TOP OF THE TENTH
Except for the Museum closure this summer, our regular activities are in full swing, with a record number of games booked for the CBHFM baseball diamonds and the 5th wedding on the site this weekend. At the office, the students are finishing up the 3D inventory of our collection and preparing to move items to museum for sorting. Scott continues his weekly Barrie radio interviews and getting ready for his trip to Cooperstown next week for the induction of 2017 CBHFM inductee Vladimir Guerrero into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
From the collection: Our featured artwork is a very tall (2 m. plus) wooden carving of a blue jay complete with bat, ball and Toronto uniform. It is the work of Vancouver artist Peter Kiss (peterkiss.com) and was presented to the Hall of Fame by Labatt’s Breweries.
Baseball is making a splash in New Zealand, with a team set to join the Australian Baseball League (ABL), and there’s a Canadian connection. Baseball New Zealand is in talks with former Blue Jay Scott Richmond. Born in Vancouver to a father who hails from Auckland, Scott has New Zealand citizenship. He was the first NZ citizen to pitch in the majors.
Canadian Joey Votto played in his 6th All-Star game this week breaking the old record for Canadian appearances that was held by Hall of Famer Larry Walker. During the game Joey hit a homerun off Blue Jays pitcher J.A. Happ. The first Canadian to play in the All-Star game was Hall of Famer George Selkirk in 1936. During the game he had one plate appearance and he walked.
Finally, CBHFM inductees feature in two short films, available for viewing or download on the National Film Board of Canada’s website. “King of the Hill” (1974) follows Fergie Jenkins through the 1972-73 season. “Sleeping Tigers: The Asahi Baseball Story” (2003) will bring tears to your eyes. Go to nfb.ca .
