The festivities for the All-Star break in San Francisco were quite the experience for the Canadians who received the honour of participating. Justin Morneau of New Westminster, B.C. and Russell Martin of Chelsea, Québec both participated in their first MLB All-Star Game. Martin was voted in as a starter for the National League, becoming only the third Canadian to accomplish the feat after Larry Walker and Jason Bay. For Morneau, he was also able to participate in the Home Run Derby. The reigning American League MVP hit four long balls before being eliminated in a “swing-off” against Albert Pujols in the first round. In the game itself, their bats were silent with Morneau going 0-for-2 and Martin going 0-for-3. But the experience was not lost on these two young stars as they hope to have this experience again in the future. Speaking of future, the All-Star Futures Game saw three Canadians participate and contribute to their team’s success. Joey Votto of Toronto, Ontario, Mike Saunders of Victoria, B.C. and James Van Ostrand of Richmond, B.C. helped the World Team rise to victory over Team USA 7-2 in the game that took place on Sunday. For their part, Votto hit a solo home run to leadoff the sixth inning, Van Ostrand did the same to leadoff the seventh and Saunders drew a walk, stole two bases and scored twice. Now that the All-Star festivities are over, these young talented players will now rejoin their respective teams as they make their push for the playoffs for their respective leagues when the second half of the season begins on Thursday.
Jimmy Van Ostrand of Richmond, B.C. was added to the World Team roster for the All-Star Futures Game on July 8th in San Francisco, which is part of the festivities for Major League Baseball’s All-Star weekend. The 6’4”, 210 lbs outfielder with the Class-A Lexington Legends of the South Atlantic League in the Houston Astros organization is hitting .299 with eight home runs and 43 RBI in 63 games this season. Van Ostrand was drafted in the eighth round of the 2006 MLB First Year Player Draft by Houston. The All-Star Futures Game is an exhibition featuring prospects that are divided into two teams, Team USA and the World Team. The players selected to participate are chosen by all 30 Major League clubs in conjunction with Baseball America and MLB.com. In total, 12 countries will be represented in this year’s edition of the game.
Russell Martin of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins are among the Major League stars who will participate in the 2007 All-Star Game in San Francisco July 10th. Martin from Chelsea, Québec was voted as the starter at catcher for the National League. The former Junior and Senior National Team member is hitting .306 with nine home runs, 55 RBI and 16 stolen bases this season. This will be Martin’s first All-Star appearance. Morneau from New Westminster, B.C. was selected as a reserve for the American League. It will be the first appearance at an All-Star Game for the first baseman. This season, the reigning American League MVP is hitting .277 with 20 homers and 61 runs driven in. The former Junior and Senior National Team member will also participate in the Home Run Derby. This will mark the fourth time in MLB All-Star Game history that two Canadians will participate in the game.
There was a time when everyone who followed baseball in Canada knew the name Jason Dickson. The right-handed pitcher from Chatham, N.B. was pursuing his Major League career with the Anaheim Angels during the late 90s, climaxed by his selection to the 1997 All-Star Game. Today, his name is a small reference to the game when it comes to his playing career. His continuing contributions to baseball however are more than just a footnote. Dickson went back to his roots once his playing days were over and is now the Executive Director with Baseball New Brunswick. He is also a coach for the New Brunswick Selects Team and was recently named as a coach for the Junior National Team. “I’ve always wanted to do something to give back to the kids and the community,” says Dickson on his role as coach. “Being a former professional athlete, I feel I have a better understanding of the profession, so it was an easy fit to start coaching.” His role with Baseball N.B. is much more than that of a coach. As Executive Director, the former Major Leaguer is in charge of coordinating and overseeing the sport’s programs and volunteers as well as contribute in the decision making with the board of directors. Most importantly, he wants to be seen as more than just a figurehead. “Baseball New Brunswick is also a business,” says Dickson. “I want to prove to people that I have some business savvy in me when it comes to marketing and making decisions, or at least provide information to the board (of directors) to help them make decisions.” Dickson's playing career started to take off when he was a member of the Junior National Team in 1991 at the World Junior Baseball Championship. He was a member of the only national team to ever win a gold medal at an international competition in baseball for Canada. Not bad for someone who almost did not make the team. “I was the last guy to get picked for the team,” remembers Dickson. He was not only a witness either; he was a key part of the team. In a round-robin game against the United States, Dickson came in relief in the second inning with the Americans ahead 4-0. The then 18-year-old would go on to shut down the Americans for 5 2/3 innings, giving up only one run, allowing his teammates to come from behind and put together a 10-6 comeback win. “That was special,” says Dickson. “I’m glad they had the confidence in me to put me in a situation like that.” His career continued to rise as he would be drafted in the sixth round by the California Angels in the 1994 draft. On August 21, 1996, Dickson would make his Major League debut against the New York Yankees and went on to throw 6 1/3 innings allowing one run on 10 hits with two walks and a strikeout in earning his first Major League win. 1997 was the season Dickson really made a name for himself in the Major Leagues. The young right-hander would post a 13-9 record with a 4.29 ERA, allowing 56 walks and striking out 115 in 33 games (31 starts) and a selection to the All-Star Game. Injuries however in the following years would put the brakes on his Major League playing career. After a few seasons in the minors with the Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Kansas City Royals organizations, Dickson had a bit of a career rejuvenation when he was a member of the 2004 Canadian Olympic Team in Athens. In a pre-Olympic game, he pitched five scoreless innings in a 2-0 win over the Netherlands. Then in Athens, he threw six solid innings in a 9-3 win over Italy and was once again solid in a 5-2 defeat to Cuba, taking the loss. After the 2004 season, the New Brunswick native retired as an active professional player and started to steer towards coaching. It has only been a couple of years that he has been a full-time coach, but it has been a little longer since he has been teaching younger players. “For me, I’ve really started coaching I guess in my last two, or three years as a player,” says Dickson. “I always try to be honest with the kids and I don’t sugar coat things,” adds Dickson of his coaching methods. His quick rise as a coach is comparable to that of his playing career as only three years removed from active duty; he is now one of the coaches for the Junior National Team and wants to take full advantage. “I’m really excited,” says Dickson. “Anybody who has ever put on that Team Canada jersey, whether as a player or a coach, you get that feeling of pride.” The passion for baseball will always be in Jason Dickson's spirit. The game is his life. He has always composed himself with dignity and respect and he wants to share those experiences with the kids and help them prepare for what is to come. “You want to teach these kids to become better baseball players,” says Dickson, “but you also want to teach them about lessons in life and to be better people and move forward no matter what they choose to do in the future.”
