Hall leaving Roughriders for Southeastern Louisiana Lions
May 8, 2023
By Bob Elliott
Canadian Baseball Network
We’re not 100 per cent sure on the year this happened, but we remember it happening like it was last week.
The late Harold Ballard was either buying the Hamilton Tigers-Cats (in 1978) or selling them (1989).
The nine-team Canadian Football League had two teams with the same nickname which my friends from south of the border thought was hilarious. There was -- and still are -- the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Ottawa Rough Riders, who ceased to exist and returned as the Ottawa Red Blacks.
During either the purchase or sale of the Tiger-Cats, being sold at $1 CDN (plus debt) Hall of Fame ball writer Rick Hummel phoned from St. Louis.
“I want to buy the team,” Hummel told me in an exclusive interview, “and I am going to re-name the team the Roughest Riders.”
Speaking of Roughriders ... OF Jude Hall of the Yavapai Roughriders has committed to play for the Southeastern Louisiana University Lions this fall.
Hall, (Chilliwack BC) a Langley Blaze product, has had a spring to remember. Hall hit .324 with 48 hits, 11 doubles, eight triples (to led the team), eight homers, 33 RBIs, 39 walks (led the team), 30 stolen bases (led the team) and scored 49 runs (led the team).
In 49 games he had an on-base mark of .472 (led the team) and slugged .669 for a 1.151 OPS. In the conference, he was tied for first in walks, second in triples and slugging; tied for third in homers and runs scored, was fourth in stolen bases and eighth in on-base.
All of that earned him Second Team All-Conference honours in the ACCAC.
LF Blake Jacklin (St. Jacobs, Ont.) hit .339 with 36 runs scored, 56 hits, 12 doubles, two triples, six homers, 32 RBIs, 35 walks, 12 stolen bases, an OBP% of .455, and SLG% of .545. He earned First Team honours and is a Great Lake Canadians grad.