Posts in Minor leagues
Glew - Whicker's new Drysdale biography discusses legend's time in Montreal
Glew - Whicker's new Drysdale biography discusses legend's time in Montreal

It wouldn’t be much of a stretch to say that Don Drysdale’s career in professional baseball started and ended in Montreal.

As a fiery, fresh-faced teen, he pitched his first full pro season with the triple-A Montreal Royals in 1955.

And sadly, 38 years later, he suffered a fatal heart attack in a Montreal hotel room while he was part of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ broadcast team.

Both Drysdale’s season with the Royals and the night of his death are detailed thoroughly in Mark Whicker’s excellent new book, Don Drysdale: Up and In: The Life of a Dodgers Legend.

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Major Leagues (MLB), Minor leaguesKevin GlewComment
Glew: Hawthorn hits home run with new book about Vancouver baseball history
Glew: Hawthorn hits home run with new book about Vancouver baseball history

Did you know that the first night baseball game in Canada was played in Vancouver in 1931?

Or that Jackie Robinson was rumoured to be the first manager of the Pacific Coast League’s Vancouver Mounties in 1956?

These are just two of the engrossing and little-told stories shared in an outstanding new book called, “Play Ball! The Amazing Stories and Captivating Characters Who Have Made Baseball a Winning Ticket in Vancouver for Over 100 Years.”

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Canadians in the Minors, Minor leagues, SandlotsKevin Glew
Verge: Ellison, Morro concentrate on NAIA World Series and "their Maple Leafs"
Verge: Ellison, Morro concentrate on NAIA World Series and "their Maple Leafs"

“The location is a college baseball office in Oklahoma, but the scene - that’s very Canadian.

There are two Ontarians inside, locked in on the Toronto Maple Leafs game and their playoff run on a Friday evening in May.

University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma assistant coach Joe Ellison (Mississauga, Ont.), and second baseman Corey Morro (Cheltenham, Ont.) are bonded by more than just their shared nationalities and passion for baseball.

Both are also big Leafs fans. Since the start of the 2025 playoffs, the two have made a routine of catching the games together, often chatting about the intricacies of hockey with each other.”

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Minor leaguesMelissa Verge
Betts: Harry happy to be a Blue Jay after trade from Twins
Betts: Harry happy to be a Blue Jay after trade from Twins

“Jay Harry didn’t see it coming.

He was 82 games into the 2024 minor league season with the Cedar Rapids Kernels when he received a phone call that changed the trajectory of his career.

The Toronto Blue Jays were in the midst of a modest sell off and struck a deal with the Minnesota Twins to send right-hander Trevor Richards to the land of 10,000 lakes.

Their target in return? Harry.”

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Toronto Blue Jays, Minor leaguesMatt Betts