It’s Time for Pete Rose to Enter the Hall

Pete Rose

It’s time for Pete Rose to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Finally Andre Dawson made it this year, though it seemed he would be forever overlooked. There will be some who will forever try to keep Rose out of the Hall, but are they really baseball fans?

Rose gave his all everytime he stepped on the field.He’s the all time leader in base hits with an amazing career leading 4,256 hits in 24 years spread out over the Reds.Phillies and Expos. He gave his body up for his team, being hit by pitches 107 times. He played 2b,lf,1b,cf,rf, and 3b, wherever his team needed him.  His lifetime batting average was an impressive .303.

He was Charlie Hustle to the fans. He was Rookie of the Year in 1963, a Gold Glove award winner, MVP in 1973, and World Series MVP in 1975. And clearly Rose was a fan favourite throughout his 24 year career.

It’s a shame that the game continues to deny him what he rightfully earned. It’s time to forgive and forget if that’s needed, and elect Pete Rose to Major League Baseball’s Hall of Fame where he rightfully belongs. It’s been 25 years since Pete Rose retired as an active MLB player.

For more on Pete Rose, check out the book On the Brink a tale of two sportscasters,by Larry Resnitzky which is available online at http://www.retromedia.ca.

Greg Blanchard Leaves WEG for Western Fair

In a surprise move the popular Greg Blanchard will leave WEG and the Score for the Assistant General Manager’s position at Western Fair in London. Blanchard a communications and broadcast celebrity has managed racetracks, called races, worked in communications at racetracks, and hosted racing shows on The Score.

In this career move, Blanchard gets to work with one of the top people in the harness racing industry in North America, Hugh Mitchell. This is a real coup for Western Fair.  Mitchell and Blanchard have worked together before in Ontario.

Greg Blanchard with Jennas Beach Boy

All of Blanchard’s fans which includes me wish Greg good luck in his new position.

Anthony MacDonald Guides Giddy Up Delight to Gold Cup and Saucer Trial One Victory

Anthony MacDonald returned home from the bright lights of Toronto to guide Giddy Up Delight to a convincing win in 1:52.1 in Trial One of the Gold Cup and Saucer Eliminations.It was a wire to wire victory for the brother of famed driver Mark MacDonald, both of PEI.

The top three finishers in each of the trials will be competing next Saturday nite for $60,000 in the Gold Cup and Saucer final.

While the $60,000 purse can’t match the $1.5 million dollar Pepsi North America Cup dollar for dollar, it garners more interest in Atlantic Canada, and is a very important part of the essence of PEI history and culture.

The Sobey’s Gold Cup and Saucer this year is the 51st running of this great event. With racing almost every afternoon and nite for over one week at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino in Charlottetown, and large crowds, it qualifies as on of the most prestigious harness races to win in North America.

Giddy Up Delight Wins Gold Cup and Saucer Trial One

Note: The above photo was taken by Gail MacDonald the mother of Anthony MacDonald and the track photographer at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino in Charlottetown.

Stewart Tremere Wins Big on the Day of Kilts at Pinette

Stuart Tremere Wins Twice on Kilted Pace Sunday at Pinette Raceway

Hunter River’s Stewart Tremere had a banner day winning two races on a day when drivers at Pinette sported kilts honouring Scottish Heritage,and the PEI Highland Games.

There was a large crowd present, numbering about 250 people, on a beautiful rural PEI Sunday. This Matinee track is one of many on PEI, where the real roots of harness racing lie.  It’s all in friendly but serious competition. The fans loved it,the drivers loved it, and even the horses seemed to enjoy themselves.

Racing at Pinette is scheduled on Wednesdays during the summer, beginning at 6:00 pm. It’s well worth the visit,  the hot dogs are great too.

This year’s Gold Cup and Saucer girls took in the day at Pinette as well.

Blue Jays Youngsters Morrow and Arencibia Shine Brightly

  The Toronto Blue Jays are the most exciting team in baseball since the All Star break taking 2 out of 3 from the Yankees and then sweeping the Devil Rays in dramatic fashion this weekend. Yesterday catcher JP Arencibia in his first Major League game homered on the first pitch he ever saw in the majors.  ( the first Jay since Junior Felix in 1989)During his next at bat he doubled, followed by a single, and than on the first pitch he saw on his fourth at bat he hit an opposite field home run. He became the first player since 1900 to hit 2 home runs and have 4 hits in his majoe league debut. This guy is not a flash in the pan because in Triple A this year in 95 games he had 30 dingers and he was a first round draft pick of the Jays.

    Not to be outdone by his future battery mate  former Seattle first rounder Brandon Morrow who the Mariners gave up on due to wildness threw a complete game 1 hitter with get this 17 strikeouts as the Jays won 1-0 this afternoon. Morrow walked 2 and carried the no hitter 8 and 2/3rds before Evan Longoria hit a sharp grounder between first and second that Aaaron Hill could not field cleanly. He has developed a breaking ball to go with his heat and is realizing his potential. The Jays are on fire and maybe just maybe can contend with the big boys.

