Notes From The Nat

This is the second time I’ve written this post. The first time, as I was about to hit ’submit’, the entire post just vanished. It’s not as if I accidentally deleted everything or hit the wrong button, I was just reading it over to check for errors and (bink!) it was gone.

Weirdest GD thing I’ve ever seen since I started the blog, and it happened while I was writing about ghosts, no less.

So here’s what I was trying to write:

I was just over on Athletics Nation, and saw a link to a press release about a book called Haunted Baseball. It’s essentially a book about all the ghost stories to do with ballparks, players, etc etc. And it looks outstanding.

A sample:

Sox centerfielder Coco Crisp tells a story about a haunted elevator inthe Westin St Francis hotel in San Francisco, visiting team hotel ofthe Oakland A’s. Crisp recounts an eerie ride up to his room that lefthim sleepless that night. His teammate at the time with the ClevelandIndians, C.C. Sabathia, thought a ghost entered the elevator while hewas on it and got off on the 17th floor. Veteran teammate and formerSox outfielder, Ellis Burks, swears a ghostly woman walked by him.Burks asked to change rooms.

Legendary Cubs manager Charlie Grimm is said to still call the bullpenat Wrigley Field late at night. Merchandise workers at Dodger Stadiumclaim to have seen a ghost meandering on the diamond after games. PetcoPark is rumored to have poltergeists that keep the overnight cleaningcrew on edge. There have also been Babe Ruth sightings on a storiedballfield in St Pete. All-Star second baseman Michael Young describes ahaunted room in Shreveport. Johnny Damon shares a fun story about beingpinned down by a ghost.

Michael Young: "My roommate wakes me up in the middle of the night andsays he saw a ghost above him. He was freaking out. So I got a big globof toothpaste and put a big cross on the door and I told him, ‘Is thisgood enough for you? ‘Cause I’m going back to sleep.’"

Hilarious. Although I do wonder if the ghost holding Johnny Damon down might have been waiting for another ghost to put the boot in, but I digress.

Now, all this talk of ghosts got me thinking about Nat Bailey Stadium’s own ghost stories - and there are plenty. From staff on their way out the door, thinking they’re the last ones left in the stadium at night, seeing people walking along the top row of the bleachers, to folks in the press box, when the stadium lights are all off and it’s late late at night, seeing players walking around in the outfield, anyone who has been at the stadium for a long time  (especially late at night) has had an encounter or two. 

There’s the media relations guy from several years ago who told me he once came face to face with a player under the stands, nearly walking right into him late at night, which elicited a polite ‘excuse me’ from the player in question.

As the two passed, the Media Guy thought to himself, "Hey, who was that? All the players went home hours ago…", and turned around to ask, only for there to be nobody there.
 

Then there’s the clubby from 2004, sleeping in the home locker room to save on rent and get an early start each day, who would hear cleats walking around outside in the dugout at 2AM, along with the tap-tap-tap of a bat being tested on the concrete. Upon investigation, he’d find nobody out there, but would hear more noises coming from the clubhouse he just walked out of.

There are a load more stories, of course, as there always will be when a place like The Nat stands for as long as it has. Hell, beerhawker Rob McGowan haunts Nat Bailey Stadium to this day, and he’s still alive!

Got your own Nat Bailey Stadium ghost story? Tell it in the comments below.

The Canadians were the 6th NWL team to release their 2008 schedule, and they will open the season at home once again.  Their 9th season as a member of the Northwest League features an eight-game road-trip through Everett and Spokane, a six-game bus trip through Oregon against the Emeralds and Volcanoes, as well as an eight-game stay at home vs Salem and Boise.

Game times were not released, because as the release said, "as we finalize a few details from a promotional standpoint".  The "upsetting" thing is that the C’s will close the season on the road.  But if they make the playoffs that won’t end up mattering.

If you want to read the schedule in my view, keep reading, otherwise head to the C’s visual representation of what 2008 will look like.

The boys of summer will kick off 2008 at home, for the fifth straight season.  Tri-City is back for the opening homestand, and that series will run from the 17th (Tuesday) through the 21st of June.  There is a Wednesday and Friday in that ’stand, so if last year’s schedule was any indication there should be two Nooners to open up 2008.

The first road trip takes place on the 22nd of June, finishing out on the 26th.  Vancouver will be in Yakima.

Returning for a six-game stay at home against divisional rivals Eugene and Everett, the C’s will entertain the Vancouver faithful from the 27th of June, all the way through until the 2nd of July.  That’s right fans, the Canadians are going to be at home on Canada Day.