Fans of the reigning American League Most Valuable Player Justin Morneau have developed a website dedicated to the Minnesota Twins’ first-baseman. JustinMorneau.com. The site was developed during the second half of the 2006 season when Morneau went on his MVP tear. The man in charge of the site, Shaun Hagglund, remembers how it all started. “A graphic designer friend, Ben Peters, came up with the ‘33 For MVP’ slogan and t-shirt design and we ran a grassroots campaign to get Morneau ‘Elected’ the MVP,” says Mr. Hagglund. “We originally hoped to sell a few dozen shirts but ended up going through a couple of thousand,” added Mr. Hagglund. From there, permission was asked to put together the fan site to which Morneau agreed under the condition that a portion of the proceeds be donated to Baseball Canada for which he has played a key role in the National Teams program over the years. Morneau does not profit from the site. The site contains a News and Notes section on the former Junior and Senior National Teams member and a Fan Shop where fans can get merchandise such as hats, t-shirts, bats and autographs. There is also a Message Board where fans can talk about Justin or baseball in general. To visit the site, click on the logo or visit http://justinmorneau.com.
Joey Votto of Toronto, Ontario and Mike Saunders of Victoria, B.C. were selected to participate in the All-Star Futures Game on July 8th in San Francisco to kick off the festivities of All-Star weekend. Votto, a first baseman with the Louisville Bats in Triple-A in the Cincinnati Reds organization, is hitting .314 with nine home runs and 41 RBI in 70 games this season. This is the second time that the former Senior National Team member has been selected to the Futures Game. Saunders is hitting .307 with 10 homers and 51 runs driven in for the High Desert Mavericks in Class-A in the Seattle Mariners organization. The outfielder and former Junior and Senior National Team member will be participating in the Futures Game for the first time. The All-Star Futures Game is an exhibition featuring prospects that are divided into two teams, Team USA and the World Team. The players selected to participate are chosen by all 30 Major League clubs in conjunction with Baseball America and MLB.com. In total, 12 countries will be represented in this year’s edition of the game.
What started as something to do after his playing days were done, John Haar took the proverbial bull by the horns and took his first coaching opportunity and made it into a Hall of Fame career, and what a career it has been. On Saturday, June 23rd, Haar will be inducted into Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame along with Sparky Anderson and Sherry Robertson. “It’s truly an honour,” says Haar. “Never did I ever imagine that I would’ve been selected for something like this.” His coaching career started after he decided to call it quits as a player, reaching the Double-A level with the San Francisco Giants and New York Yankees organizations. He would get his start with the British Columbia Selects team before getting in with Baseball Canada and coaching internationally. His first coaching assignment with Team Canada was at the Intercontinental Cup in 1975. He would gradually move up the coaching ranks with the National Teams program until becoming the field manager in 1986 for Canada’s entry in the World Cup in Cuba. He also would help lead Canada to qualify for the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games in 1987. But in 1991, Haar was at the helm for arguably the greatest moment in Canadian baseball history. At the World Junior Baseball Championships in Brandon, Manitoba, the hometown Canadians did what no other National Team has done before or since, win a gold medal. “We had a great bunch of kids that worked well together,” says Haar. “Those kids accepted their roles no matter what they were and worked hard. Some people say that chemistry in a team is not necessary, but I firmly believe if we hadn’t of had chemistry, we wouldn’t have done as well as we did.” One of those kids on that team was Jason Dickson. Dickson, who was the final player selected to that 91 team, has gone on to a Major League career, appearing in the 1997 All-Star Game while with the Anaheim Angels. He was a member of the 2004 Olympic Team in Athens and is now Executive Director for Baseball New Brunswick and is a coach with the Junior National Team program. “He did a great job helping us prepare to compete, most of us for the first time, at the international level,” says Dickson. A moment that gave the young team some confidence in the tournament was there comeback win against the heavily favoured Team USA. After falling behind 4-0 in the second inning, Haar put in Dickson in relief of Joe Young with one out in the second to try and stop the bleeding. Dickson would shut down the Americans for 5 2/3 innings, allowing only one run in Canada’s 10-6 victory. “The confidence he showed in me after almost being cut, to put me in that situation was very uplifting,” remembers Dickson. At the