Making the List

Bob Elliott has released his list of the most influential Canadians in baseball, and the Western Canadian Baseball League (WCBL) makes a number of appearances on the esteemed roll call.

The Hall-of-Fame journalist produced a list of 135 top names in the sport, with Alex Anthopoulos, general manager of the Atlanta Braves, at first overall; followed by Phillies skipper Rob Thomson in second; and Josh Naylor – slugger with the Cleveland Guardians – in the third spot.

Here’s a look at where WCBL personalities landed on the Canadian Baseball Network list …

Okotoks Hosting 2024 WCBL All-Star Game

It ain’t broke, so the Western Canadian Baseball League is fixing to return its All-Star Game to Okotoks next year.

The Dawgs will roll out the red carpet for the best players in the WCBL for a third-straight summer after experiencing massive success in hosting the festivities in both 2022 and 2023.

Seaman Stadium Named Best Ballpark

John Ircandia and William Gardner admit that when Seaman Stadium was first being developed, they never thought it would expand to where it is today.

The home of the Okotoks Dawgs has become a well-known facility across North America, most recently recognized as the Best of the Ballparks – Summer Collegiate by Ballpark Digest.

Alberta Links to Canada’s Top Baseball Influencers

A look at Alberta’s connections to Bob Elliott’s list of top baseball influencers …

Alberta Ties to the Top 100

We examine the Alberta connections to Bob Elliott’s Top 100 influential Canadians in baseball list that was published by the Canadian Baseball Network.

Leader of the Dawg Pack

It is a baseball oasis in the middle of Canada’s prairie landscape.

In under 20 years, the Okotoks Dawgs college and academy programs have become the benchmark for success.

When looking at the path it took to get there, you can’t blame managing director John Ircandia for smiling from ear-to-ear as he looks at his own field of dreams.

We chatted with him in a recent episode of Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast to learn more about his mindset and vision going forward.

Holy Schmidt! Did That Just Happen?

Well, you can’t say he didn’t warn you.

At the Okotoks Dawgs media day event, which is an opportunity for reporters to meet the team’s players and coaching staff prior to the Western Major Baseball League (WMBL) season, head coach Mitch Schmidt was asked about his “Big Bear” nickname.

He described himself as “very easy going” and a guy who gets along with everybody. Then he followed that description up with this comment: “They say that I’m in hibernation, but when I come out of hibernation, the Big Bear comes out.”

The Big Bear definitely came out …

Golden Moment

Theo Fleury will never be remembered for his baseball career, but a decade ago he proved he could go from gold-medal winning hockey player to Golden Baseball League outfielder with relative ease.

And looking back on the publicity stunt, the former Olympian has nothing but fond memories of his conversion from NHL sniper to Calgary Viper.