We believe in the beauty of baseball, and the purity of the game.
We believe in the history of baseball, and the preservation of it.
We believe in the future of baseball, and that Alberta is contributing to it.
We believe that as special and perfect as baseball is, it is a game and at the heart of that is having fun.
We believe in storytelling and that our role is telling compelling and worthy stories.
Welcome to our dugout. We hope you like the view.
Ian Wilson – Co-Founder/Contributor
Born and raised in Alberta, Ian got his first glimpse of professional baseball from the Medicine Hat Blue Jays of the Pioneer League in the 1980s and 1990s. The odd road trip to Calgary opened his world to the Cannons and the Pacific Coast League. He completed his Bachelor of Arts in Journalism & Communications from the University of Regina and returned to Alberta, where he worked as a reporter and editor at the Calgary Sun for a decade. Ian is also currently under contract with the Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL), having taken on the role of media coordinator with the organization. Through the years, his love of baseball has remained constant. Despite any failings of players or those involved in the game, Ian considers it the perfect sport and one that is above reproach. It requires no clock, just the best that Mother Nature has to offer and willing competitors. These basic ingredients unlock the poetry that W.P. Kinsella revealed to the world – a reminder of all that once was good and can be again.
Joe McFarland – Co-Founder/Contributor
Born and raised on a farm in southern Alberta, Joe played sandlot baseball and made it all the way to coach-pitch before realizing his dreams of making the big leagues would never come to fruition. Instead, he found interest in all sports, specifically hockey and baseball, through collecting cards and watching what coverage he could get on his three-channel television (before his parents got a satellite dish around 2000). After completing high school in Claresholm, he earned a Broadcast Journalism diploma from Lethbridge College in 2005, then set out on a 15-year radio journey that took him to Lloydminster, Medicine Hat, Calgary, back to Medicine Hat and then to Calgary again from 2010 to 2020. It’s there where he met his wife, Erin, who also enjoys heading to the ballpark. They also wouldn’t mind if their children, Lochlan and Hannah, develop a love for the game at some point down the road. Now working in media relations, Joe is also the host of Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast.