In The Cards: 2001 Calgary Cannons

It was the 100th anniversary of minor-league baseball and the Cannons were close to the end of their run in Calgary.

The Triple-A affiliate of the Florida Marlins was competitive enough to win a few games in front of the 246,991 fans who went to Burns Stadium that season, but their 72-71 record was nowhere close to good enough for a postseason appearance.

Regardless, there were plenty of MLB-calibre players on the field that year, including Jason Grilli, who holds the distinction of being the last Calgary Cannon to pitch in the majors.

Q&A with Harold Reynolds

He’s now a familiar voice on baseball broadcasts and a frequently seen face on MLB Network programming, but long before Harold Reynolds made a name for himself on TV he was another ball player trying to crack a major-league roster.

A second overall selection of the Seattle Mariners on June 3rd of the 1980 Major League Baseball (MLB) draft, Reynolds made his big-league debut in 1983. The second baseman bounced between the Triple-A and MLB levels for the next four seasons before becoming a fixture in Seattle.

One of his big stops along the way was with the Calgary Cannons of the Pacific Coast League, where he played 52 games in their inaugural 1985 season and another 29 games in 1986. The two-time American League (AL) All Star and three-time Gold Glove award winner made time for us to chat about his time in Cowtown, how he ended up in the broadcast booth and the time he was almost traded to the San Francisco Giants …

In The Cards: 1990 Calgary Cannons

When you think about the Calgary Cannons, images of red and white uniforms often come to mind, but these blue jerseys and caps look outstanding.

For your viewing pleasure, this edition of In The Cards focuses on the 1990 Cannons, who were led by Pacific Coast League (PCL) All Star first baseman Tino Martinez.

Coles Notes

It was a long and winding road for utility player Darnell Coles, who played 17 Major League Baseball (MLB) seasons for eight different teams.

The Californian quickly climbed the ranks of Seattle’s minor-league system after the Mariners made him the sixth overall pick in the 1980 amateur entry draft. Coles had already played in Bellingham, Wausau, Bakersfield, Chattanooga, Salt Lake City and Seattle by the time he was sent to Calgary to play for the city’s new Triple-A franchise in the Pacific Coast League.

That 1985 Cannons team, Coles recalled, was loaded with talent.

In The Cards: 1997 Calgary Cannons

It seems like all minor league teams – if they stick around long enough – go through a pinstripes phase with their uniforms, and the Calgary Cannons were no exception.

The players and coaches do look sharp in these white uniforms, which take centre stage in this 30-card set from Best Cards, Inc.

Blast From The Past

If patience is a virtue, Russ Parker has a dugout full of it.

Calgary’s “Mr. Baseball” went through the ringer to bring Triple-A baseball to the city, including rumours, a difficult deal and a snowstorm.

On the 35th anniversary of the team’s debut at Foothills Stadium, we take a look back at the road taken to bring the Pacific Coast League team to Calgary.

Wax Tracks

It is seemingly a marriage of three favourite pieces of baseball lore: cards, travel and books.

Brad Balukjian’s new book, “The Wax Pack: On The Open Road In Search Of Baseball’s Afterlife,” dives into what happened to the players he found in a pack of 1986 Topps baseball cards.

It led him down an 11,341-mile adventure that can only be described as a mix of nostalgia, travelogue and self-discovery.

In The Cards: 1989 Calgary Cannons

This should have been a set that included a Ken Griffey Jr. baseball card.

Alas, the Hall of Fame outfielder ended up being too good for Triple-A baseball, skipping straight from the Double-A level in 1988 to the Seattle Mariners in 1989. Nonetheless, this blue-bordered ProCards set of the Calgary Cannons included plenty of Major League Baseball (MLB) talent.

If The Glove Fits

With the first Calgary Cannon now enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, another member of the defunct Triple-A team is waiting on deck to see if he will join his former teammate among the sport’s immortals.

And, while designated hitter extraordinaire Edgar Martinez had to wait until his 10th and final year on the ballot to be selected for Cooperstown kudos, shortstop Omar Vizquel may have to wait even longer.

Edgar: Almost A Dodger or Yankee?

Can you imagine one of your favourite athletes in a uniform other than the one they became famous in?

Over the years, many have been able to play with one team. But in the free agency era, they have become fewer and further between.

As we found out with author Larry Stone, Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Edgar Martinez almost didn’t stick around Seattle after not seeing a clear path out from the Calgary Cannons.