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7th Inning Stretch: Jaden Griffin

One of the harsh realities of any baseball season is that players may not get a chance to finish the campaign and help their teammates when they need them most.

For pitchers at the Major League Baseball (MLB) level, they may have innings limits or be forced to sit out due to injury.

Such is the case for lefty hurler Jaden Griffin, who recently wrapped up his season with the Lethbridge Bulls. He is the subject of our most recent 7th Inning Stretch feature.

Blue Jays Academy Gallery

A 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.

The Pioneers: Calgary Cardinals

If Russ Parker’s middle name isn’t “Persistent”, maybe he should look at changing it.

After having been in discussions about bringing an affiliated team to Calgary for half a decade, he finally succeeded in 1977 with the Cardinals.

In our final installment of “The Pioneers”, we look back at Calgary’s involvement with the league and what it took for Parker to bring future stars through Foothills Stadium.

Sim City

Eric Sim may just be the hero that baseball deserves, even if the sport doesn’t need him any longer.

A self-professed “washed up” catcher and pitcher, Sim has found happiness as a bar manager and in baseball exile at his bat cave, where he still trains like a pro but professes a hate of the game he spent seven minor-league seasons playing.

Both outspoken and entertaining, Sim isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. If his unfiltered talk doesn’t send people to the exits, his unabashed opinions might.

Yet, the same in-your-face expression that turns off many baseball fans is also what makes the former Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) Canadian Rookie of the Year a cult favourite and a voice for the minor league experience.

The Pioneers: Medicine Hat A’s

When the Pioneer League looked at expansion in 1975, they began looking at Medicine Hat.

It wouldn’t happen until 1977, but the love affair ended up lasting 25 years.

In the second of our three-part series, we look back at the Medicine Hat A’s and Blue Jays with a man familiar with sports in the city: Bob Ridley.