Jacques Hebert and Buckhams Bay Win Again

Once again, it was Jacques Hebert, who showed the world of harness racing why he’s a true Hall of Famer as he guided Buchams Bay to his fourth consecutive victory in The $130,00 OSS Finals for two-year-old trotting colts,last nite at Grand River Raceway.

And yes Greg(Blanchard), they did throw everything at Jacques and his trotting buddy, to throw them off, park them, disorient them, but they prevailed. And through a parked out trip for the entire mile, Hebert gently led his student to victory, never raising his hand to hurt his great horse,and knowing the soft spoken Jacques, probably never raising his voice either. It was a great example of a driver respecting his horse, and contending with some other drivers who simply put, did everything they could under the rules, to keep him from winning.

Young drivers and many older drivers in this great industry, could learn a lot from ole Jacques, about a style of driving, that would bring back the fans, not continue to drive them away.

NHL Salary Cap Continues to Affect the Blackhawks and Niemi

   The dismantling of the 2010 Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks continued yesterday as the team chose to walk away from the 2.75 million dollar salary awarded to goalie Antti Niemi and then signing perpetual playoff loser Marty Turco for 1.3 million. Niemi , in one year won more playoff rounds- 4, than Marty Turco has in five trips to the playoffs- 3. The Hawks have now lost several key members from their Cup winning team, namely, Niemi, Dustin ByFuglien, Kris Versteeg, Ben Eager, Andrew Ladd, Colin Fraser, and Brent Sopel. They, however , have managed to keep thjeir core players of Toews, Kane, Hossa , Sharp, Keith, Seabrook, and Hjalmarsson. This team has come a long way since Rocky Wirtz took over the reins from his amazingly inept father Bill four years ago but the  team continues to lose money. The teams success but continued financial losses translates into only one thing, a 20 percent increase in ticket prices for the upcoming season. Welcome to the new NHL!

On the Brink, the untold story Continues to Sell

I had the pleasure yesterday of walking by the giftshop at Red Shores  Racetrack and Casino in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island and seeing a lady from Ontario about to buy the book, On the Brink, the untold story, which I wrote. This was a quite an honour for me, so I offered to sign her book. 

The book was purchased as a gift for her son, and she seemed pleased about the purchase. She was interested in the references to Toronto Blue Jay stars of the ’80s and ’90s, which included Mookie Wilson, Joe Carter, and Tom Henke. There’s a lot more about the sports stars of that era in this book, and about the business of doing a national sports talk show on radio.

 It’s not often that two regular “Joes” get to rub shoulders with the stars on a daily basis for a decade. That’s what this book is about. I hope that lady’s son will enjoy reading On the Brink, the untold story.

The book is avaialble online at http://retromedia.ca.

Which Expos Will be Next?

Andre Dawson being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame

Andre Dawson gave a classy acceptance speech  as he was inducted into the coveted Baseball Hall of Fame yesterday in Cooperstown, New York.

There are other Montreal Expos still waiting in the wings. The 4000+ base hits alone should qualify a player for the Hall; a player who  gave more thrills to the fans in his career than most.

He broke the 4000 hit barrier as a member of the  Montreal Expos. It’s time MLB got off its high horse and allowed for Pete Rose to be eligibilble for the prestigious Hall. Perhaps next year? Let’s start a rally for Rose right here.

Andre Dawson a Hall of Famer

Former Montreal Expos, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, and Florida Marlins player Andre Dawson will enter the Baseball Hall of Fame Sunday, July 25th, as a Montreal Expos. The classy Dawson  need not wonder why he wasn’t selected earlier.  He is only the 203rd player to receive this honour,and he was overlooked eight times before making it on the ninth try.

Andre Dawson in his Expos years

Dawson hit 438 homers and had 314 stolen bases to go with his 2,744 hits and 1591 RBIs. He was  a Gold Glover eight times as an outfielder. In his heyday, he was the best defensive outfielder I ever saw, with the exception of Willie Mays.  He made almost impossible catches seem routine and he had a solid throwing arm.

Dawson was a quiet leader and popular with the fans. Postie Connolly and I (Larry Resnitzky), had the pleasure of interviewing him and had him as a guest several times on our national sports talk show on radio in the ’80s and early ’90s called SportsRap.

I make reference to Dawson in books that I wrote too, On the Brink, a tale of two sportscasters, and On the Brink, the untold story.  These are available at http://retromedia.ca.

Dawson was appreciative of his former manager and mentor in the Expos farm system, Jim Fanning, by sending Fanning four tickets for the Hall of Fame ceremony in Cooperstown, New York. Fanning and his family will attend the Hawk’s (Andre Dawson) Induction Ceremony. It will be quite an emotional day for both Dawson and Fanning. Congratulations Andre!