Claire Smith: Mattingly doing what Mattingly usually does

“If you give it time, there will always be a moment in which the Phillies interim manager goes … well … full-on Don Mattingly. He becomes one of the most down-to-earth, self-deprecating All-Star baseball men most of us have seen in our lifetimes.

Stoic at times, but with twinkles in his eyes and a warm smile when speaking about anyone other than himself, Don Mattingly refuses, as always, to count himself in that class of unapproachable baseball royalty.”

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McFarland: Beck's draft stock on the rise

“The extra buzz around Carter Beck doesn’t seem to be affecting him at all.

The Carnduff native has rocketed up this summer’s Major League Baseball Draft rankings over his two seasons at Indiana State University.

Recognized as the No. 81 outfielder across NCAA Division I schools, according to D1Baseball, he’s also moved up to No. 7 on the Canadian Baseball Network’s list of draft-eligible Canadians.”

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Betts: Abbotsford Cardinals a program on the rise heading into Road to Okotoks

“The Abbotsford Cardinals believe they can compete with the best programs in the country.

And what better opportunity to prove it than the Road to Okotoks national championship?

“Over the last few years, our program has grown significantly in numbers, as well as overall talent and performance,” Cardinals Director of Baseball Operations Max Ishikawa said.”

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Betts: AHP Renegades believe preparation will guide them on Road to Okotoks

The time has almost arrived for the AHP Renegades Baseball Academy.

The team will hit the field for its Road to Okotoks qualifier beginning on May 28 in Lethbridge, but the tournament has been on the minds of players and coaches since it was announced back in September.

It may be a relatively new program, one that was founded in 2021 by former Central Missouri Mule right-hander Taylor Burns (St. Albert, Alta.), but the sights are set high.

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Wilson: Vauxhall "family" was at Macko's MLB debut with Jays

Adam Macko is a major leaguer.

From first discovering baseball in the first grade at school in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia; to winning a Little League championship in Ireland; to teaching himself how to pitch by watching YouTube videos of David Price and Justin Verlander; to training in Vauxhall in southern Alberta, Macko has now realized his dream of playing Major League Baseball (MLB).

The left-handed pitcher has taken an unlikely path to the bigs and ended up on the sport’s biggest stage at Yankee Stadium in New York for his MLB debut.ew York for his MLB debut.

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