ADAM MORISSETTE -- Okotoks Academy opens in fall

July 25, 2009

Okotoks Dawgs Academy opens this fall ... Rare double for Colin McKean ... Ontario senior eliminations ... In the Majors ... Jason Bay shines in the limelight ... Pat Gillick still involved ... Erik Bedard to DL ... Mark Teahen is like a turkey sandwich ... Avril Lavigne tosses out first pitch ... Larry Walker: a True Canadian hero ... San Diego Chicken now 35 ... Ron Piche, Canadian HOFer injured in car crash ... Brian Ostrosser, former Met ... In the Minors ... Four Canucks to Futures ... Nick (Eggs) Weglarz ... Brockville's Wayne Amyotte part of 1969 Bristol Tigers ... Vancouver Canadians 25 big leaguers and counting ... Erie Gagne rebuilds shoulder, reputation ... Tyson Gillies a burner ... Karl Gelinas shuts down centre of universe ... Justin Randall disappointed with deal ... FA Jeremiah Sammy signs with Rockies ... Kyle Dhanani signs with Brewers ... In College ... Chris Bisson leads the Cape in SBs ... Mike Mokriy does it all for Prospects ... Tanner Brotzel coaching with Regina ... Adam Reynolds Keeps his hair ... Team Canada ... World Cup 2009 ... Rowan Wick in the Dominican ... On the Sandlots ... The Legend that is Bill Green ... Vauxhall's 2009-10 roster ... London master plan panned by Mike Lumley ... Riverview's Jon Loughery ... Kenny McIlroy pitches Kingston to win ... Ron Baron Manitoba HOFer ... Carl Matheson is a Nova Scotia legend.

By Adam Morissette

When people think of the best ball players Canada produces they think of the traditional hotbeds of Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia.

Well that thinking is about to change with the inclusion of Alberta in that discussion. Ontario led the way when it came to Canadians selected in this June's draft with 16 of 41 Canadian players drafted, while British Columbia was one behind. Alberta was third five, including two of the first eight players selected.

Just 20 minutes south of Calgary in a sleepy town called Okotoks an incredible opportunity awaits young ball players who are serious about becoming the best player they can be as part of the Okotoks Dawgs Academy.

Beginning in September the “Dawgs Academy” will welcome 12 players to the fold who will be in entering either grade 10 or 11. The inaugural season will see these players to train year round while also attending high school at Holy Trinity Academy.

This idea of a year round baseball training and development program was spearheaded by John Ircandia who is the managing director of the club. Ircandia says the original idea came about by the creation of Seaman Stadium, the Dawgs home park. Seaman Stadium is a state of the art facility that is built solely for amateur baseball.

“The intention was to have a premier facility that would be home to a summer collegiate club which in turn serve as a motivator for the youth program” said Ircandia.

The summer team is the Okotoks Dawgs who compete in the Western Major Baseball League (WMBL) where some of the top Division 1 college players hone their skills during the summer months. The WMBL Dawgs regularly play in front of capacity crowds (Seaman Stadium’s capacity is nearly 3,000) showing that the southern Alberta town is a baseball hotbed. This is no small feat as the crowds compare to some best in the Cape Cod League and the Northwoods League.

The Dawgs baseball program however originally started back in the mid-’90s. Under the tutelage of Don McLeod and Ircandia, the team achieved great success producing players who have gone on to play for the Canadian National Junior Team, players who have received college scholarships and even some players who have played professionally, like 3B Emerson Frostad, RHP Jim Henderson and RHP James Avery who all came up through the Dawgs organization.

And Alberta’s fine June in the draft saw with RHP Steven Inch (Edmonton, Alta.) Vauxhall Academy and the Canadian National Junior Team going in the sixth round to the Philadelphia Phillies; 3B Adam Nelubowich (Stony Plain, Alta.) Vauxhall Academy and the Canadian National Junior Team going in the 14th round to the Seattle Mariners as two of the first eight Canadians selected. Other Alberta players drafted were C Dale Anderson (Strathmore, Alta.) College of Southern Idaho, 45th round to the Texas Rangers; RHP Jordon Wong (Calgary, Alta.) Vauxhall in the 46th to the Milwaukee Brewers and RHP Burke Seifrit (Spruce Grove, Alta.) of the White Rock Tritons in the 50th round to the Toronto Blue Jays.