Boise will host Vancouver during between the 3rd and 7th of July, before an off-day keeps the C’s from hosting the Spokane Indians.

The Injuns will be in town from the 9th, until the 13th before Vancouver embarks on a six-day road trip.  This half-a-dozen day bus trip will be to Oregon, where Vancouver will battle Salem-Keizer and Eugene, respectively.

Yakima visits the Nat on the 20th of July, and departs Canada after the 24th.  Vancouver will then play their sixth Eastern Division series of the year on the road against Tri-City.  This series, stretching from the 25th of July, through the 29th, will be the final meeting between the two teams.

An off-day on July 30th forces the dirty Volcanoes to enter town a day later, rounding out the month of July.  Salem leaves on the 2nd of August, before Vancouver goes away for their longest stint of the season.  The eight-game trip will take them through Everett and Spokane, before they come home on the 11th.

They won’t play at home until the 12th, against Salem to start their longest home-stand of the year.  The Volcanoes won’t leave until the 14th, and Boise will come-and-go between the 15th and 19th.  Playing Eugene on the road in late-August is never easy, but Vancouver will have to face the Emeralds before bringing home the Aquasox, making their final appearance at Nat Bailey of the season.

The Aquasox home-stand marks the beginning of a home-and-home between the two clubs.  Vancouver will be in Everett on Tuesday the 26th, and will leave on Thursday the 28th, before meeting the Emeralds one more time.  Eugene is in Vancouver to close out the home portion of the season, on the Labour Day long-weekend.

Vancouver wraps up the season in Salem, on September the 3rd.  Check back soon for the promotional aspects of the schedule, as well as game times.
 

So yesterday, out went a press notice from the Vancouver Canadians media office, announcing that the following day, the team would be ‘recreating’ Jeff Francis’ UBC Thunderbirds locker at Nat Bailey Stadium. The media, if they so desired, could come and take pictures.

Now, for the layman, that sounds about as exciting as watching the Minnesota Wild do defensive drills. It sounds as entertaining as watching Ben Mulroney talking about himself. It sounds as thrilling as a jumping castle with a slow leak.

But that’s why you’re the layman and Rob Fai is a media darling.

See, if you cover sport in Vancouver on a day like today, what are you going to do for a story? The Canucks aren’t playing, the Lions aren’t playing, there’s no ballgame, no NFL… it’s a dead day.

And when you’re sitting there scratching your head, dying for something - anything - to take a camera to, so as to keep the boss off your ass, well a nice little photo op, complete with a few of Jeff Francis’ old teammates for quotes, well, that’s just manna from heaven.

And they did flock. 14 separate media outlets in all jammed into the long emptied Vancouver Canadians/UBC clubhouse to take pictures of a shirt. That’s basically every media outlet in the city; radio, TV and print.

I tell you no lie, tonight as the missus was getting ready to watch her Coronation Street, she flicked through the stations, and on three of them, all at the same time, there was the C’s clubhouse, bold as brass.

Now, to be sure, there will be no tickets sold this day as a result of the morass of media. Things just don’t work out that way, and that’s why the old ownership couldn’t get the press office staff off the payroll quickly enough at the end of each season, but what they didn’t get way back then (and what most sporting organizations don’t get, to be honest) is that marketing isn’t about selling a ticket today.

It’s about building a brand. It’s about building awareness, and reminding the press that The Nat exists, and, "Yes, it DOES look wonderful now that it’s been all painted, doesn’t it? Here, have a beer and a media guide."

It’s about getting people watching TV to remember there’s a ballpark in Vancouver, and a ballteam to go with it. It’s about getting people to UBC baseball games when their season begins. It’s about making sure people are watching Jeff Francis throw in the World Series on Wednesday night, and thinking, "He’s a local kid. Wonder what other local kids we might have missed at The Nat this season?"

When Coca-Cola puts up a billboard, they know it won’t sell one single bottle of pop. Nobody will look at that sign and think "must buy a Coke right now" - ever. But if they put up enough of them, and keep the brand in your face, when you feel thirsty, what are you going to pick up?

Rob Fai, and the Vancouver Canadians management and ownership team, understand this concept, and they are playing it brilliantly.

And maybe, just maybe, if more Canadian sporting organizations played for the long term, instead of the short, we might have fewer articles like this one in circulation:

Once, near the beginning of the current century, there were sixprofessional baseball teams in Canada at the triple-A level or higher,as of Opening Day 2008 there will be just one. We all know whathappened to Les Expos de Montr?al, who bolted French-speakingCanada after the 2004 season to become the Washington Nationals. Butdid you know that Canada has also lost four high-level minor leaguefranchises? The triple-A Vancouver Canadians, Edmonton Trappers,Calgary Cannons and Ottawa Lynx have all left Canada for the UnitedStates in the last 15 years.

