OTTAWA, ON - Baseball Canada held its sixth edition of the National Teams Awards Banquet and Fundraiser on January 12 at Toronto’s Renaissance Hotel at Rogers Center and the event was once again a complete success. "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." Thanks to all those in attendance and with the help of donors and committed sponsors, the 2008 edition of the banquet was able to raise over $60,000 for Baseball Canada’s National Teams Program. Baseball Canada also recognized its past, present and future with the annual awards presentation. Larry Walker was honoured with Baseball Canada’s first Wall of Excellence Award, presented by David Vander Voet of RBC Wealth Management. The numbers speak for themselves as Walker holds most Canadian Major League career records. He tallied a .313 average with 383 homers, 1,311 RBI, 2,160 hits, 471 doubles, 230 stolen bases in 1,988 games. He was the 1997 NL MVP, putting together arguably one of the best single seasons in Major League history. He hit .366 with 49 homers, 130 RBI, 46 doubles, 33 stolen bases, .720 SLG in 153 games. Justin Morneau, the 2006 AL MVP and Minnesota Twins first baseman, accepted the award on Larry’s behalf. Phillippe Aumont of Gatineau, QC earned the Junior National Team MVP award, presented by Al Schlazer of Disney’s Wide World of Sports, for his outstanding performance at the America’s World Junior Qualifier in Mexico. Aumont did not allow a runner to reach base and amassed 10 strikeouts in only five innings of work. His performance earned him a spot on the Senior National team which competed at the IBAF World Cup in Taiwan and he was just as effective, shutting down the WBC finalists from Cuba for two innings. Matt Rogelstad of New Westminster, B.C. was awarded the Stubby Clapp Award, presented by John Stacey of Mizuno Canada. Rogelstad led his Potomac Nationals team with a .302 average during the season and he kept leading the way while with Canada at the IBAF World Cup in Taiwan, topping the team with a .484 average along with seven RBI, three doubles and three triples. Alumni Awards were presented to Ryan Dempster of Gibsons, B.C. and to Paul Spoljaric of Kelowna, B.C., presented by Larry Pearson of the L.J. Pearson Foundation. Dempster was a member of the Junior National Team at the 1994 World Junior Baseball Championships and was also a MLB All-Star in 2000. He has collected 85 saves over the past three seasons with the Chicago Cubs. Spoljaric was a solid reliever during his Major League career. He was also a member of the 2004 Olympic team which narrowly missed winning a medal. Paul Godfrey, President and CEO of the Toronto Blue Jays, was the recipient of a Special Recognition Award for his and the clubs’ continued support of the National Teams Program and baseball in Canada. The former politician and businessman was an integral part in bringing the Blue Jays to Toronto in 1977 and was a driving force behind the concept of the World Baseball Classic. In 1999, he was made a member of the Order of Canada. A Special Achievement Award was given to Russell Martin of East York, ON, presented by Mike Port of the MLBPA, for his terrific season. The award can be added to his mantel along side his Gold Glove Award, Silver Slugger Award and Tip O’Neill Award for top Canadian Baseball Player which all was awarded to him this past season. His .293 average with 19 homers, 87 RBI, 32 doubles and 21 stolen bases in a league high 151 games among catchers earned him the starting spot for the National League at the MLB All-Star Game in San Francisco. And finally, a Special Recognition Award was presented to Jeff Francis of Delta, B.C., presented by Mike Port of the MLBPA. Jeff became only the second Canadian pitcher to start a World Series game. He also set career highs in numerous pitching categories including wins (17), games started (34), innings pitched (215 1/3) and strikeouts (165). He was also instrumental in the Rockies streak of 21 wins in 22 games, including a Major League record tying seven straight wins to open the playoffs. The evening included check presentations from both Major League Baseball and the Toronto Blue Jays to Baseball Canada at a value of $100,000 and $15,000 respectively. “I can’t say enough about the support we’ve received from MLB and the Toronto Blue Jays,” said Baseball Canada Director General Jim Baba. “They continuously show a vested interest in promoting the sport in Canada, both at the grassroots level and at the elite level.” The festivities concluded with an auction with special auctioneer Ryan Dempster who gave away two packages of a trip for four to Chicago and tickets to Wrigley Field for any series during the 2008 season. The packages included airfare, hotel accommodations, meals, tour of the Cubs clubhouse, autographed jerseys form several members of the Cubs and also Justin Morneau and Russell Martin, pre-game batting practice with the team and a youngster to be bat boy for a game. The items were sold at $6,200 each. Baseball Canada would like to thank everybody who made the sixth annual National Teams Awards Banquet and Fundraiser a night to remember.
