He was, most likely, the best pitcher to take the mound for the Calgary Cannons.
That’s saying something for a team that was represented by major-league talents like Jim Abbott, Andy Hawkins, Erik Hanson, A.J. Burnett, Ken Forsch, Dennis Powell and Jeff Nelson.
But Mike Campbell wasn’t just a pitcher who honed his craft at Triple-A in the Pacific Coast League (PCL) – the righthander dominated the circuit in the late 1980s.
Read More Campbell was a Calgary AceThe 1984 Edmonton Trappers were the first Canadian team to win a Pacific Coast League (PCL) championship.
The Trappers would go on to claim three more PCL titles over the course of their existence, but this one had some strong underdog vibes to it.
Learn more in this edition of In The Cards …
Read More In The Cards: 1984 Edmonton TrappersNo pressure.
We just want you to replace Hall-of-Fame first baseman Rod Carew.
This was the looming expectation for Wally Joyner as he went about his business in 1985.
Read More Joyn the ClubIt was the summer of 1990 and life was good for Calgary baseball fans.
If you went to Foothills Stadium to take in a Triple-A game that season, the odds were good that you’d get to see shortstop Omar Vizquel pick a ball out of the infield dirt and fire it over to first baseman Tino Martinez to record an out.
If you were really lucky, you might show up on one of the nights that outfielder Jay Buhner suited up for the Cannons that year.
For those who collected baseball cards, the sports collectibles business was booming.
Read More In The Cards: 1990 Calgary CannonsThe rain pouring down on what was then called Telus Field in Edmonton acted as a perfect metaphor.
Despite the downpour, more than 9,000 fans bundled up to shed tears and say goodbye to their beloved Edmonton Trappers on final time on Sept. 2, 2004.
Read More Trappers UnlockedPat Casey may have thought he was done with the game of baseball, but the sport had different plans for him.
On a number of occasions, when baseball looked like it offered only dead ends, the Oregon product discovered there was more for him.
The result was a fulfilling career and the realization of a dream he never had.
Read More The Pat Came BackYear two of Edmonton Trapper baseball offered up the team’s first superstar.
Learn more about him and his teammates in the latest edition of In The Cards …
Read More In The Cards: 1982 Edmonton TrappersThe Edmonton Trappers of the mid-1990s were a team in transition.
The 1994 club was awaiting the arrival of a new ballpark (Telus Field replaced John Ducey Park the following year), and more success on the diamond. The back-to-back Pacific Coast League (PCL) titles didn’t take place until 1996-97 …
Read More In The Cards: 1994 Edmonton TrappersA new ballpark, a new manager and a fresh crop of prospects made the 1995 Edmonton Trappers a popular part of Alberta’s sports scene.
Learn more in this edition of In The Cards …
Read More In The Cards: 1995 Edmonton TrappersIn the 1980s, there was no one cooler than the multi-sport athlete.
Bo knows that, and Deion Sanders packaged it for “Prime Time.”
Kirk McCaskill also had a pretty good idea of what it took to play two sports at the highest level …
Read More Dropping the Puck