. Seattle, which has finished last in the AL West for three consecutive seasons, traded 2006 setup man Rafael Soriano to the Braves for starting pitcher Horacio Ramirez earlier this off-season. Langley, B.C. native Aaron Guiel has signed a contract with the Yakult Swallows in Japan. Guiel hit .242 with seven homers and 18 RBIs in 2006 splitting time between the Kansas City Royals (19 games) and the New York Yankees (44 games). Guiel played for Canada in the World Baseball Classic this past spring and wore Canada’s colors at the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg.
The items that will be up for grabs in the silent auction as part of our Annual National Teams Awards Banquet and Fundraiser on January 13th have been unveiled. If you are unable to attend the gala but wish to place a bid on any of the items, please send an e-mail with your name, item number, bid and phone number with subject line “gala auction” to media@baseball.ca. Current bids will be updated twice daily at 11:00 am EST and 4:00 pm EST. Online auction ends at midnight EST on Friday January 12. Winning bids will be notified after the event and payment for the items will be accepted by credit card only. To see the items up for auction and current bids, click here.
Hello, my name is André Cormier and I am the new Manager of Media and Public Relations with Baseball Canada. I am excited to be joining this wonderful team and look forward to supplying all the latest news and notes concerning this great game in this great country. I come to Baseball Canada from just down the road with the Ottawa Lynx Professional Baseball Club. So from this point on, all media and public relations inquiries can be directed to me and I will be more than happy to accommodate the needs accordingly. I can be reached via e-mail at media@baseball.ca, or via phone at 613-748-5606, ext. 221. I am looking forward to hearing from you.
