Love can take a toll on you.
Whether it’s a family bond, the intimacy of marriage, or even the fondness of sport, love can be exhausting.
It can leave you at a crossroads wondering whether or not the passion that was such a part of you exists at all anymore.
Blue Jays Central host Jamie Campbell was at such an intersection when he came to Alberta in the 1990s to work as a sports anchor for CBC Edmonton.
Read More Between InningsIt 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.
Read More Coles NotesWhen you look back at those postseason games from the early ’90s, it’s all there.
You can see the threat on the base paths, the ability to come up with timely hits and, of course, the wall-crashing catches in centre field.
Devon White was never the guy for the Toronto Blue Jays during their back-to-back World Series titles in 1992 and 1993. But you cannot win championships without key contributors like White roaming the outfield and batting at the top of the order.
Read More White LightningWelcome to a new archival series we’re introducing called In The Cards. The idea is simple: while images of most baseball cards can be found online, there are some gaps, especially when it comes to the minor-league cardboard cutouts.
To assist in this matter, and with an eye on Alberta-based teams and players, we will periodically be adding galleries of baseball cards to our website. We hope you enjoy!
First up to the plate, the 2002 Medicine Hat Blue Jays.
Read More In The Cards: 2002 Medicine Hat Blue JaysHe bears little resemblance to Roger Clemens, but you can go ahead and call David Reiniger “Rocket Man.”
While he won’t blow anyone away with a 98 mile-per-hour fastball, Reiniger has something much faster at his fingertips. He literally has rockets at his disposal.
Read More Rocket ManCentre fielder Anthony Alford hardly had time to loosen his belt from his American Thanksgiving meal before he hopped on a plane for Calgary in late November.
The Mississippi product – a third round pick of the Toronto Blue Jays in 2012 and former Ole Miss Rebels football player – came to Cowtown to help out baseball pal Shane Dawson Jr. with his Strive Baseball pro camp, which also featured the instructional help of pitcher Ryan Borucki.
Read More A Swing & Ole MissThe Toronto Blue Jays will need to bring a few surprises to the ballpark if they hope to be competitive next season.
Enter Ryan Borucki.
Read More Borucki’s BackAfter starting his professional coaching career in Medicine Hat in 1996, Bruce Walton quickly rose through the ranks of the Toronto Blue Jays organization, serving as minor league pitching instructor, bullpen coach and pitching coach with the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise.
A stint with the Iowa Cubs followed his departure from Toronto in 2013 and the Calgarian now finds himself working as a pitching coach in the Miami Marlins minor league system.
We caught up with Walton and picked his brain about Marlins prospects, coaching techniques, and the legendary Derek Jeter.
Read More Making WavesTournament 12 (T12) – a national showcase tournament featuring some of Canada’s best baseball prospects – is fast approaching and the annual event once again includes a number of players from Alberta.
We are bringing back our popular 7th Inning Stretch series – which poses seven questions to our profile subjects – to spotlight some of the Alberta athletes who are taking part in T12 this year.
We get started with 15-year-old pitcher Conor Pote, who is a student of the Dawgs Academy program in Okotoks.
Read More 7th Inning Stretch: Conor PoteA thrill of a lifetime for many aspiring baseball players in our province with the annual Blue Jays Academy Super Camp powered by Honda.
George Bell, J.P. Arencibia, Homer Bush and Ricky Romero showed players in St. Albert and Okotoks a few tricks of the trade over the last four days.
We were invited onto the field to snap a few photos of the festivities.
Read More Blue Jays Academy Gallery