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.

Nash Can Mash

WCBL Home Run Derby hopeful Nash Crowell is drawing comparisons to fellow Nova Scotian MLB star Matt Stairs.

Kevin Glew of the Canadian Baseball Network takes a look at the Okotoks Dawgs baseball basher …

Stairs Shares Baseball Wisdom

Matt Stairs must feel at home in Alberta.

The former big league slugger, who was at Seaman Stadium in Okotoks for the Western Canadian Baseball League’s All-Star Game, has a brother that lives in Calgary and he his wife, Lisa, were staying with his ex-sister-in-law in Okotoks.

The former Edmonton Trappers star sat down for a chat with Canadian Baseball Network’s Kevin Glew during the festivities.

Q&A with Matt Stairs

He was the guy you wanted at the plate with the game on the line in the late innings.

In the playoffs.

He was coming in cold and the ice in his veins helped him maintain a cool demeanor in pressure-packed situations.

Canadian Matt Stairs is the quintessential pinch hitter. He has a World Series ring that was earned, in part, from his postseason heroics for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2008. The Fredericton, New Brunswick product is also in the record books for his 23 regular season, pinch-hit home runs.