February 24, 2020

By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

Another nine innings, one frame at a time:

Singing our national anthem as he often has done at the Rogers Centre is Jeff Madden (Oakville, Ont.) who played Frankie Valli in the hit musical Jersey Boys.

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First inning: Coaches of Ontario teams never know what that kind of pitching they will see when they head south of the border.

No matter the age group, no matter the team, visitors could be facing a hard thrower -- the most velocity they’d ever seen -- an off speed guy or someone who mixes and matches four pitches.

“In 2005, we go to Oklahoma, Chase Anderson is pitching for Texas,” recalls Marc Picard. “He throws a first pitch curve ball. Then, he tries a second-pitch breaking ball. So, I’m, thinking ‘Oh, we’re going to face an off speed guy.’

“Next pitch was a 96MPH fastball. It was a long day.”

Anderson is now in his seventh year in the majors, now a member of the Toronto Blue Jays rotation.

The first time Picard’s team was invited to Merle Haggard’s home state was in 1997. Oklahoma organizers had seen them play well the year before when Picard’s group competed at Riverview Heights, Mo. outside of St. Louis.

So now for the 24th year, an Ontario team will compete this spring.

Tryouts for the two age groups can attend are:

_ At the Batter’s Box in London Saturday on March 7 from noon-til 5 pm.

_ At the Upper Deck facility in Brampton on March 28 6-to-10 pm.

_ And the finale will be at The Fieldhouse at Durham College in Oshawa from noon-to-6 pm om April 4.

Coaching the senior team will be Dean Dicenzo (Hamilton, Ont.), Brodie Jefferies (Sudbury, Ont.), Rick Johnston (Peterborough, Ont.) and Mike Lumley (London, Ont.).

Jordan Prosper (Oshawa, Ont.) and Scott Robinson (Pickering, Ont.) will coach the junior team. Picard will serve as GM for both teams.

The Oklahoma Sunbelt Classic originated in 1977 as an all-star series with games between Oklahoma and California.

The personal highlight for both Team Ontario coaches Danny Thompson (Niagara-on-The-Lake, Ont.) and Picard (Windsor, Ont.) was when RHP Matt Tosoni (Whitby, Ont.) and LHP David Davidson (Thorold, Ont.) threw back-to-back no hitters in 2002. Tosoni faced Arizona, while Davidson blanked Mississippi.

Tosoni was on his way to pitching four years for St. John’s in the Big East. He went 15-9 with a 3.33 ERA in 45 games -- making 25 starts. He waked 42 and struck out 116 in 200 2/3 innings. In 2008, he pitched independent ball for the Ottawa Rapids of the Canadian American Association.

Selected in the 10th round by the Pirates, Davidson made all the stops: rookie-class Gulf Coast, class-A Hickory, class-A Williamsport, class-A Lynchburg, double-A Altoona, triple-A Indianapolis before making his debut with a scoreless inning for the Pirates against the St. Louis Cardinals. Two years later he pitched with the Florida Marlins. In all, he pitched eight seasons in the minors -- as well as stops at triple-A New Orleans and the Edmonton Capitals in the independent North American League. Combined he was 18-16 with a 4.20 ERA and four saves with 374 strikeouts in 353 2/2 innings, while walking 157.

Big wins over the years include:

_ INF Hyung Cho (Toronto, Ont.) hitting a walk off drive down the left field line in bottom of seventh and final inning to edge down Texas 3-2.

_ LHP Scott (Baby Face) Diamond (Guelph, Ont.) pitching a complete-game shutout allowing two hits in a win against Arizona in 2004.

_ 1B Nick Weglarz (Stevensville, Ont.) saw his stock rise at the tourney. He committed to Oklahoma State University, but the Cleveland Indians drafted him in the third round, so he never landed on campus.

_ The 1999 tourney was memorable as it rained for three-straight days. On Day 4 the team had to play four straight games. Thompson awoke that morning and said to Picard, “Nice day to win four!” They won the opener with a 2-1 decision over California then lost three in a row.

The Team Ontario grad who showed the best long term, went on to pitch at the University of Notre Dame and Canisius College was John Axford (Port Dover, Ont.) and then he had a 10-year major league career with the Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland A’s, Colorado Rockies, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Cleveland Indians and Toronto Blue Jays. He is still auditioning for teams this spring.

Axford owns a 38-34 career record with a 3.87 ERA, while registering 144 career saves. He has walked 260 and struck out 589 in 515 1/3 innings.

Some of the best players the coaches ever saw -- of the 200 who went on the majors -- were future big leaguers OF Jeff Francoeur (playing for Georgia and then the Atlanta Braves), LHP Randy Johnson (California/Mariners), C Buster Posey (Georgia/San Francisco Giants), OF Johnny Damon (Florida/Royals), OF J.D. Drew (Florida/Cardinals), OF Tim Drew (Florida/Indians), C Brian McCann (Georgia/Braves), RHP Sonny Gray (Tennessee/A’s and Reds), C Mickey Tettleton (Oklahoma/A’s) and OF Byron Buxton (Georgia/Twins).

As well Kevin Bass (went on to play for the Astros), Buddy Biancalana (Royals), Al Davis (Mariners), Eric Plunk (A’s), Mike Moore (A’s), John Russell (Phillies) and Phil Stephenson (Cubs).

Coach Jeff Sharpe recalls a game against Georgia where the coach brought in the centre fielder -- without any warm ups. Buxton was clocked 96-97 MPH.

Sharpe recalls Georgia’s Matt Capps -- who later played for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Washington Nationals and Minnesota Twins -- hitting a home run in the championship final taking a misstep at third and breaking his leg.

And then there was the year SS Jeff Cowan (Toronto, Ont.) didn’t like the chirping and hooting from the Oklahoma dugout. He fielded the between-inning ground ball behind second and fired the ball into the opposing dugout.

End of discussion.

***

Second: One scout’s dream rotation to face the Houston Astros and put an end to the sign stealing garbage can beating?

An in their prime rotation of Randy Johnson, Nolan Ryan, Roger Clemens, Don Drysdale and Bruce Kison.

***

Third: I spoke to one former Blue Jays reliever who said he would be good for two pitches?

Because of your age?

“No, I might miss the first guy with the first pitch, but I’d get him with the second ... and then get tossed.”

***

Fourth: The Blue Jays played the Minnesota Twins to a 5-5 tie on Sunday. Ties used to be rare in the spring unless the game went 11 or 12 innings.

We recall a game in Port Charlotte when the Jays played the Texas Rangers to an 11-inning tie. It was not a big deal in the Toronto clubhouse. However, down the right field line Texas manager Bobby Valentine said, “Toronto didn’t bring enough pitchers because they were afraid to play us.”

We rushed downstairs to an empty visiting clubhouse, but found manager Jimy Williams getting into his car for the ride back to Dunedin.

“No time,” said Williams.

“Ah ... You might want to hear this,” I said.

I read Williams the quote from Valentine and it was one of only two occasions I ever heard Williams loose his temper and knock another manager. (The other was when AL manager John McNamara pitched Tom Henke 2 2/3 innings -- facing 10 hitters -- in the 1987 all-star game. At the time the Jays were three games back of the first-place Yankees.)

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Fifth: Following in his father’s footsteps this spring will be Ben Shulman (Thornill, Ont.), the son of Jays broadcaster and former sportscaster of the year south of the border Dan Shulman.

Each spring The Fan offers their minor league play-by-play guys a chance to come to Florida and do two or three radio games midweek, the ones that stream online. Ben will work two games.

***

Sixth: The line on Max Hewitt (Midhurst, Ont.) from Friday’s Oklahoma State Cowboys 11-9 victory against UT Rio Grande Valley was: three hits, three RBIs and 10 autographs for children at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium in Stillwater, Oak.

When coach Josh Holliday went looking for an everyday catcher, he turned to the former Ontario Blue Jay infielder in his third season since transferring from Connors State.

Through the first six games of the spring he is hitting .609 with two doubles, a triple and six RBIs, as well as a 1.413 OPS.

***

Seventh: You watched Anthony Alford last season and you wondered if maybe he had bumped into GM Ross Atkins’ car backing out of the players’ parking lot last spring. There were so many opportunities for him to be used and he was not.

Then, you watch him steal second, third and home on the same trip and you wonder why there is not room for him on this year’s 26-man roster.

***

Eighth: Deepest sympathies to Los Angeles columnist Mark Whicker, North America’s master of wit, who lost his mother. Whicker was respected on both sides of the border, from coast to coast, as a general columnist who could cover baseball, boxing, the Olympics and everything in between.

Whicker posted on Facebook: “Alice Whicker Southern passed within 51 days of her 100th birthday. Rex, Brenda, Robyn, Philip and I are thankful that she had a full and righteous life and that she did not suffer unduly at the end. We will celebrate her life on March 14 in Shelby NC.”

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Ninth: Believe it or not there are a set of twins playing for the Mississauga Southwest Twins minor bantams this season: Jake and Luke Heinbuch.

If the name rings a baseball bell it should. Their father Jeff Heinbuch played for the Queen’s Golden Gaels and the Toronto Maple Leafs with Mississauga Southwest head coach Mike Irving. Jeff played parts of three seasons with the Maple Leafs (1996-98) hitting .251 with two doubles, eight RBIs and two stolen bases in 41 games.

Their twins grandpa Court Heinbuch pitched for the Kitchener Panthers from 1961-72 (missing 1963) during the club’s golden era with Tommy McKenzine, Harry Psutka, Bruce Klaehn, Gary Ebel, Paul Knight and Bob McKillop,

In 103 appearances, he had 44-30 won-loss record; with 2.83 ERA, walking 192 and striking out 525 in 623 1/2 innings. He was a Second Team All-Star lefty in 1966 and 1967. It was difficult to make the First Team because Canadian Baseball Hall of Famer Ron Stead was a lock most seasons.

As well he pitched for Team Ontario at 1969 Canada Games in Halifax and 1970 Canadian championships in Brandon, Man.