Cannon Fodder

Wait and see.

That will be the most likely outcome for a pair of former Calgary Cannons who are hoping to gain acceptance into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York …

The Long Hall

We trace the ties between the National Baseball Hall of Fame ballot and the province of Alberta.

A pair of Calgary Cannons and an infielder who helped the Edmonton Trappers win a PCL championship are being considered …

On The Ballot

National Baseball Hall of Fame hopefuls are once again doing their best imitation of expectant fathers, nervously pacing back and forth while awaiting the thumbs up to break out celebratory cigars.

The birth of a baby is not on the line, but a berth among baseball’s immortals is at stake for players on the ballot.

Designated Hall of Famer

Good things come to those who wait.

In the case of former Seattle Mariner and Calgary Cannon Edgar Martinez, he’s become accustomed to waiting.

After going undrafted and signing with the Mariners in 1982, the third baseman spent the majority of the next seven years in the minor leagues, including 276 games with the Triple-A Cannons.

The rest of his career was spent with the Mariners, mostly as a designated hitter (DH), where Martinez waited for a World Series berth that never came before retiring at the end of the 2004 season.

When his career Major League Baseball (MLB) numbers – he hit 309 home runs, batted .312 and posted a .418 on-base percentage – were deemed worthy of National Baseball Hall of Fame consideration, Martinez would once again be forced to exercise patience as the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) deliberated his fate.

But, after his 10th and final year on the ballot, the wait is over and it’s good news for the man who simply became known as “Edgar” to Seattle sports fans.

Full Count

EDGAR IS GOOD.

If you went to a Seattle Mariners home game in 2000, that’s what flashed on the big screen in left field when Edgar Martinez stepped to the plate.

It would often flash again right after his at bat, when he ended up either on base or touching home plate.

But is he Hall of Fame good?

Ballot of Alberta

The ballots have been cast and we’ll soon know who will be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Of the 34 candidates, five players spent time playing on Alberta minor-league teams.

Edgar Martinez and Omar Vizquel were teammates on the Triple-A Calgary Cannons in the 1980s, while lefty Johan Santana fine-tuned his game with the Edmonton Trappers before winning two Cy Young Awards in the mid-2000s.

Another Cy Young Award winner, Chris Carpenter, cut his teeth with the Medicine Hat Blue Jays in 1994 and second baseman Orlando Hudson also got his start with the Baby Jays.

Here’s a look at the Alberta hopefuls and their chances of finding immortality in Cooperstown …