It left me wondering, while thepro ranks have diminished, what is the state of the game itself up inCanada? Do they even still play it up there? Or is the country sohockey mad that they a) haven’t really noticed that all the probaseball teams have gone south and b) don’t play much baseball on theyouth level any more?

It’s a great article. But it’s sad that it should ever have to be written. 

Busy times for the C’s, even though there’s nary a ball being pitched at The Nat at the moment.

The annual UBC Alumni vs UBC Thunderbirds ballgame was canceled on the weekend after the deluge that pounded the city made the outfield look like BizarroWorld’s version of California, but that was the sole piece of poor news for the C’s this week.

Our own team historian, Bud Kerr [seen above], was given an award last Thursday at the Vancouver Museum that has been a long time coming; a Heritage Vancouver Lifetime Membership, recognizing his contribution to preserving the history of Vancouver baseball.

According to The Sun, "To avoid having to sneak into Athletic Park as a kid in the 1940s, Kerr volunteered to be a scorekeeper with the Capilanos" - that’s a pretty tiny summary for a guy who has been involved with the game in this city as a player, staffer, fan, archivist and promoter for so long he can take you to the spot on 5th Ave where Vancouver’s long lost Athletic Park stood back in 1913 - the same spot he used to scale the fence to watch games.

C’s owners Jake Kerr and Jeff Mooney have taken a personal interest in ensuring that Bud gets the appreciation he deserves, and have not only announced they’ll be building a museum in his name at Nat Bailey Stadium, but they’re also actively assisting him in his latest campaign; to get plaques placed at the location of each of Vancouver’s old ballparks (Considering how everything made of brass seems to get stolen by scrap metal thieves these days, might I suggest they consider plastic as an option?).

While we’re on the history front, the C’s will gather several UBC baseball alumni together in the Vancouver Canadians clubhouse to recreate Jeff Francis’ old locker, from back when he played at The Nat as a UBC Thunderbird.

Francis’ old coach, Terry McKaig, won’t be there for the ceremony, as he’s on his way to Boston to watch Francis pitch in the World Series on Wednesday (and will apparently be writing about it in the Vancouver Sun), but Brooks McNiven, Derran Watts, Brent Mutis and Cavanaugh Whiteley will be there to recount stories of ‘Frank and Beans’.

Also on Francis, according to The Sun, if you’re near UBC or Delta, you might want to stop in at a pub on Wednesday:

Mahony & Sons Public House, a UBC-based sports bar, has "a bigparty" planned for Francis on Wednesday, according to owner/managerChris Mahony.

"We’re expecting pretty close to 100 people," saysMahony. "Some of Jeff’s former UBC teammates will be there, but it’s abig party for all UBC athletes. We’ve got a lot of big-screen TVs inthe bar and everybody will be watching Jeff pitch in the game. I’m sureit’s going to be a fun time."

The recently opened bar is at 5990 University Blvd., opposite UBC’s War Memorial Gym.

TheDelta Lion Pub will also host a gathering of Francis fans on Wednesday.The pub is at 11186, 84th Ave., and is close to the Francis family home.

"Jeff’smom and dad come in here to watch most of his games," saysowner/manager Mike Mahony, who is Chris Mahony’s brother. "It’s like aWorld Series game every time Jeff’s on the mound, so Wednesday’s gameis going to be special. We’re expecting a pretty big crowd, including alot of Jeff’s friends and young baseball players in this area. They’reall Jeff Francis fans."

Good times.

Two days ago (October 17th), was the day marking another 8 months until the start of the NWL 2008 season.  We can tell you for sure that the Everett Aquasox will be in Spokane from the 17th of June through the 21st.  How do we know this?  The Spokane Indians have released their tentative 2008 schedule on their website.

Because one team has released it, I wouldn’t say this theory is correct but if you go to that link, it’ll show you when a 5-game series will take place, compared to a three game series.  The Indians open the year with those five games against Everett, before playing another five games against Eugene, in the ‘Emerald’ city.

Meaning for Canadians fans, the C’s will be at home five times between June 17th and June 26th.  This follows with a few three-game sets, etc.

Now, the Indians site does mention when they battle the C’s.

Spokane marches into Nat Bailey Stadium from the 9th of July, through the 13th.  The C’s take on the Indians in Spokane starting the 6th of August, and ending on the 10th of August.

