By Trevor Fitzpatrick

Canadian Baseball Network

Ahead of a rainy WCBL All-Star Game on July 19, Blair Kubicek (Victoria, BC), flanked by Matt Stairs (Fredericton, N.B.), John Milton, Lou Pote, and Mitch Schmidt took to the field.

Kubicek, or “Kubie”, as just about everyone calls him, was receiving a Legacy Builder Award from the Western Canadian Baseball League.

It was Kubie’s mind that helped bring the home of the Okotoks Dawgs, Seaman Stadium, to life in 2005 as he worked with owner John Ircandia.

They also put together Tourmaline Field and Conrad Field, the two junior fields nearby. Both Kubie and Ircandia were later inducted into the Dawgs Hall of Fame in 2014 and 2015 respectively.

Seaman Stadium is now seen as one of the premier summer collegiate baseball diamonds in all of Canada. It didn’t come as a surprise to many though, as Kubie already had experience building baseball fields.

“‘You’re the only guy I know that ever built a ballpark, so would you be interested?’ Ircandia asked me, and I said, ‘Of course I can help,’” Kubie recalled.

That other ballpark was the Prairie Baseball Academy.

Founded in 1995, the academy didn’t have a home game for four years until Kubie decided that enough was enough and set in motion a project for what would eventually become Lloyd Nolan Yard. He was the head coach there until 2010.

A former coach with Edmonds Community College, and a big part of the Canadian College Baseball Conference, the lifelong baseball supporter has always had a soft spot for working with college athletes.

“College baseball isn’t about winning games,” he explained, “it’s about teaching people how to be people.”

One of Kubie’s favourite quotes, that applies to both coaching college players and the massive projects he’s undertaken, came from Henry Ford: “If you think you can, or if you think you can’t, you’re right.”

Blair Kubicek (middle) receives a WCBL Legacy Builder Award from Okotoks Dawgs program advisor John Milton (left) and Lou Pote (right in uniform). (Photo: Scott Savard)

To this day, Seaman Stadium stands as a centre piece of the WCBL. For the past four seasons, it’s been the host to the league’s All-Star Game as it continues to expand.

While Saskatoon will play host to the big game next season, it would be hard to picture the event ever taking off without Seaman Stadium there to host the first few years.

None of which would have been possible without Kubie’s mind to kick everything off. His “get it done” mindset is a big reason why the Dawgs have seen the success that they have.

“Look at Alberta now,” said Kubie, with a smile. “They’ve done quite alright for themselves.”

For more reading on Kubie’s other projects check out: