October 28, 2023

By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

Trivia time: Who is the most accomplished player to ever appear on the field during the Canadian Futures Showcase or as it was formerly known, Tournament 12?

Josh Naylor, who competed in the early forerunner of the Futures and was selected in the first round (12th overall in North America) in 2015 by the Miami Marlins and knocked in 97 runs for the Cleveland Guardians this year?

Nope. Not him.

Mike Soroka, who pitched in the high school showcase, and was drafted the same year (28th overall) in the first round by the Atlanta Braves and made the big league Second Team All-Star Team in 2019?

Not him.

Cal Quantrill, who pitched at the Rogers Centre and three years later was drafted in the first round (eighth overall) by the San Diego Padres and won 15 games for Cleveland in 2022?

Another no.

Tyler Black played, and three years later was selected from Wright State in the first round (33rd overall) by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2021 and named a Robin Yount award winner as Co-Hitter of the Year in 2023?

Guess again.

Bo Naylor competed and was selected in the first round (29th overall) of the 2018 draft, hitting more homers in the minors than his brother Josh?

Sorry, not him.

Last year, Myles Naylor was in Ottawa at Raymond Chabot Stadium for the initial Futures Showcase and in July went in the first round (39th overall) to the Oakland A’s?

Again, not this Naylor either.

Give up yet?

Now, that you have had a few guesses, we will give you the answer:

The No. 1 person to ever appear in the Canadian Futures is umpire Blaise Laveay?

Hold on a second ... an umpire?

You see Laveay (Kelowna, BC) wasn’t always the umpire that he recently was at the Rogers Centre (working six games -- two plate assignments, two at second, one at first and one at third). He caught for the Junior National Team when Canada won its first international and only World Junior gold in 1991 at Brandon, Man.

Not only did Laveay catch but he hit a home run off Team USA’s Kenny Henderson, a Georgia high schooler selected fifth overall in North America by the Milwaukee Brewers, to put Canada ahead on the way to the upset victory and paving the way for gold.

* * *

The aforementioned players were all ...

First rounders.

Either high school or collegiate studs.

Yet, none can claim winning gold for Canada with the Junior National Team.

Not former Ontario Blue Jays 1B Josh Naylor, brothers C Bo and INF Myles (Mississauga, Ont.), Terriers grad RHP Quantrill (Port Hope, Ont.), ex-Calgary PBF Redbirds RHP Soroka (Calgary, Alta.) or former Toronto Mets 2B Black (Stouffville, Ont.). All but Black were with the Junior National Team and competed internationally. Quantrill and Josh Naylor did win silver at the World Juniors in 2012.

* * *

Lest we forget ... LHP Andrew Albers (North Battleford, Sask.) C Chris Robinson (Dorchester, Ont.) and RHP Scott Richmond (North Vancouver, BC) were on both the 2011 gold-winning Canuck team at Lagos de Moreno, Mex. and the 2015 Pan Am Games gold-winning squad in Ajax, Ont. All three coached in the national high school showcase.

Also key parts of the 2011 win were C Cole Armstrong (Surrey, BC), RHP Dustin Molleken (Regina, Sask.) and 1B Jamie Romak (London, Ont.). They have all served as coaches at the Futures Showcase.

And on the 2015 championship roster were Jeff Francis (Delta, BC/London, Ont.) and INF Peter Orr (Newmarket, Ont.). Both coached at this year’s Futures Showcase.

So, that is a total of 11 golds among eight players, but there is only one man who took home a gold from 1991 and participated in this year’s event.

* * *

John Haar (Vancouver, BC), Canadian Hall of Famer, managed the 1991 team and Gary Picone (Trail, BC) was the pitching coach. Also on staff were Gord Leduchowski (Riverton, Man.) and Tony Flood (Mont Pearl, Nfld.). The guest coaches were Greg Hamilton (Peterborough, Ont.) and Ron Betts (Scarborough, Ont.)

Both Canada and Team USA had 5-1 records when the rivals met Aug. 1 at Westbran Stadium. Team USA went up 4-0 against mighty Joe Young (Fort McMurray, Alta.), who had pitched brilliantly against Cuba. On came Jason Dickson (Chatham, NB) who pitched 5 2/3 scoreless as Canada picked away at the lead.

We remember Picone and Haar telling us for a chapter in the Northern Game, how in the last exhibition game Dickson asked to be allowed to pitch. He had not impressed until the final game. He made the team and then kept Team USA on its haunches.

“Jason was a bulldog for us,” Laveay said.

On the mound for Team USA was Henderson, drafted fifth overall by the Brewers, Henderson didn’t sign and hoped to earn a gold. In his first outing against Chinese Taipei, he struck out 19 and his fastball was clocked at 97 mph.

Laveay hit the first pitch he saw from Henderson in the sixth over the left field fence for a two-run homer and a 5-4 lead. Second baseman Stubby Clapp (Windsor, Ont.) told us how Laveay circled the bases hooting at Henderson.