The NWL season will end two days earlier than it did in 2007, on September 3rd.  For those of us who have to go to start school on the 4th and 5th, this is awesome because we can see the C’s finish out the year.  Expect more clubs to release their schedules soon, including the C’s, so stay tuned if you’re one of those people that ‘has to’ plan their summer around the Canadians (don’t we all).

So it’s October right?  The rain is pouring, the wind is (supposted to) be howling, and the night sky has arrived.  Four months ago tomorrow, will mark the day the C’s opened the 2007 season, full of high hopes and expectations.  It was a month and a half ago (around) today they finished the season, falling behind Salem-Keizer who once again finished first after tearing up the league.

Back to the original point.  Unless you’re a huge Boston Red Sox or Cleveland Indians fan, you won’t be having a baseball fix until the 24th when the World Series will begin.  Imagine my surprise to find another ‘amazing’ link to a Rob Fai masterpiece on the Canadians website tonight.  It’s not even funny how much this team has turned around their media department since Fai joined the ship May 15th.

First there he was at Fanfest ‘interviewing’ fans about their expectations for the season, and Nat Bailey in general.  Then, he spent 26 games broadcasting the Canadians on the Metro Vancouver airways.  When his two interns were away, he was bringing up all the food to the press box, and did a great job (as did his interns when they were around). 

All in all, he’s done a great job for the Canadians.  24 Hours covered this team for goodness sake!  On their website, he posted a newsletter this month, and has given out audio links each month explaining upcoming promotions etc. and even has made one this off-season! 

Tonight he gave an update on Corey Brown (which can also be found in the between the lines newsletter), Mike Richard, Julio Rivera and big #7 Dan Hamblin.  He also hinted about the new schedule, and that some of the new promotions and events of next season will be firsts at Nat Bailey. 

I think the best thing to come out of all of this is that there is an effort going on.  I can’t remember one season before this that the website was frequently updated.  Maybe it was in 2001 when Fai was with the C’s as Media Relations Director.  Anyways, this is exceptional, and especially in the off-season.  Canadians baseball is back folks, and purchase your tickets for the ‘08 season now because I have a feeling the next season will be one to remember.
 

(Picture Caption: Former Infielder Tyler Hughes will probably be at Nat Bailey on Saturday afternoon)

Go around the Lower Mainland, and ask a bunch of people who their favourite Canadian baseball team is, and the Toronto Blue Jays’ name will pop up more than often.  Occasionally you’ll hear, "Are the Montreal Expos still around", or even a "How are the Medicine Hat Jays doing these days?".  Even more rarely than that, the Vancouver Canadians name will come into the conversation.  

Never, have I heard mention of the UBC Thunderbirds Baseball team, other than at a T-Birds game at Nat Bailey Stadium.  The T-Birds have produced numerous pro ball players, most notably Brooks McNiven, who played at Nat Bailey in July 2003 as a member of the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, and some no-name Jeff Francis. 

There have been a few T-Birds alumni that have made the minors but have since been cut.  Those players are Connor Janes (who played for the Yakima Bears), Cory Stuart (who reached the Yankees AAA team before getting cut this season), Derran Watts (the first UBC baseball player to be drafted), Mark Zamojc who played in the Florida State League with the Minnesota Twins in 2005, and Jeff Brewer, a Mets farm-hand that got cut after reaching the Kingsport Mets in 2004.  He had a brief stint in the Northern League with the Calgary Vipers.

There is also Joe Forest, who was a NDFA of the Philadelphia Phillies.  Forest signed in April, and in his first pro year, he was 4-1 with a 3.56 ERA against the rest of his rookie-ball competition in 30 innings.  He hasn’t been cut as of October 17th.

Back to the team itself.  The annual alumni game takes place this Saturday at the Nat.  Of course, Jeff Francis won’t make it back, but C’s webcaller Brent Mutis, Hitting Coach Cav Whitely and other alumnists will be there.   Last year, there were so many turn-ups they had to make three teams.  The game goes at  1 or 2 pm, following a UBC intrasquad game.   This is one of your first chances to see this year’s team, and it should be a good one.  Back to the alums, fan favourite Johnny Yiu and Cory Stuart will probably make the haul to the Nat, as will Brooks McNiven.

I mentioned a guy named Jeff Francis earlier, and he’ll be pitching Game 1 of the World Series for the Colorado Rockies next week.  More on him closer to the start of the series. 

KEOUGH FINDING FORM IN INSTRUCTS:
Oakland A’s Instructionals are underway, which means the best of the class of 2007 (and beyond) are in a field in Arizona being told to shift their feet and raise their elbows.

Scout.com has an interview with Oakland Farm Director Keith Lieppman, in which he says Shane Keough is showing some strong improvement in his first few days of camp.

Keith Lieppman: It?s hard to pinpointsomeone specifically because they don?t keep a whole lot of stats. Wekeep some records of it, but nothing to specific. In terms of someindividual performances, Shane Keoughis having a pretty good Instructional League. He is starting to makebetter contact and looks to be using his speed tool a little bit betterin terms of stealing bases. He is kind of getting some of the roughedges off.

OC: With Keough, do you think his struggles this season were a result of coming back from his back injury last season?

KP: No, I think with him it was just that he hadn?t played verymuch baseball in high school. He?s just somebody who hasn?t had thatmuch experience out there on the field. I think it is just a matter ofgetting the repetitions and being out there. The talent is there. Ijust think he?s just a little bit behind because he got a little bit ofan opportunity at the JC level, but prior to that, he hadn?t playedmuch.

Lieppman went on to name early 2007 C’s first baseman Sean Doolittle as someone who is mashing, and will likely move through the system fast, while 2006-7 C’s outfielder Matt Sulentic is also having a good time of things and will likely not only get back to Kane County next year, but will "definitely" stay in the outfield.

HEAVY HITTERS HURT:
Uptown Corey Brown’s injury has stopped him from getting to Instructionals, and now Amblin’ Danny Hamblin, the other half of Vancouver’s 2007 power duo, has had to pull out after injuring a groin. Also ailing is Josh Horton; The Hornet having injured his hand to the point where he can’t wear a glove, although he’s still able to swing a bat and is doing just that.

Meanwhile, Craig Italiano, who was drilled in the head with a line drive this season, seems like he’s fit and ready for action, having pitched a couple of simulated outings. You always wonder, when a kid takes a shot like that, whether he’ll be gun shy in future, so it’s good to hear about his progress.

In other injury-related news, 2004 NWL MVP and Vancouver Canadians center fielder, Javier Herrera, has been cleared to play Venezuelan Winter Ball with Caracas after two seasons riddled with injury (and suspension).

More suspicious people than I might look at Herrera’s steroid suspension two years back, and his subsequent inability to stay healthy since, and think the two might be related…

Lieppman also makes note that chronically injured 2004 C’s catcher (and 1st round draftee) Landon Powell is likely to have further troubles with his knees in the future, saying, "the chance of reoccurrence is probably great", and, even more interestingly, that the likelihood of a move to another position is not strong. "His catching skills make him what he is," says Lieppman, adding, "He?s aswitch-hitter with power and the whole thing, but with his greatreceiving skills and his throwing, there are really no other places forhim right now."

So you’ve got a guy with bad knees, who will have more knee problems, but isn’t worth shifting to another spot, so they’re going to keep him in the one place that is hardest on a guy’s knees and just see if he can luck it out? Wow - I’m not sure I’d want to be buying Landon Powell futures right now.

That said, Powell can mash. I know nobody likes to spend too much time on a DH-only guy in the minors (a la Jack Cust), since that’s the spot you’d normally put your washed up veterans, but surely it would make more sense to have Powell lose some weight and then actively push him towards first base - or even (I can’t believe I’m saying this) - third? He certainly has the throwing arm for it, and though he’d be a defensive liability, he’d be a defensive liability who could poke 30 dingers for you, from either side of the plate.

Hit the link below for more news. 

This week several former Vancouver Canadians were released by the Oakland A’s, and they’re only the first batch of the former A’s hopeful.  There weren’t many surprises, and one NFTN told you about the day after he was released, but then again there are a surprise or two.

The first player was 2002/2003 Canadian Lloyd Turner (left) who played a variety of positions with the C’s, including 2B, 3B and the OF.  Turner was drafted out of Kennesaw in 2002 when he hit .344 with an OPS of 954 and 8 homeruns, a dinger total he’d never match until 2006 with Midland.  Turner batted .256 in his first year as a Canadian but in 2003 under Dennis Rogers’ reign, he hit .301 before getting moved up to Modesto.

He stayed with the - then - Modesto A’s until the 2005 season when he joined Stockton, a team whom he would spend the last 3 years of his career.  He would also play in Midland for a combined 148 in ‘05-’06, and a short time in Stockton this season where he hit .203 in just under 40 games.  This year he struggled in the California league as well, hitting a disappointing .230. 

After six years with the A’s, Turner gave them a bunch of playing time and unfortunately had to be cut.