OTTAWA, ON – Scott Thorman of the Atlanta Braves and fellow Canadian Major Leaguer Peter Orr of the Washington Nationals will launch the 2008 version of the nationwide Winterball Program at the Preston Public School in Cambridge, Ontario on Friday, January 18, 2008. Thorman and Orr, both Ontario natives, will return home to share their love of baseball by delivering Winterball equipment kits and materials, teaching skills of the game and answering questions from students. Winterball, supported by Sport Canada, Baseball Canada and Major League Baseball, is a Canadian school-based program that is now part of the physical education curriculum for schools throughout all 10 provinces. In 2008, the program will be delivered to approximately 430 new schools across Canada reaching an estimated 80,000 students. (See Winterball fact sheet for more details) Both Thorman and Orr will be at Preston Public School in Cambridge, Ontario between 11:00 AM and 12:30 PM local time on Friday, January 18, 2008. Also on hand to unveil the 2008 Winterball program will be Jim Baba, Director General of Baseball Canada, Greg Hamilton, Director of National Team of Baseball Canada and John Milton, Don McKnight and Mary-Ann Smith of Baseball Ontario. Baseball Canada invites all media to attend the event. Please RSVP to confirm your attendance by contacting André Cormier at 613-748-5606 or by e-mail at media@baseball.ca. Media seeking comment from event dignitaries, but are unable to attend, should also contact André Cormier.
OTTAWA, ON – Baseball Canada announces a news conference in connection with the National Team Awards Banquet and Fundraiser for Saturday, January 12th at the Aurora Room at the Renaissance Hotel at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario. Attending the news conference will be 2006 AL MVP Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins, 2007 World Series pitcher Jeff Francis of the Colorado Rockies, 2007 NL All-Star Russell Martin of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Adam Loewen of the Baltimore Orioles, Ryan Dempster of the Chicago Cubs, Joey Votto of the Cincinnati Reds, Peter Orr of the Washington Nationals, 2007 MLB First Round Draft pick Phillippe Aumont of the Seattle Mariners as well as other former and current National Team members. It all starts at 3:30 pm with opening statements from Baseball Canada President Ray Carter and Director of National Teams Greg Hamilton. This will be followed by a scrum style answer and question period with those attending. For media interested in attending, please contact André Cormier, Manager of Media and Public Relations at (613) 748-5606, ext. 221 or via e-mail at media@baseball.ca.
OTTAWA, ON – The Baseball Canada National Teams Awards Banquet and Fundraiser is soon upon us, which means so is the banquet auction. The auction, which will offer at least 70 items, will start via on-line bidding on January 9, with the online portion of the auction closing at midnight January 11 and here is a preview of what Baseball Canada will be offering. 1. Two tickets to the 2008 MLB All-Star Game at Yankee Stadium in New York on July 15, which will include tickets to the Home Run Derby on July 14 2. Four tickets to a college football game featuring the University of Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor, Michigan and your choice of one of the following two games: - September 6th vs. the University of Miami-Ohio - October 25th vs. Michigan State University 3. Two tickets to a college football game featuring the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish in South Bend, Indiana and your choice of one of the following two games: - September 27th vs. University of Purdue - October 4th vs. Stanford University 4. One week vacation at a skiing and golfing paradise in Panorama, British Columbia at a luxurious five bedroom cabin to be redeemed at anytime during the year by the auction winner. This is only a glimpse into the extraordinary items that Baseball Canada will be offering at this year’s auction. Click here to see the complete list of auction items. To bid, please send an e-mail with your name, item number, bid and phone number with subject line “gala auction” to media@baseball.ca. Bids will be updated once daily at midnight EST. Auction winners will be notified on Monday, January 14.
