In The Cards: 1992 Calgary Cannons

After making it to the Pacific Coast League championship in 1991, the Calgary Cannons were hoping a few familiar faces would help them make another run.

And while players like Bret Boone, Rich Amaral and Mike Blowers proved to be steady hands, they weren’t able to get the team back into the playoffs.

We take a look back at the team through the set of 1992 Fleer ProCards in our latest In The Cards.

Shipping Up To Boston

What a year it has been for Jackson Clemett.

The Calgary native and Vauxhall Academy of Baseball product started off the fall of 2019 by being named to the Tournament-12 in Toronto.

This spring, he announced his commitment to the University of Utah. And this fall, he was named to the World team for the New Balance Baseball Future Stars Series.

We chatted with the outfielder recently about the experience and what he has on his radar for the next twelve months.

In The Cards: 1991 Calgary Cannons

Heartbreak is one of the many emotions that are conjured up when Calgary Cannons fans think back to 1991.

Many will wax nostalgic about the talent and promise on the team, that was the gateway to pro baseball for many.

But heartbreak also comes to mind as they think about how close the team was to winning it all.

We take a trip down that memory lane in the new In The Cards.

Opening It Up

The last time we saw Calgarian Mike Soroka take the mound for the Atlanta Braves, he was breaking new ground.

It was Game 3 of the National League Division Series (NLDS) against the St. Louis Cardinals – an exciting 3-1 victory for Atlanta – and Soroka struck out seven batters through seven innings while surrendering no walks, just two hits and one earned run.

It’s been a long time since that game at Busch Stadium on Oct. 6, 2019, and it feels even longer with the COVID-19 pandemic that has cancelled and postponed baseball games at all levels this year.

In The Cards: 2001 Calgary Cannons

It was the 100th anniversary of minor-league baseball and the Cannons were close to the end of their run in Calgary.

The Triple-A affiliate of the Florida Marlins was competitive enough to win a few games in front of the 246,991 fans who went to Burns Stadium that season, but their 72-71 record was nowhere close to good enough for a postseason appearance.

Regardless, there were plenty of MLB-calibre players on the field that year, including Jason Grilli, who holds the distinction of being the last Calgary Cannon to pitch in the majors.

Coles Notes

It 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.

The Bull-Dawg

There’s a quiet confidence that exudes from Calgary’s Tyrese Johnson.

The long-time Dawgs Academy product wants to make an immediate impact with his new school, South Suburban College near Chicago.

We chatted with the young speedster about the decision to sign his letter of intent, what his summer has been like and more in this Q&A from Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast.

A Swing & Ole Miss

Centre 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.

Borucki’s Back

The Toronto Blue Jays will need to bring a few surprises to the ballpark if they hope to be competitive next season.

Enter Ryan Borucki.

Dedicated

It is unbelievably hard to keep secrets from people so deeply entrenched in their communities.

So organizers in St. Albert and Calgary had their hands full in putting together surprise celebrations for two staples in their respective baseball communities.

And even a couple months later, both Kurtus Millar and Glen Hansen have a hard time finding the words to describe having facilities named in their honour.