Speaking of absenteeism
Posted by Carl on February 28, 2008
How is this going to work? This caught my eye earlier today:
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Canadians Fall Short in First Exhibition Outing
BRISBANE, Australia – It started off well, but one inning would turn out to be Canada’s downfall in their first exhibition game as they would fall at the hands off Australia by a final score of 5-3.
The Canadians would be the ones to break it open in the third inning when Emmanuel Garcia hit a double to cash in Jeremy Ware (Guelph, ON) would had reached base on a walk.
“I was just trying to see the ball well. I got a 3-1 fastball and I was able to put the bat on the ball,” says Garcia.
(italics mine)
Who else is on the Olympic qualifying roster?
2008 BASEBALL CANADA SENIOR NATIONAL TEAM OLYMPIC QUALIFIER ROSTER
Jersey First Last City Prov Birthdate Age Bat Th Ht Wt Pos MLB Organization
Number Name Name d/m/y (Level)
25 James Avery Moose Jaw SK 10-Jun-84 23 R R 6′1″ 210 RHP Cincinnati Reds (AA)
22 Tim Burton Ottawa ON 30-Jul-83 24 L R 6′3″ 195 RHP Cleveland Indians (AA)
11 Stubby Clapp Windsor ON 24-Feb-73 35 L R 5′8″ 175 2B Former Cardinals (MLB)
28 David Corrente Chatham ON 13-Oct-83 24 R R 6′2″ 210 C Toronto Blue Jays (AAA)
17 Emerson Frostad Calgary AB 13-Jan-83 25 L R 6′1″ 220 1B / C Texas Rangers (AA)
15 Emmanuel Garcia Montreal QC 4-Mar-86 21 L R 6′2″ 190 SS New York Mets (A)
24 Brett Gray Petrolia ON 19-Aug-76 31 R R 6′0″ 190 RHP Former Reds (AA)
35 Steve Green Greenfield Park QC 26-Jan-78 30 R R 6′2″ 195 RHP Former Angels (MLB)
2 Taylor Green Courtenay BC 02-Nov-86 21 L R 5′10″ 180 INF Milwaukee Brewers (A)
32 Mike Kusiewicz Ottawa ON 1-Nov-76 31 R L 6′2″ 205 LHP Former Athletics (AAA)
27 Jonathan Lockwood Toronto ON 12-Dec-81 26 R R 6′2″ 195 RHP Former Mariners (A)
31 Brooks McNiven Vancouver BC 19-Jun-81 26 R R 6′5″ 190 RHP San Francisco Giants (AA)
16 Alexandre Periard St - Eustache QC 15-Jun-87 20 R R 6′1″ 215 RHP Milwaukee Brewers (A)
19 Ryan Radmanovich Calgary AB 9-Aug-71 36 L R 6′2″ 200 OF Former Mariners (MLB)
23 Jamie Richmond Mississauga ON 23-Mar-86 21 R R 6′3″ 195 RHP Oakland Athletics (A)
34 Scott Richmond Langley BC 30-Aug-79 28 R R 6′5″ 220 RHP Toronto Blue Jays (AA)
30 Chris Robinson Dorchester ON 12-May-84 23 R R 6′0″ 215 C Chicago Cubs (AA)
4 Matt Rogelstad New Westminster BC 13-Sep-82 25 L R 6′3″ 190 INF Washington Nationals (A)
20 Mike Saunders Victoria BC 19-Nov-86 21 L R 6′4″ 215 OF Seattle Mariners (AA)
7 Adam Stern London ON 12-Feb-80 28 L R 5′11″ 185 OF Baltimore Orioles (AAA)
29 Jimmy VanOstrand Richmond BC 7-Aug-84 23 R R 6′4″ 225 1B / OF Houston Astros (A)
26 Jeremy Ware Guelph ON 23-Oct-75 32 R R 6′1″ 210 OF Former Expos (AAA)
33 Nick Weglarz Stevensville ON 16-Dec-87 20 L L 6′3″ 225 OF Cleveland Indians (A)
18 Aaron Wideman Mississauga ON 8-Jun-85 22 R L 5′11″ 190 LHP Toronto Blue Jays (A)
Which lead me to check the time frame for the Beijing Games. August 8-24. Couple of things - first, don’t get me wrong, I want the Canadians to qualify in ‘08. Second - would the presence of two members of the Rapids on the Olympics squad be an overall benefit to the team? Certainly losing a starting pitcher and outfielder generally isn’t good for the “win-loss” column, but will it be outweighed by the status of having two Rapids players competing for medals? I think so.
February 28, 2008 at 4:08 pm
Good point Carl. I think that if there were Rapids players on the Olympic roster, it would help promote the team to a certain extent. And there’s also the World Baseball Classic next year.
Didn’t know Stubby Clapp did not have a team. He’s getting up there in age but baseball fans know the name (a great one too). Are the Rapids going to go with youth? It appears they are concentrating on pitching first with their first signings.
February 28, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Wow. Tim Burton makes creepy movies AND plays baseball? Cool!
February 28, 2008 at 9:36 pm
In 2004, we lost a player (Clay Bellinger) and our manager (Tim Leiper) to the Olympics.
February 28, 2008 at 9:58 pm
Funny Patrick (you are joking, right?)
No, this is T.J. Burton. The only reason I know the name is because a friend of mine knows him (sort of). I think he said he’s the boyfriend of her cousin. Or something like that. I didn’t check his 2007 stats but I recall his previous seasons were not all that good. I’m surprised he’s still with Cleveland.
February 28, 2008 at 10:04 pm
I couldn’t help it. I checked his stats:
http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/B/T.J.-Burton.shtml
He actually improved last year in A-class and why he got promoted but didn’t fare as well in AA. Probably will still be in A or AA this year. If he doesn’t make it, could be a nice addition to the Rapids. Looks like he’s more suited to be a reliever than a starter.
February 29, 2008 at 8:20 am
I would rather not have the players play in the Olympics.
I don’t need to say it but……..this year is huge for long term baseball survival in Ottawa. If the team really struggles and is not competetive I don’t know how many people will show up regularily after the initial novelty wears off. I would rather not have 2 key performers gone for almost the whole month of August. What if we are in contention for a second half playoff spot?
I would rather have all hands on deck and try hard to be competitve every game no matter what the record is.
Because of this, I’m kinda cheering for Canada to not make it to Beijing.
See you guys in 83 days.
Go Rapids!
February 29, 2008 at 5:23 pm
I couldn’t agree with you more Dean on this being a pivotal year for professional baseball in Ottawa. If the fans & media don’t get on board & support this team I don’t see it lasting any more than the 2 years remaining on the stadium lease. To be successful, I agree, this team has to be competative & also have an average attendance of around 5,000. I don’t think that is to much to ask for from a community of this size. If the fans come out to the games I think the media will get on board.
I hope this team and Independant pr0 ball has a long future in Ottawa.
March 2, 2008 at 1:37 pm
5,000’s a lot to ask, Dave … let’s see if we can get 4,000 first.
March 2, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Small world: David Corrente, the catcher, apparently has a brother who’s a high school teacher and basketball coach in Ottawa. Didn’t David, during a call-up to Syracuse last year, hit a game-winning homer off the Lynx?
Isn’t 3,000 the break-even for attendance?
March 2, 2008 at 1:41 pm
It says here it’s a good thing to have a couple players who are identified with the Rapides being in Beijing … it gives the team credibility.
Double-A and Triple-A teams in States let their players go for the Olympics and none have folded.
March 2, 2008 at 2:40 pm
This may not be a huge problem as some of Canada’s best minor pros are busy with spring training. Some were released to Canada as they are set with where they stand in the respective organization. However those that are playing for jobs or promotions have been forced to stay in North America.
So should the Canadian team make it to Bejing the team may change alot from now to then.
March 4, 2008 at 11:50 am
5000 a game?…………where’s everyone going to park???