The next player was Don Sutton III, who missed all of this year with a Shoulder Injury.  Scroll down the page, and you’ll find Oz’ take on his release.

Sammy Hernandez, a versatile infielder from 2006 was also let go, after being injured for the later part of 2007.  Hernandez only played in 31 games for the Kane County Cougars, after being called up from Extended Spring Training in early-June, before injuring himself in late-July.  Hernandez may not have been the most skilled guy on the field - his best average in a season was .221 with the Cougars and his combined average since coming to the states in 2005 with Arizona is a very low .216 - but he did have leadership with the Dominican guys, and his presence will be missed next season.

Two players who only had short stints in Vancouver were also told to pack their bags, Javier James and Angel Corporan.  James was an OF who came to Vancouver before guys like Justin Friend and Travis Banwart landed, but he never appeared in a game thanks to an undisclosed injury (or so it seems), leaving before the first home-stand was complete.  He ended up hitting .187 in 29 games for the Arizona A’s, .1 worse than his 2006 average of .188. 

Corporan was 1-4 in his lone game as a Canadian, and didn’t look too bad out there.  He played just two days after his NWL debut in the AZL, only to go 0-3 and not return to action thanks to an injury.  Corporan’s last game was on June 23rd, three and a half months before he was released.

Carlos Morales never played for the Canadians but over the last few years he seemed to be a candidate for a late-August call-up.  Morales hit .256 this season, which is an average most AZLers will take.  The OF/1B had 7 home-runs in 136 games as an Athletic.

RHP Brad Sullivan was also released.

INSTRUCTS/WINTER LEAGUE UPDATE:

Thanks to a couple of different sources, we’re able to provide you on some updates from the Instructional League. 

1B Dan Hamblin went down early with a groin injury and will probably miss the rest of the season. 

SS Josh Horton picked up an injury preventing him from fielding, but he is able to swing.  Hopefully he’s gotten a few dingers out already. 

Now an update from the Hawaii Baseball League:

Former Canadians SS Justin Sellers (left) and OF Jermaine Mitchell are playing for the Waikiki BeachBoys - alongside Jared Lansford another A’s prospect - and both are doing well.

Sellers, in three games, has two hits (both of which are from October 3rd), in 11 at-bats.  He has a double, 3 RBI and three runs scored.  He’s been walked twice and has stolen a base.  His average stands at .182 but in three games that means nothing.

Mitchell on the other hand, is doing exceptional.  He’s batting .500 in 4 games, going 7-14 with a triple and an RBI.  He’s been walked three times and has struck out in six of his seven at-bats that have resulted in outs.  His OPS stands at 1.231, and his slugging percentage and OBP are all over .580.

Their teammate Lansford has pitched twice, both starts, for 4.2 innings.  He hasn’t had a decision yet, but his ERA stands at an OK 3.86, and opponents are hitting just over .385 against the Livermore California native.  The soon-to-be 21-year-old pitched only once for Stockton this year because of an injury, and that was way back in April.

They say charity begins at home, but when someone is homeless, where else does charity begin?

Apparently, the Vancouver Canadians front office.

The C’s are donating 100 holiday turkeys through the Salvation Army, with the assistance of Safeway Supermarkets and a bunch of front office staff, to families in need across the lower mainland. The plan is to make this an annual event.

C’s co-owner Jeff Mooney is one of the catalysts behind this move - and what a nice change it is to go from an ownership group that couldn’t afford to patch the players’ pants, to one that will fork out over a grand to feed people that, in all likelihood, will never be able to afford a ticket to a ballgame.

Hey, here’s an idea, C’s - throw a pair of general admission tickets in with each of those turkeys, and feed the eyes, as well the belly!

The handover will take place at the Salvation Army Family Center at Broadway and Fraser on Thursday at 1pm. If you’re in the area, go give the C’s management, owners and staff a pat on the back for putting your ticket money to good use.

UPDATE:
Well, the turkey handover was a huge success - not just for those who’ll be eating well this Thanksgiving as a result of the charity of the C’s, Safeway and the Sally Army, but also from a PR perspective for the team.

You know, I’m surprised more organizations don’t understand just how much they can benefit out of charity giving. Imagine how much positive publicity would come if TD Canada Trust decided to pump $5m into subsidizing low income housing, or if White Spot had a ’show us your welfare check and eat free’ day. If this much press will show up for a hundred turkeys from a baseball team, how many would turn out if Westjet gave 100 low income families free plane tickets to go see their family this Christmas?

