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 7 (Voting: June 16th 12pm ET-June 20th 10am ET)
Out of the following five choices, which one do you feel should move on to the semi-final round?
1) Alberta wins gold and silver as host of Midget Nationals in 2004
A significant National Championship highlight for Alberta is the 2004 Midget National Championships, hosted in St. Albert, Alberta. The Gold Medal Game featured Team Alberta, from Sherwood Park, versus host St. Albert. These two local rivals battled to a thrilling 3-0 finish for Team Alberta. This was the first-ever gold medal for Alberta at the Midget National Championships and to be able to produce both a champion and runner up in the same event is something that happens even more rarely. Both the hosting of the event and the winning the championship continue to be sources of pride for both the St. Albert and Sherwood Park organizations, as well as Baseball Alberta.
2) Modern-day record 26 Canadians play in MLB in 2011
2011 was a record-setting season as 26 Canadians stepped on a Major League Baseball field during the year. Such a feat had not been accomplished in modern day history, which proved to be an encouraging sign for baseball in Canada heading into the new decade. Some pretty neat stories emerged from that season, as the northern boys most definitely left their mark on the season. Blue Jays infielder Brett Lawrie (Langley, BC) made his much anticipated major league debut in early August, recording his first career hit in his first at-bat against the Baltimore Orioles. Joining him as a first timer was third baseman Taylor Green (Comox, BC), who also singled in his first at-bat for the Milwaukee Brewers on August 31st, and Rene Tosoni (Port Coquitlam, BC) who patrolled the outfield at the end of the season for the Minnesota Twins. Adam Loewen (Surrey, B.C) showed tremendous resilience, bouncing back from a pitching career plagued with injuries by cracking a Major League lineup as a position player for the Toronto Blue Jays in mid-September. Catchers George Kottaras (Scarborough, ON) and Russell Martin (Montréal, QC) both left a stamp on the season, Kottaras hitting for the cycle on September 3rd, and Martin posting good offensive numbers while excelling behind the plate in his first season with the Yankees. Joey Votto (Etobicoke, ON) showed no signs of slowing from his 2010 MVP season, once again hitting above .300 and solidifying his status as one of the league’s elite.
3) Baseball Canada introduces Rally Cap program in 2006
The Rally Cap Program is one of the outcomes of Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD) developed by Sport Canada. The main idea behind the Rally Cap program was to make the sport of baseball attractive to young Canadians. André Lachance, Manager of Baseball Operations for Baseball Canada, highlighted the importance of making such a change. “Our data was showing that the first experience in baseball was not a positive one, based on the fact that baseball was not fun and that kids were not learning.” Since Baseball Canada launched this initiative nation-wide in 2006, it is confident that this program has satisfied young baseball players and their parents and that it continues to be a useful tool for those involved in teaching baseball at the community level. Rally Cap emphasizes mainly on technical repetitions, which are exercised through positive reinforcement for things done correctly, setting individual and team goals corresponding to different ability levels, and increased sportsmanship. Teams consist of 6 players only, which allows for the formation of more teams and greater interaction. Rally Cap programs have increased in size across the country since 2006. The program has been adopted by many associations in each province and is the mandatory initiation program in the province of Quebec.
4) Ernie Whitt becomes National Team Manager in 1999
With professional players eligible to participate at the Pan Am Games for the first time in Winnipeg in 1999, Baseball Canada’s Kevin Brian approached Ernie Whitt with an offer to coach the club. Whitt accepted and so began a run as National Team Manager that still exists today. One of the most popular players to ever wear a Blue Jays’ uniform, Whitt instantly gained the respect of the Canadian players as a ‘player’s manager’ leading the 1999 club to a bronze medal on home soil. Whitt has been at the helm of the National Team for some of the most important games in Baseball Canada’s history including the 2003 Olympic Qualifier where Canada earned an Olympic berth, the 2004 Athens Olympics where Canada narrowly missed out on winning a medal, the 2006 ‘Miracle on Dirt’ where Canada upset the United States at the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006, and the 2009 IBAF World Cup where Canada won bronze giving the country its first ever medal at the event. Perhaps Whitt’s crowing moment as National Team Manager came in 2011 where Canada won gold at the Pan Am Games in Mexico. Whitt had this to say following the 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.”
5) Canada qualifies for 2004 Athens Olympics
If a country from the Americas wanted to partake in the 2004 Athens Olympics, they had the very difficult task of getting by either Cuba or the United States, two of the world’s greatest baseball powerhouses. Only two teams were to qualify from the Americas, and Canada managed to do so against all odds. The qualifying tournament was held in Panama in November of 2003. Canada stepped up at the right time, taking advantage of a rare moment of vulnerability from their southern neighbours. Team USA, in a sudden-death quarter-final, was eliminated by Mexico in a 2-1 loss. The door was therefore wide open for team Canada to clinch its first Olympic berth since 1984, and they didn’t need to be given another opportunity. The semi-final game against Mexico ended with a convincing 11-1 victory, and Canada was en route to its first Olympic appearance in nearly 20 years. Team Canada would later prove that they deserved a place amongst the best baseball countries in the world with a respectable fourth place finish in Athens.
