OPINION: Run for the Foothills

Enough’s enough.

After years of rumours and discussion around the building of a new fieldhouse in Calgary, it’s time for council to move ahead with it instead of getting another committee to study it.

And as Joe McFarland writes, let’s also finally demolish the underutilized eyesore that has become Foothills Stadium.

Broken Bat

Sports transactions often have a lasting impact.

Edmonton Oilers fans still cringe at the thought of Wayne Gretzky being dealt to the Los Angeles Kings, while Calgary Flames fans recently witnessed the departure of star forward Matthew Tkachuk.

Baseball, though, has a history of gimmicky swaps, including the Calgary Vipers trading John Odom for 10 baseball bats in 2008.

Fisticuffs at Foothills

You can call it baseball’s Battle of Alberta, or the Fracas at Foothills Stadium, or the Cowtown Confrontation.

If you’re unfamiliar with the infamous 2006 brawl between the Calgary Vipers and Edmonton Cracker-Cats, this oral history of the event is a must read …

Travelin’ Man

Calgarian Geoff Freeborn has seen a lot of baseball. Six continents worth, to be exact.

The 36-year-old southpaw has played in European Championships, pitched in the Colombian Winter League, toured around the South Australian Baseball League, represented Canada at the Hong Kong Invitational and he was an All Star with the Calgary Vipers.

We caught up with him for a Q&A. Find out what he had to say.

Derby Downers

It’s not uncommon for players to struggle during the home run derby.

But to come away from a home run derby with zero home runs, well, that’s just depressing.

We catch up with a couple of players who posted goose eggs at the worst possible time.

Showing Up The Ultimate Showman

When Brent Cooper stepped up to the plate for batting practice at Foothills Stadium on June 28, 2011, he could not believe what was happening.

Not only was the Calgarian playing on the same team as famed slugger Jose Canseco, he was suddenly engaged in an impromptu home run derby of sorts against the 6-4 , 240-pound baseball beast.