“Blaise was yelling ‘There goes your contract Kenny,’” said Clapp. “Both dugouts were yelling at each other. I thought we were going to brawl right there.”

Now remember this would be 25 years before Jose Bautista’s bat flip, but as the saying goes ‘watch international ball long enough and you will see something you have never seen before.’

“We were pumped for that game against the USA,” said Laveay in the umpire’s room at Rogers Centre. “Henderson was getting all the attention in the papers and on TV, because he had been such a high pick and he had all those strikeouts. I think he turned down half a million. It was a wild scene.

“Even our local paper made a big deal about him. The hype train was rolling. I remember when I got to the plate Jim Curtis (Windsor, Ont.) gave me the biggest bear hug. After that comeback against Team USA, we knew we didn’t have to bow down to anyone.”

Dickson won the game for Canada, according to Laveay.

“(Henderson) got me twice, jammed me, he had mowed me down pretty good,” he told the Leading Edge podcast. “It was almost embarrassing. I’m thought I’m not getting sawed off.

“I had some nice things to say (to him) about it. Emotions were high. It was a no doubter, I didn’t do a Bautista, but I saw it. I shook John Haar’s hand at third base but he was not happy with my comment. I got a tongue lashing from John after the game.”

Todd Betts (Scarborough, Ont.) hit a three-run homer in the eighth and Mark Fraser (Sudbury, Ont.) escaped a bases-loaded jam in the ninth for the 10-6 win.

Never in doubt ... to quote Hall of Fame broadcaster Dave Van Horne after a Montreal Expos’ nervy ninth.

* * *

The US had hot prospects like C A.J. Hinch, a second-round pick of the Chicago White Sox, Carlton Loewer a seventh rounder drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays, Ryan Kjos, a 30th rounder of the Minnesota Twins, Aaron Boone, a 43rd rounder selected by the California Angels, who were all 1991 drafts, plus C Ryan Luzinski, a first-rounder who went to the Los Angeles Dodgers and OF Brandon Pico, a fourth rounder by the Chicago Cubs in 1992. All but Luzinski made the majors.

Hinch hit .440, with 10 RBIs, while Pico batted .417 with 10 RBIs and five steals, while Boone batted .289, with nine RBIs, Loewer fanned 17 in 12 innings and Kjos won twice, striking out 22 in 20 innings.

Bob Boone and Greg Luzinski, both former Philadelphia Phillies, were there to see their sons play.

“What do I remember about the summer of 1991? We played in Brandon, Manitoba,” Aaron Boone, the Yankees manager said in September before his team played the Jays. “Nomar Garciaparra was supposed to be the shortstop, but he had a bad camp. We had some good players: Hinch, Loewer. Luzinski.

“Aren’t you going to ask me about the game against Canada?”

I was just going to ...

“Well, I don’t recall a thing,” said Boone with a knowing smile.

* * *

The St. Louis Cardinals gave Dimitri Young, an Oxnard, Calif. high schooler $385,000, who went fourth overall. The sixth pick, RHP John Burke of the Florida Gators, didn’t sign with the Houston Astros. The No. 7 overall OF Joe Vitiello of Alabama Crimson Tide signed by the Kansas City Royals for a $345,000 bonus.

Selecting 16th, the Blue Jays chose OF Shawn Green, a Tustin, Calif. high schooler and signed him off the Stanford campus for $725,000. He was eligible to sign because he went to campus but did not attend class.

As for Henderson, he went from being a first-round high schooler in 1991 to a second rounder selected by the Montreal Expos in 1994 from the Miami Hurricanes to a fifth-rounder in 1995 chosen by the San Diego Padres from Miami.

Henderson never made the majors appearing in 25 games in three seasons in the Padres system with rookie-class Arizona Padres, rookie-class Idaho Falls, class-A Clinton and class-A Rancho Cucamonga.

* * *

Just because Canada beat Team USA didn’t mean that the work was all done.

Next, Canada beat Nigeria 26-0.

After Australia upset Cuba, Canada was assured a spot in the gold medal game. So the final round-robin game against Chinese Taipei was a nothing game. Win and Canada would have a rematch against Team USA, lose and it would meet Taipei. Canada lost 9-7 despite a pair of singles and a double by Clapp.

* * *

Daniel Brabant started the gold medal game but quickly was behind 2-0. Brabant collapsed on the mound in the sixth inning and left after 5 2/3 innings, giving way to Jason Birmingham (Sarnia, Ont.).

Clapp walked, Jason Lee (Edmonton, Alta.) singled ahead of a two-run double by Betts and Kevin Collins (Nepean, Ont.) singled for a 3-2 lead. Troy Croft (St. John’s, Nfld.) homered in the eighth and Betts singled in a final run for the 5-2 lead as Birmingham pitched 3 1/3 scoreless for the win.