Sure, it’s nice to give for the sake of giving. But it doesn’t hurt that, at the other end of it all, you get what you spend back times ten in free publicity. And here’s the proof:

That’d be C’s co-owner Jeff Mooney in the middle, with George Evans of the Salvation Army on his right, and Scott Gibney of Safeway on his left.

Here’s a contender for the Least Unexepected News Item of 2007; Don Sutton III, who we have at various times nicknamed The Angry Guy (2004) and Sugarplum (2006), was cut by the A’s yesterday.

Sutton’s baseball foray was not one that will leave a pleasant taste in his mouth, by all accounts. Drafted in 2002 in the 41st round, just out of high school, the A’s told him they’d give him all the time he needed to move up, and every chance to do so, so the catcher/1st baseman phenom decided to forego college and the chance of a later, larger payday, and instead got right into the pro game.

Sadly, Sutton never got a firm grip on the minor league ladder, spinning his wheels like Scooby Doo trying to get away from a guy in a ghost costume.

After much consideration, he signed in the spring of 2003 and went to rookie ball in Arizona, where he was awarded an all-star nod as 1st baseman, having hit 7 home runs and a .340 average. He would later move up to short season ball with the Vancouver Canadians, where his sole game action was as a late game defensive replacement as catcher, where he notched 8 put-outs and a double play without getting a swing of the bat.

2004 saw Sutton start the season in High-A ball with Modesto, but he failed to find his rhythm there, hitting for .175 with no power to speak of. His 1005 OPS of a year previous was all but halved, and so when short season ball began, Sutton was shifted back to Vancouver - where his patience clearly began to wear thin.

Stuck behind the 1-2 high-draft pick catching duo that was Landon Powell and Kurt Suzuki, Sutton was relegated to bullpen catching and the occasional start when one of the other guys was tired. Thankfully for him, Landon Powell was often tired. Unfortunately for him, Kurt Suzuki never was.

Sutton caught four games for the C’s that year, DHed on occasion, and bitched loudly at every opportunity that he wasn’t getting what he needed to excel. A strike out would bring slammed equipment on the way back to the dugout. A deep fly-out would bring yells of abuse at the pitcher-friendly dimensions of the ballpark.

Before long, Sutton was headed back to Arizona, where his form began to return (.813 OPS), but only about 19 paying customers were ever there to cheer his .241 average and four dingers.

Injuries shortened his 2005 campaign, giving him time for just 25 at bats in Arizona, although he swung the bat hard for a .320 average, and when he returned to Vancouver in 2006, folks in the know were dreading the though of how The Angry Guy might be just about ready to turn nuclear, given his halting minor league progression.

Nothing could have been further from the truth. Sutton realized he was on borrowed time and had one last shot to make his climb, and he also seemed to realize that if he wasn’t going to make it to the bigs, perhaps he should enjoy the time he had left in the professional game.

Sutton began to sign autographs. Then he began to hang back after the game to sign more. Then he started befriending staff at the ballpark, and other players, and coaches - and one special girl who he decided should stay special forever.

Thus, midway through the 2006 season, Don Sutton walked out to the mound during a game and asked his girlfriend to marry him. The crowd, who once watched in silence as Sutton imploded at the plate, now went nuts in appreciation - of the man’s character, above all else.

We all knew Sutton was on his last legs with the organization in 2006, but we all rooted for him - so much so that when Sutton injured his leg midway through the season, everyone kept it quiet, the player included. "He’s just taking a few days off," the coaches said, hoping he could shake it off and get back to swinging. everyone knew a trip to the DL would end it all, so the MRIs and X-rays weren’t called for. Instead, we showed up to the ballpark each day and asked the same question, over and over; "Sutton playing today?"

And every day came the same response; "Officially, he’s resting. He has a cold. He’ll be back soon."

Sutton did get back into the lineup a few times, and he had some nice deep ‘all or nothing’ swings that beat the outfield wall, and even showed significant plate patience (13 walks to 14 K’s), but his timing was off and his contact numbers were bad, and ultimately his body just wasn’t having any more of this baseball caper; a subsequent shoulder injury ended his season early. Again.

To Oakland’s credit, they didn’t cut Sutton in 2007. They made him a promise, and they kept their end inasmuch as they saw to his injury, and his rehab, and ensured that he was fit and healthy if he wanted to continue playing ball in 2008. They just couldn’t offer him the chance to do so in the Oakland system, so he was released with a pat on the back.

Don Sutton III isn’t old. At 24 years of age, he’s still got plenty of ball in him if he chooses to take another shot at it. Maybe a healthy Sutton could find another team, or play some indie ball and get that first year rookie form back, and from there, who knows?