ST.MARY’S, ON – In only his second full season in the Major Leagues, Russell Martin of East York, Ontario was named the 2007 Tip O’Neill Award winner, presented annually to the Canadian player judged to have excelled in individual achievement and team contribution while adhering to baseball's highest ideals. The 24-year-old had a stellar season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He hit .293 with 19 home runs, 87 RBI, 32 doubles and 21 stolen bases in 151 games. The catcher was also selected as a starter for the National League in the All-Star Game in San Francisco and was also awarded his first Gold Glove Award, as well as his first Silver Slugger Award. Larry Walker is the only other Canadian to win a Gold Glove Award, receiving the award seven times. Walker (three) and Justin Morneau (one) are the only other Canadians to receive Silver Slugger Awards. “I’m simply overwhelmed,” says Martin in an interview. “I’d trade this and my other individual awards for a few more wins and a trip to the post-season, but I do play hard and I play with passion, and obviously people appreciate that.” Martin joins an exclusive group of Canadians to receive the award, including Larry Walker who has won the award nine times, Justin Morneau, Jason Bay, Ryan Dempster, Corey Koskie and Terry Puhl. Past winners of the James "Tip" O'Neill Award: 1984 - Terry Puhl1985 - Dave Shipanoff1986 - Rob Ducey1987 - Larry Walker1988 - Kevin Reimer1989 - Steve Wilson1990 - Larry Walker1991 - Daniel Brabant1992 - Larry Walker1993 - Rob Butler1994 - Larry Walker1995 - Larry Walker1996 - Jason Dickson1997 - Larry Walker1998 - Larry Walker1999 - Jeff Zimmerman2000 - Ryan Dempster2001 - Corey Koskie & Larry Walker2002 - Eric Gagné & Larry Walker2003 - Eric Gagné2004 - Jason Bay2005 - Jason Bay2006 - Justin Morneau
OTTAWA, ON – Ever since the inception of the Rally Cap program in 2006, there are more and more kids participating in baseball. The towns of Vaughan in Ontario and Beloeil and la Mauricie in Québec have adopted the grass roots program in their community and it has helped them tap in to a new resource. “The way we can implement a player development program into our grass roots level and the fact that there is a bit of a reward for achieving the different levels. The incentive to play well and to get better is magnified and it gives them something to strive for,” says John Milton, Coordinator for the Rally Cap program in Vaughan. The Rally Cap program is a nation-wide initiative meant to introduce better tools for players and coaches in order to enhance their first experience with the game of baseball. “The reactions we get about the program have been positive,” says Milton. “The benefits have been shown just by the increase of participation. The kids really want those caps.” The impact that the program has had, especially in Québec has been significant. Baseball often finds itself in direct competition with soccer. In Beloeil, there have even been discussions by city officials to take down the baseball diamonds and replace them with soccer fields. But the Rally Cap program has helped renew interest in baseball. “It has resurrected the game in our region,” says Sylvain Joubert, President of the Baseball Association of Beloeil. The Baseball Association of Beloeil has documented eight factors as to why the Rally Cap program has been so popular in the region. Those include learning by playing and having fun, Development of the player abilities and confidence at their own rhythm and linking the parents with the child’s baseball development. “Rather than fighting against soccer, which is very popular in our region, I presented it as something that was complimentary,” says Joubert of his methods of implementing the program. “When I started in baseball at the novice level, there were 12 kids registered in the region. Once we started with Rally Cap, in three years we went from 12 to 76,” says Marc Hallée, Coordinator of the Rally Cap program in Beloeil. One of the advantages of Rally Cap says Hallée is the way an exercise can be modified without hindering the objective. “We would place targets on pylons and the kids would more or less pass the level, but they were starting to lose interest. I consulted one of the parents on how we could change that and she came up with posters of cartoon characters that the kids loved and recognized. The kids loved it and the best part was to see how they would improve in their mechanics with less effort.” The region of la Mauricie will implement the program this coming season and the President of the Baseball Association of la Mauricie, Philippe Tomlinson hopes to see similar results in his region as there have been in others. “The bottom line is this can save baseball in our community,” says Tomlinson. “The game’s infrastructure in the region was dying and these programs (Rally Cap and Winterball) can revive it.” The growth of baseball in Vaughan, Beloeil and la Mauricie are examples how the Rally Cap program can make a difference. In any region anywhere across the country can take advantage of the program. To find out more about Rally Cap, click on the Development link on our website and click on Rally Cap Initiation Program to see what Rally Cap has to offer.
OTTAWA, ON – Baseball Canada announced today, it will hold its Annual National Teams Awards Banquet and Fundraiser January 12th, 2008 at the Renaissance Toronto Hotel at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ont. Click to see the 2008 Banquet Program and Registration form. The Banquet, which will take place in the Northern Lights Ballroom, was first held in 2003 and serves as the associations primary fundraiser for national team programs. Various Baseball Canada alumni and current national team players attend the banquet each year, along with several professional and amateur baseball executives and dignitaries. “This event is special in that it brings together so many of our highly valued alumni, corporate partners and friends,” says Baseball Canada Coach & Director of National Teams Greg Hamilton. “It’s a great opportunity for everyone to get together and celebrate Canadian baseball excellence in an environment which helps promote future success on the world baseball stage.” Throughout the evening, Baseball Canada will honour its national teams and players both past and present, including those who represented Canada at the World Junior Qualifier and the IBAF World Cup. Baseball Canada will award the following honours at this year's event to: Phillippe Aumont, Junior National MVP Award Matt Rogelstad, Stubby Clapp Award Ryan Dempster, Alumni Award Paul Spoljaric, Alumni Award Russell Martin, Special Achievement Award Jeff Francis, Special Recognition Award Paul Godfrey, Special Recognition Award Larry Walker, Wall of Excellence In addition to the awards portion of the gala, a silent auction featuring several popular items will take place. Tickets to the event, which will be emceed by Toronto Blue Jays radio broadcaster Jerry Howarth for the sixth straight year, will be available for $300 per person, $2,400 for tables of 8 or $3,000 for tables of 10. Baseball Canada has registered charitable status. For more information, please contact Baseball Canada Coach & Director of National Teams Greg Hamilton at (613) 748-5606, ext. 225 or via e-mail at ghamilton@baseball.ca. Those who are interested are also encouraged to consult the registration form found on the link provided above and submit by fax at 613-748-5767.For media interested in attending, please contact André Cormier, Manager of Media & Public Relations at (613) 748-5606, ext. 221 or via e-mail at media@baseball.ca.