most recent Baseball Canada Cup, Dickson who was coaching the New Brunswick Selects team faced off against his former Junior coach, who was at the helm of Team B.C. “It was kind of funny, because he was coaching the B.C. Selects and I was coming back as a coach and competing against him,” says Dickson. “It was a full-circle moment.” Another member of that magical team was Stubby Clapp. Currently a hitting coach with the Houston Astros Extended Spring Training Squad, Clapp has gone on to compete at every level of baseball both professionally, and internationally. One thing sticks out for Clapp concerning Haar. “He was intense,” remembers Clapp. “He was intense about the game and I have nothing but gratitude toward him because he gave me an opportunity to play.” “There was an older kid who was ready to play third,” adds Clapp, “instead he took me and that had a real significant impact on my baseball career.” Clapp, who has always had to prove himself in the game because of his size (he’s 5’8”), was given some words of advice that stuck with him his entire career. “He always told me ‘keep going. You’re on the right track,’” says Clapp. Gary Picone was Haar’s pitching coach on that 91 team and is now the Athletic Director with Lewis-Clark State College. He sees Haar as a savvy tactician. “John is much respected in the baseball world,” says Picone. “He has such a wide knowledge of the game and I know when he was with the NBI, college coaches respected his knowledge of the game.” The NBI is the now defunct National Baseball Institute which Haar was the manager for 14 years. “In my time there, we worked closely with Baseball Canada on developing players and getting them ready for college, and life in general,” says Haar. Before his journey started toward the Hall of Fame, Haar would pass a lot of time with the man who influenced him in life. “My father is the one who gave me my love for the game,” recalls Haar. “We would play catch in the backyard and he taught me a lot about the game.” “I would post my lineup in the backyard and I would play for hours… I had a wild imagination,” adds Haar with a laugh. John Haar has influenced a lot of people over his coaching career. He has a lasting influence that very few people in the game can claim. His induction in to the Hall is well deserved “He has a passion for the game,” says Picone. “He doesn’t have an ego. He is not in it for himself; he’s in it to help others. He is the only man I know who lives that on and off the field.”
Former 2004 Olympic Team member Jeff Guiel of North Vancouver, B.C. saved a police dog from drowning in the Capilano River in West Vancouver last June 13th. Guiel, who is now a police officer with the West Vancouver Police Force, was in pursuit of a suspect when he called Cpl. Jag Johal and his dog, Stryker. Johal was holding the dog’s leash when his slipped and fell and the German shepherd lept into the river’s current. “He was trying to come back to shore,” says Guiel in an interview with The Province, “but everytime he came close to shore, the current would push him further away.” “It wasn’t really any kind of thought process… I just really never thought about it,” adds Guiel. The former Olympian dove into the water and was able to grab the dog’s leash and bring back the 35-kilogram German shepherd back to shore. Stryker was able to pick up the scent and kept tracking the suspect, but the man got away. “I was kind of choked up when Jeff saved him,” says Johal. “I couldn’t thank him enough.” Guiel started with the force last month. Stryker is a five year veteran of the department.
It’s that time of year again! The Major League Baseball Central Scouting Bureau will hold its open tryouts camps in various Canadian cities this summer. Here are the camps’ dates: July 24th Tues 10am – Calgary, AB – Optimist Athletic Park July 25th Wed 10am – Courtright, ON – Centennial Park July 26th Thurs 10am – Dartmouth, NS – Beazley Field August 6th Mon 10am – Ottawa, ON – Heritage Park August 7th Tues 10am – Montreal, QC – Pierre Elliott Trudeau Park August 14th Tues 10am – Welland, ON – Welland Sports Complex August 15th Wed 10am – Toronto, ON – Bond Park Tryouts are open to all players aged 15 through 23. To participate, every player must have a completed waiver form. Players under the age of 21 must have it co-signed by a parent or legal guardian. To obtain the waiver form, click here. For further information contact Canadian Supervisor Walt Burrows at walt.burrows@mlb.com
Chris Begg of Uxbridge, Ontario was named the Pacific Coast League’s Pitcher of the Week for the week of June 4-10. The right-handed pitcher of the Fresno Grizzles, affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, pitched the first complete game shutout of the season when he went the distance in a 3-0 win over Las Vegas. He only gave up three hits, one walk and struck out four in the outing. The former Senior National Team member and former 2004 Olympic Team member has a 5-1 mark with a 3.28 ERA with eight walks and 25 strikeouts in eight games with the Grizzles this season.
