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.

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.

In The Cards: Joe’s All Stars

Baseball cards weren’t just a collectible from my childhood, they provided hours upon hours of entertainment.

Having only three channels to pick from on the family farm, my exposure to actual baseball games was pretty limited. So I had to get creative.

I set up a game on my bedroom floor and that was the first thing I thought of when coming up with my All Star selections.

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.

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.

The Long Road to Edgar Martinez Drive

It’s a long road from Crowchild Trail in Calgary to Atlantic Street in Seattle.

And for the man who would eventually have a section of that Emerald City street named after him, it was wrought with twists, detours and roadblocks.

Unlike Ken Griffey Jr., who made everything look so easy, including his journey to the big leagues, Edgar Martinez never took the express lane to stardom.