But whatever path he chooses, Notes From The Nat would like to take the opportunity to thank DSIII for at least giving his all with every pitch faced, every swing taken, and every baserunner gunned down. In him, we saw the best and worst of the game we love, but we also saw the maturity of a man, and a passion for ball that, frankly, a lot of more successful players will never know.

And thanks for doing it in red and blue, Don. 

Unsure if this is considered a contravention of the Jake Kerr State Secrets Act or not, but I’ve heard now from two different sources now - one close to the C’s and one on the periphery - that the C’s could be looking at creating a new logo for the team.

This, if it happens, would be awesome. Not just ‘that’s cool’ awesome, but something close to ‘yes, that is Natalie Portman sliding her hotel key across the bar towards me’ awesome.

Well, okay, not quite that awesome. But you get the idea.

The current C’s logo is, or was (as the case may be), a mistake. It should have been a ‘V’. It should have been created using something better than Microsoft Word’s image-maker. It should have included a symbol that could be turned into a mascot, or at least been stylized enough that it would be wearable off the field. I mean, come on, what’s with the tiny baseballs? That’s Little League-standard… and to think, the old management paid money for that thing.

First off, if you’re going to do the single letter as a logo thing, it should almost always be the first letter of your city, not your nickname. You don’t see an ‘RS’ on the Boston Red Sox cap, you don’t see a ‘B’ on the Atlanta Braves cap, and you don’t see a ‘D’ sitting atop a Dodger.

Admittedly, you do see an ‘A’ on the Oakland Athletics cap, but that’s because the team has been known as the A’s through three different cities and over a century of history. Nobody else that I can think of goes the same route.

[Update: Upon further thought, I’ve remembered that the Minnesota Twins now go with a ‘T’ logo, but only because the old ‘TC’ they used was ass, and despite having a World Series history with the old ‘M’ logo that should have been permanent. The Seattle Mariners also used to stock an ‘M’, back in their old ‘trident logo’ days, but only because the M fit with the actual look of a trident.. and to be honest, that too looked kind of ass.]

The options for the Vancouver Canadians when it comes to a logo are one of two: either you go with a single letter (as the Spokane Indians and Eugene Emeralds did) or a funky mascot that you can sell to the kids (like the Everett Aquasox and Yakima Bears did). There’s really no other option.

The C’s went for the letter, mostly because it’s tough to make a mascot out of a ‘Canadian’. I mean, what would you use - a Mountie? A hockey player? A Tim Hortons donut? A stylized Tommy Douglas? An underpaid doctor? The Vancouver Canucks, with pockets much deeper than the Canadians, have struggled both with how to portray a Canuck on a logo, and how to utilize the straight ‘C’, for years, so I can see why the Canadians would take the easier option.

But when they went for the single letter, they really botched it up. When someone in Eugene or Boise or even North Van sees a giant C on a cap, what’s their first thought about where that cap comes from?

Cincinnati? Chicago? Chilliwack?

‘Couver?

Let’s set aside the fact that we totally ripped the concept, font and appearance of our logo from the Boise Hawks logo [seen left] - you know, the one they just trashed because it was old and outdated?

Let’s ignore the fact that the Spokane Indians did the exact same logo as ours, only did it eighteen times better [seen right], even getting input from local First Nations folk and using their own font design, rather than just selecting the ‘Playbill’ font in Word.

Spokane’s logo is sellable and relevant to the area. Eugene’s logo is sellable and relevant to kids.

Everett’s logo is so good, in fact, I actually considered buying one of their caps. But the C’s? I have nothing in my wardrobe with that big ugly C. The alternate ‘flying V’ I have plenty of.

But not the C.

Granted, the C’s logo isn’t as terrible as the Tri-City Dust Devils mess [seen left], which was actually stolen from the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL.

And it’s not the brewery-logo-inspired crap that ours used to be back in the Triple-A days [seen right] (thank God we weren’t owned by Kokanee, or the team would be wearing Yeti suits during batting practice).

But it’s not good. And it needs a change. And the fact that word on the street says a change is gonna come, means the C’s are STILL listening to the fans and giving us what we want.

Crazy massive props, yo.

One final word on the topic: Please, whoever makes the decisions on merchandising, please talk to me before next season. The C’s have never got their merchandising right, and it’s an area I have masses of experience in. Let me design one single t-shirt, and I guarantee it’ll outsell anything else you might come up with by 50% or more. I’ll even give you the team’s next ad slogan for free:

"Small ball, redefined."

Boom.