In The Cards: 2000 Calgary Cannons

The Cannons were in their second year of serving the parent Florida Marlins and their final few seasons of existence as a minor-league team.

An appearance in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) championship series in 1998 – their third franchise loss in the finals – was barely visible in the rearview mirror.

There were, however, bright spots on the 2000 roster, as we discover in this edition of In The Cards …

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.

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.