“We did something a Canadian team had never done before at the World Juniors -- and hasn’t been done since,” Haar said.

The US beat Australia 6-5 for bronze. The Americans scored 76 runs and allowed 23, while Canada scored 73 and gave up 23.

* * *

For the 1992 season, Laveay headed to the NBI Blues to play three more seasons for coach Haar, along with gold medal-winning teammates Betts and Dickson, as well as OF Aaron Guiel (North Vancouver, BC), OF Jeff Guiel (North Vancouver, BC), 3B Corey Koskie (Anola, Man.) and CF BJ Richardson (Windsor, Ont.). He played against the Toronto Blue Jays before sellout crowds in Winnipeg, Regina and Medicine Hat in the then annual NBI-Jays exhibitions which helped grow the game across the country.

After playing for the NBI, he headed out to sea to play for the University of Hawaii Rainbows. A knee injury in 1995 limited him to 14 games as he batted .182 (4-for-22) with one RBI in four starts. With his playing days over, Laveay didn’t pick up a fungo bat (“coaching wasn’t for me.”). And nine years ago, he put on the shin guards again -- as an umpire. To veteran umpires, it was shocking to see the high-strung Laveay sitting taking lessons from supervisors.

He became a Level V ump in 2022 and now he says: “My goal now is be the first to both play and umpire in a World championship.”.

At the age of 10, he won the Kamloops Jr. Oilers name the team contest with his 1984 submission of The Blazers. Laveay is now a law enforcement officer and quarterbacked his team twice in the World Police Fire Games in flag football.

* * *

Baseball Canada has now placed 11 names on its Wall of Excellence at its Orleans, Ont. headquarters ... in order:

RF Larry Walker (Maple Ridge, BC) and 1B Justin Morneau (New Westminster, BC).

1B Joey Votto (Etobicoke, Ont.), Ernie Whitt (from the Windsor suburb of Macomb, Mich.) and RHP Ryan Dempster (Gibsons, BC).

Jason Bay (Trail, BC) and Russell Martin (Montreal, Que.).

Jeff Francis (Delta, BC/London, Ont.) and Paul Quantrill (Port Hope, Ont.).

RP John Axford (Port Dover, Ont.) and LHP-OF Adam Loewen (Surrey, BC).

* * *

It was a remarkable thing. To look at the pictures of the umpires in the Futures program and see the name BLAISE LAVEAY -- a blast from the past, jump off the page of the program.

Some old goat was praising the accomplishments of Laveay and those 18 year-olds 32 summer ago as they won Canada’s first gold. Croft hit a home run in the gold medal game and it was caught by a fellow Newfoundlander.

On the flight into St. John’s the next night, Croft who attended Gonzaga High School and coach Flood from Mount Pearl High looked down to see the lights on their ball field. Each wondered who was winning.

The gold medalists walked into the airport and there were Croft’s Gonzaga Vikings teammates and Flood’s Mount Pearl Blazers clapping and cheering.

The man telling the story broke down in tears telling the story ... that’s what an impact the 1991 Junior National Team had and still has on some people after all these years.

From Laveay’s BC to Croft and Flood’s Newfoundland. From sea to shining sea.

The team was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in St. Marys in 1992. Waiting period? Heck no. It was our first gold.

* * *

We humbly suggest that Blaise Laveay be the next name to be honored on the Baseball Canada Wall of Excellence.

And after that we humbly suggest it is Baseball Canada’s CEO Jason (Bulldog) Dickson’s turn.

* * *

1991 World Cup

(At Brandon)

Round-robin play

Canada 10, The Netherlands 0

WP-Daniel Brabant

Canada 9, Australia 7

WP-Jason Birmingham. S-Mark Rodgers.

Hitting hero-Todd Betts, three hits, including a double

Cuba 3, Canada 2

(10 innings)

LP-Mike McKinlay.

* * *

Canada 5, Brazil 3

WP-Mark Fraser.

Hitting hero: Kevin Collins, three hits, with a double, an RBI and two stolen bases.

Canada 4, Mexico 1

Hitting hero: Collins double, three RBIs.

Canada 10, Italy 2

HR-Jim Curtis.

Hitting hero: Curtis had a two-run homemr and four RBIs.

* * *

Canada 10, Team USA 6

WP-Jason Dickson. S-Fraser.

HR-Betts, Laveay.

Canada 26, Nigera 0

WP-Collins.

Chinese Taepei 9, Canada 7

Gold medal

Canada 5, Chinese Chinese Taipei 2

WP-Birmingham

HR-Croft

Hitting heros

Jason Lee 4-for-5, Betts double, single, three RBIs.

Tournament hitting leaders

Collins 14 hits, four game-winning RBIs, 23 total bases.

World Cup All-stars

First Team

LF Todd Schell, INFs Todd Betts and Jason Lee.

Second team

Blaise Laveay