This early success that the Dawgs had planted the seeds that will come to fruition this September. From this early start emerged the landing of the Dawgs team to participate in the WMBL. This team was not met with open arms throughout the community. Facility usage in terms of finding a permanent place to play was a challenge for the club. Enter Don Seaman a Calgary Oil executive (along with his brother, the late Doc Seaman) who realized the potential for a hungry baseball community. The brothers who turned out to be visionaries in nature donated the necessary funds to build what is now Seaman Stadium. The dream of a top notch, year round baseball academy was now a very legitimate possibility.

Ircandia points to the town of Okotoks, who stepped up to have the stadium built in their community as further proof that this idea had strong supporters.

“From that point the town of Okotoks, a thriving, very active, sports community came to the forefront and actively encouraged the Dawgs to build the facility in their town.”

Well build it they did and build a premier facility they did even better. Seaman Stadium features not only a beautifully manicured playing surface, but also a video scoreboard, press box, full sized clubhouses, bullpens, batting cages and for the fans additional ‘berm’ seating and two full sized party decks. Can’t play baseball year round in Alberta? No problem, the Rose Field House (named after Oil executive, Mike Rose who donated much of the funds for the facility) took care of that with a facility that is really unparalleled in Canada. This facility adds a very unique selling feature to potential Dawgs recruits, as it is virtually an indoor full sized ball diamond along, with batting cages, pitching mounds and full weight room and workout centre.

The surface is composed of Field Turf which is the same material used at Rogers Centre in Toronto, The Metrodome in Minnesota and Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay. The Dawgs Academy will also be able to utilize the most modern technology in terms of video and computer analysis.

Recruiting players will mainly stem from the Junior Dawgs program which currently features the No. 1 and 2 ranked midget-aged clubs in the province of Alberta. This doesn’t limit players from outside the greater Calgary area from attending the academy as there is space for non-resident players. Scholarships are also available.

If a player is fortunate enough to participate in the program they will endure a demanding schedule including games against Junior College teams from both Canada and the US, participation in highly scouted showcase events in Arizona and B.C., games against arguably the best youth league in the country, the B.C. Premier League and competition in some of the most prestigious wood bat events in the US.

Players will be well prepared as the daily schedule after a day of school includes a power and weight training session, hitting/pitching video analysis along with team workouts in the evenings, then of course school tutoring afterwards!

Sound like a pretty good program so far? Throw in the fact that the Dawgs Academy will also have one of the finest coaching staffs in the country and you have the most complete baseball experience for a player who looks to take their game to the next level be it in college or the professional ranks.

Dave Robb will manage the club, bringing over 35 years of baseball coaching experience to the program. This includes stops in the professional ranks in the California League with Visalia in the Oakland A’s system, time with the Canadian National Junior Team and coaching in the Italian Pro League. Many other coaches that are currently on the staff of the Junior Dawgs program will also be working with the academy club, that have college or professional playing and coaching experience.

The Dawgs Academy is an impressive program showing that Canadians who are serious about becoming better ball players and reaching their potential can do so in their own backyard. It is clear that the program has utilized all necessary resources in order to provide the best baseball experience for the player looking to take their game to the highest level possible. You need look no further then the Dawgs mission statement to find proof that this program is committed to being nothing but a rousing success.

“The Dawgs Baseball Club operates on a strictly non profit basis to provide programs for the betterment of the young people participating as well as the surrounding communities, with the goal of affording young Canadian amateur athletes opportunities to excel at both athletics and academics.”

Rare double for Colin McKeen: SS Colin McKeen (Orangeville, Ont.) was with the Grayson County Vikings when they won the Alpine Bank Junior College World Series in Grand Junction, Col. in 2008.
Transferring to the Parkland College Cobras McKeen was on another championship team as Parkland won their second NJCAA Division II World Series title defeating Scottsdale Community College 11-3 at David Allen Ballpark in Enid, Okla. in the final of the 10-team tourney.
The Cobras scored three times each in the second and third innings to build a 6-1 lead as McKeen had three hits in the championship finale, including a homer and three RBIs.
Parkland opened with a 9-1 win over Kankakee, as McKeen singled and knocked in a run; then he singled twice knocking in a pair of runs in a 14-9 win against Allegany, thumped Scottsdale 10-1 as McKeen doubled; edged Kankaee 7-6 in the semi-final as McKeen singled and drove in a run.
McKeen hit .421 with a homer and seven RBIs.