OTTAWA, ON – Three Canadians will work as officials at the Asian Olympic Qualifier which goes from December 1-3 in Taiwan. The qualifier will determine whether Japan, Korea, Chinese Taipei or Thailand will qualify for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Tom Valcke, from St. Mary’s, ON and the President of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame, will be heading the technical commission. André Lachance, Manager of Baseball Operations at Baseball Canada and Québec native will be a technical commissioner. René Provencher of Sherbrooke, QC made the trip as one of the tournament umpires. For Provencher, this will be his first international tournament at the senior level. He was an umpire at the 2002 World Junior Baseball Championships in Sherbrooke, but just missed on senior international competitions on two previous occasions. He was a substitute in 2006 for the World Baseball Classic and was let go from the list of umpires at the 2007 Pan-Am Games in Rio de Janeiro because Canada did not submit a team. “I’m ready to take on a new level of play and I welcome the entire experience,” says Provencher. “I think this will certainly be interesting.” The winner of the tournament will represent Asia at the 2008 Olympics, while the second and third place finishers will join Canada along with Australia, South Africa, Mexico, Spain and England, and compete for three spots in the Olympic tournament at the last chance Olympic qualifier, which will take place from March 7-15 in Taiwan.
OTTAWA, ON – Edmonton, Alberta will be hosting the 2008 edition of the Baseball Canada Super Clinic from February 1-3. The Super Clinic is intended for coaches who seek further development of their amateur careers and to access NCCP Certification at the Regional Coach and Level 3 tiers. The clinic has the objective to support the development of coaches on all aspects of the game of baseball. With the theme of offering a complete clinic, Baseball Canada in collaboration with Baseball Alberta is offering you a variety of great clinicians. Mike Johnson, former Major League pitcher and member of the 2004 Canadian Olympic Team, will discuss pitching and preparation, along with explaining proper mechanics and correcting techniques. Former Major Leaguer and current Houston Astros Hitting Coach, Sean Berry, and current Houston Astros Minor League Hitting Coordinator and Canadian National Team coach Orv Franchuk will discuss advanced hitting techniques and offensive strategies. Dave Robb, current Okotoks Dawgs Head Coach and former coach of the Canadian Junior and Senior National Teams, will address coaching philosophies and advanced practice planning. Mark Randall, former Canadian National Team member, current Canadian National Team Pitching Coach and Technical Director for Baseball Alberta will discuss pitcher's responsibilities and demonstrate different techniques. Jeff Krushell, of Krush Sports Performance and former strength and conditioning manager with the Toronto Blue Jays, will share his secrets on baseball training and conditioning for players and pitchers. Additional instructors will round off this diverse group of clinicians and deliver the other components. On Saturday, February 2nd, Dr. Saul Miller, a leading sports psychologist with numerous clients from both the corporate and sports worlds, will share his expertise in performance and productivity enhancement, team building and achieving success while dealing effectively with pressure, stress and change. As a baseball coach, do not miss this unique opportunity where expertise, knowledge and drills will be shared among all participants. This is the best baseball clinic in Canada. Coaches registering in the Super Clinic will be able to invite players from their team free of charge to listen and ask questions for Dr. Miller from 3 pm – 5 pm. Please indicate on the registration form how many athletes will participate from your team. For more information on the Super Clinic, contact Mark Randall of Baseball Alberta at (780) 427-8943 or markrandall@baseballalberta.com.
OTTAWA, ON – Baseball Canada announced today the sites for its 2008 National Championships. The 2008 championships will take place over a span of three weeks in the month of August. From August 7-10, the Bantam Girls and Midget championships will be decided. The Girls will battle it out in Mascouche, QC, while the Midgets will be in Halifax, NS. The Junior and Bantam Boys championships will take place from August 14-17. The Juniors will play for the national title in Charlottetown, PEI. As for the Bantam Boys, they will be in Mascouche, QC playing for the championship. The Pee-Wee Boys and Senior Men’s divisions will crown a national champion on the weekend of August 21-24. Vaughan, ON will host the Pee-Wee Boys, while Brandon, MB will be welcoming the Seniors. Medicine Hat, AB will be the site for the Baseball Canada Cup. The 17 and under provincial All-Star teams will clash for the Cup from August 13-17. For a complete list of the National Championships, visit the Championships link on our website.
