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 …

The Thrill of the Grass

If Major League Baseball ever wanted the ultimate advertisement for its product it could be found in this year’s edition of the postseason.

For those of us lucky enough to be watching it was truly a thrill.

Fans also may have noticed that the game has changed … and changed for the better.

Old school has given way to the new school and the unwritten rules are being rewritten.

Pitcher Perfect

He was a tireless workhorse who could wear out his coaches just as easily as he did opposing batters.

Two-time Cy Young award winner Roy Halladay – who died in a plane crash in the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday – made relentless preparation a hallmark of his all-star career, according to a former coach.

Crowning Achievement

It was a season fit for a king – it was so good that Greg Morrison took not one crown, but three from it.

During 69 games with the 1997 Medicine Hat Blue Jays, Morrison hit .448, swatted 23 home runs and drove in 88 runs on his way to the Pioneer League’s triple crown. The home run record still stands.

“It was a magical year,” Morrison told Alberta Dugout Stories.

Q&A with Author Stacey May Fowles

We chat with Stacey May Fowles – author of Baseball Life Advice – about tacos, hanging out at baseball diamonds, and favourite writers.