Baseball Canada’s 50 for 50 contest is designed to find the top moment or story in the 50 year history of the organization.
Starting with 50 stories/moments, we are now down to ten that have been split into two groups of five.
Over the next five days, you can have your say in determining which semi-final #1 moment or story you think belongs in the final round.
Semi-final #1 (Voting: July 14th 12pm ET-July 18th 10am ET)
1) Women’s National Team program begins in 2004
With the first ever IBAF Women’s World Cup scheduled for Edmonton in 2004, preparations to assemble the first edition of the Canadian National Women’s Baseball Team began late in 2003 with open try-out camps at select locations across the country. Led by Manager André Lachance, the only person to manage the club over its ten-year history, coaches had the opportunity to evaluate over 200 players across Canada. In May 2004, 40 players were invited to Olympic Stadium in Montréal for the first ever Women’s National Team Selection Camp and soon after 18 players were selected to represent Canada at the 1st IBAF Women’s World Cup where they would win a bronze medal. Two players from that original group, Kate Psota and Ashley Stephenson, are still playing with the National Team today and each has a silver medal along with three bronze medals from the five World Cups they have played in. To date, over 13, 000 female players play baseball across Canada and Baseball Canada conducts two all-female National Championships annually.
2) Canada wins gold at 1991 World Youth Championships
Perhaps no other baseball competition has a tougher outcome to predict than the World Youth (18U) Baseball Championship. Put the best 16-to-18 year olds on the world’s biggest stage for the first time, and you’re in for an exciting roller coaster event highlighted by unexpected performances and unsung heroes, mental breakdowns and disappointments. The 1991 World Youth Baseball Championship in Brandon, Manitoba certainly proved to be a great show for the many spectators who attended, as Canada came out on top against all odds. After having lost to the Netherlands in exhibition play, the Canucks polished their game just in time for the start of the tournament. The opener was on July 26th, and Canada easily disposed of that same Netherlands team 10-0. The road to the finals was an excruciating 10-game journey that included matches against Australia, Cuba, Nigeria, Brazil, Mexico, and the USA. Daniel Brabant (Longueil, QC) made the start for Canada in the finals against Chinese Taipei, allowing only 4 hits in 5 2/3 despite his offense manufacturing little run support and his club falling behind 2-0. Jason Birmingham (Sarnia, ON) was brought in the game to replace an injured Brabant in the 6th, and recorded the final ten outs of the game in stellar fashion by throwing 3 1/3 scoreless innings. The offense came courtesy of Toronto Native Todd Betts, who hit a game tying double and Troy Croft of Newfoundland who belted a homer to right-center field in the top of the 8th. When it was all said and done, Canada defeated Chinese Taipei 5-2 in front of 5, 000 fans at Brandon’s Westbran Stadium, becoming the only Canadian team at the time (and still to this today) to win gold at the event.
3) The legend of Stubby Clapp
Perhaps no other baseball player best exemplifies the true meaning of suiting up for the red and white than Stubby Clapp. Determination, grit, strength of mind and playing the game the right way were all characteristics of the Windsor, Ontario native. Clapp was first introduced to the baseball world in 1991, where he helped the Junior National Team win the 1991 world championships in Brandon, Manitoba in front of 5,000 fans. That was only the start of Clapp’s legacy. Standing at five-foot eight, he didn’t necessarily posses off the chart baseball tools, but he exemplified the true definition of a ‘gamer’. When the game was on the line, Clapp was your go-to guy and he rarely disappointed. In 1999 at the Pan-Am Games, he brought in the winning run against powerhouse Cuba on a scratch blooper to shallow left in extra innings, adding yet another accomplishment to his impressive international resume. The St-Louis Cardinals drafted Clapp in the 36th round in 1996, where he hustled (and backflipped) his way through minor league ball starting at the age of 23, before finally being called up to the show in 2001. In close to 911 minor league games, Clapp posted a .270 batting average with 46 home runs, 50 triples, 196 doubles, 365 RBI, and 83 steals. Always popular amongst his teammates wherever he found himself, Clapp belonged in the same category as Larry Walker in terms of fan appreciation. Former teammate Chris Begg would actually refer to him as Mr. Baseball Canada, which goes to show you how great of an impact he left on the game North of the border.
4) Canada defeats USA in 2006 World Baseball Classic
2006 marked the first time that Major League Baseball players competed against each other at the international level. Team USA fielded a world class lineup that included the likes of Derek Jeter, Chipper Jones, Marx Teixeira, Ken Griffey Jr, and Roger Clemens. For the matchup against Canada, manager Buck Martinez elected to go with well established major leaguer Dontrelle Willis, while team Canada manager Ernie Whitt put his trust in 21-year old Adam Loewen who had yet to partake in a major league game. After giving up a first-inning walk to Jeter and walking the next two batters, Lowen settled down and got Chipper Jones to ground into an inning-ending double play to quash the American threat. After having less than 12 hours of rest following a harrowing 11-8 win over South Africa the previous night, Canada showed no signs of fatigue, scoring in each of its first five innings to take an 8-0 lead on the Americans. Canada’s first three hits off of U.S. starter Willis were all triples. Adam Stern (Port Stanley, Ont.) was a double away from hitting for the cycle and Canada would shutout the United States in eight of nine innings without using one current Major League pitcher to shock the Americans 8-6.
5) National Team Qualifies for 2008 Olympics
Canada headed into the Final Olympic Qualifier in March 2008 with one goal in mind- do whatever it takes to earn a spot in the Beijing Games. A veteran team coached by Terry Puhl and featuring the likes of Adam Stern, Stubby Clapp and Jimmy Van Ostrand travelled to Australia for a quick training camp before opening the event in Taiwan with wins over Mexico and South Africa before suffering a loss to Australia that set the stage for a must-win game against host Chinese Taipei. In a game that ranks up there with the greatest in National Team history, Canada came out on top of a 6-5 ten inning decision in a contest that featured the benches clearing at one point in front of a sold-out house of 30, 000 Taipei fans. The win gave the team a boost as they proceeded to beat Spain, South Korea and Germany to win the qualifier and earn a spot in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games.
