Foothills Feedback

Long before Sportsnet 960 The Fan radio personalities Pat Steinberg and Will Nault were making waves on the air, they were teenagers in need of summer jobs.

For both of them, their first paycheques came as a result of the innings they put in at Foothills Stadium.

Steinberg was 14 years old when a job fair at the ballpark – which was then called Burns Stadium – landed him a role with the Triple-A Calgary Cannons of the Pacific Coast League (PCL).

Alberta’s NL Dugout Connections

There was a time when if you wanted to play Major League Baseball (MLB), you were likely to make a minor-league stop in Canada first.

Either as visitors or members of the home squad, countless players in the Pioneer League or the Pacific Coast League (PCL) would find their way to Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Calgary or Edmonton.

In our second of a two-part series, we explore the coaches and managers from the National League (NL) who played in Alberta before finding their way in the majors.

Alberta’s AL Dugout Connections

Major League Baseball (MLB) may feel like it is far removed from the ball diamonds of Alberta, but if you play a quick game of six dugouts of separation you’ll discover there are plenty of coaching connections between the majors and our province.

In our first of a two-part series exploring those connections, we look at the American League squads who have former Alberta players on the payroll.

Hall Pass

We look at the 2019 Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame induction class.

It includes former Calgary Cannon pitcher Ryan Dempster, long-time Blue Jays GM Gord Ash, former Yankee bench coach Rob Thomson and Trail, B.C. product Jason Bay.

Designated Hall of Famer

Good things come to those who wait.

In the case of former Seattle Mariner and Calgary Cannon Edgar Martinez, he’s become accustomed to waiting.

After going undrafted and signing with the Mariners in 1982, the third baseman spent the majority of the next seven years in the minor leagues, including 276 games with the Triple-A Cannons.

The rest of his career was spent with the Mariners, mostly as a designated hitter (DH), where Martinez waited for a World Series berth that never came before retiring at the end of the 2004 season.

When his career Major League Baseball (MLB) numbers – he hit 309 home runs, batted .312 and posted a .418 on-base percentage – were deemed worthy of National Baseball Hall of Fame consideration, Martinez would once again be forced to exercise patience as the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) deliberated his fate.

But, after his 10th and final year on the ballot, the wait is over and it’s good news for the man who simply became known as “Edgar” to Seattle sports fans.

Online Silent Auction: Nov. 23-30

With the Christmas season upon us, we have just the gifts for the baseball fans in your life! Introducing the Alberta Dugout Stories Silent Auction!

Familiar World Series MVPs

The World Series MVP award recognizes the most clutch performers in baseball.

Over the years, the winners of the award have included several players who once called Alberta home.

Here’s our look at some former Pacific Coast League and Pioneer League talents who saved their best play for the World Series.

In the Name of the Father

Fathers and sons and baseball.

Bret Boone knows a lot about these things. He is the grandson of Major League Baseball (MLB) infielder Ray Boone, the son of catching great Bob Boone and in 1992 he became the first third-generation big league player in history when he was called up from the Calgary Cannons to play with the Seattle Mariners.

At 49 years of age, Bret is a decade removed from his playing days, but as a father he now does what Ray and Bob did before him – he watches his son play baseball.

MLB Draft Review

The 2018 Major League Baseball (MLB) First-Year Player Draft took place from June 4-6 and we’ve got a rundown on what it means to some of Alberta’s most talented players.

Some of the athletes selected were born and raised in the province, others have become familiar faces through our baseball academies, Some are players we’ve come to know from their time in the Western Major Baseball League (WMBL).

Here’s a look at the selections we had our eye on …

The Straw That Stirred the Drink

For Edmonton baseball fans, Reggie Jackson really was the straw that stirred the drink.

On May 16, 1983, the man known as Mr. October arrived in Edmonton for an exhibition game between the hometown Trappers of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League (PCL) and their parent club, the California Angels.

It was a nothing game for the Angels – a northerly stop wedged between an 8-6 loss to the Minnesota Twins and a 3-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners – but it was a statement game for fans in Alberta’s capital.