Ontario seniors: The Ontario senior eliminations go this weekend in London, after the tourney was moved from Windsor due to a city strike.
The top five ranked teams going into the tourney: 1. Windsor Stars (30-9), 2. Oshawa Royals (24-4), 3. Markham Pioneers (20-8), 4. St. Catharines Metros (19-9), 5. Erindale Cardinals (24-11).
Leaders: (min. 50 plate appearances, min. 22 IP)
Average -- Davey Wallace, Leaside Leafs .532, Jon Thiebaud, Whitby Canadians .480, AJ Iafrate, Etobicoke Rangers .439.
Runs scored -- Kris Klassen, Windsor Stars 29, Davey Wallace, Leaside Leafs 28, Tom Grubb, Windsor Stars 27, Bill Gillen, Tecumseh Thunder 27.
Doubles -- AJ Iafrate, Etobicoke Rangers 14, Henry Yap, Leaside Leafs 10, Steve Wilson, Thornhill Reds 10.
Home runs -- Dan Romanycia, Tecumseh Thunder 8, Tom Grubb, Windsor Stars 7, AJ Iafrate, Etobicoke Rangers 6, Jason Marentette, Tecumseh Thunder 6.
RBIs -- AJ Iafrate, Etobicoke Rangers 30, Tom Grubb, Windsor Stars 29, Justin Czorny, St. Catharines Metros 25, Andrew Sorochan, St. Catharines Metros 25
Stolen bases -- Kris Klassen, Windsor Stars 20, Kevin Holloway, Newmarket Hawks 19, Henry Yap, Leaside Leafs 17.
ERA -- Dane Little, Windsor Stars 0.86, Brad Boussey, Windsor Stars 1.25, Mike Burke, Brampton Battlecats 1.80.
Strikeouts -- Dane Little, Windsor Stars 65, Dustin Turner, St. Catharines Metros 61, Shawn Silk, Etobicoke Rangers 56
Innings pitched -- Adam Scheerer, Milton Red Sox 54.1, Dane Little, Windsor Stars 52.1, Jared Hurst, Windsor A's 52.
Wins -- Dane Little, Windsor Stars 8-0, Steve Carter, Windsor Stars 6-0, Joshua Howsam, Leaside Leafs 6-1, Brad Boussey, Windsor Stars 6-1.
Saves -- Jesse Edmunds, Brampton Battlecats, Mike Grabauskas, Milton Red Sox 3, Eric DeBoer, St. Catharines Metros 3.

Final Ontario roster invitees: Lefty Evan Grills (Whitby, Ont.), entering his fourth term with the Canadian National Junior Team, highlights the list of players invited to the final selection camp for the Ontario Youth Team.
Manager Geoff Wendt and staff compiled their list for the camp July 27-30 at Oshawa’s Kinsmen Stadium. The team will play Ontario Summer Games Team and the Oshawa Royals before leaving for the Canada Cup. Canadian National Junior Team members invited include: outfielder Ryan Clarke, infielder Brandon Dailey, catcher Chris Robinson, plus lefties Joel Pierce, Brian Smith and Evan Rutckyj.
The breakdown ...
From the Ontario Blue Jays (16): RHP Justin Atkinson (Mississauga), OF Jordan Boston (Brampton), INF Luke Brenn (Mississauga), C Brandon Devlin-Yerex (Mississauga), OF Philip Diedrick (Ajax), INF Joey Hawkins (Whitby), INF Jevon Jacobs (Ajax), RHP Dany Jimenez (York), LHP Christopher Machete (Mississauga), INF Cameron Mattice (Mississauga), C Jordan Romano (Markham). C Gregory Telford (Newmarket), INF Jose Torralba (Mississauga), INF Scott Wilcox (Burlington), LHP Kyle Willard (Brampton), Clarke (Mississauga) and Grills.
From Team Ontario (12): C James Anderson (Barrie). INF Troy Black (Mississauga); INF Brandon Collins (Scarborough), RHP Ian Filion (Whitby), RHP Dane Gordon (Barrie), INF David Head (Claremont), RHP Jordan Hill (Toronto), OF Brodie Jeffery (Whitby), LHP Bruce Lombard (Oakville), INF Marc Anthony Martiniello (Mississauga), RHP Eric Wood (Pickering) and Robinson (Uxbridge).
From the Tecumseh Thunder (6): INF Andrew Cooper (Belle River), CF Eric Cunningham (LaSalle), OF Patrick Lesperance (Windsor), INF Casey Power (Belle River), Pierce (Windsor) and Rutckyj (Windsor).
From the Toronto Mets (6): OF Michael Foster (Pickering), RHP Alex Johnson (Toronto), OF Owen Laing (Toronto), INF Connor Panas (Toronto), 1B Nick Studer (Toronto) and Brian Smith (Pickering).
From the Intercounty Terriers (4): OF Simon Clarke (Kitchener), LHP Austin Huibers (Waterdown), RHP Lucas Scocchia (Thunder Bay) and Dailey (Brantford),
From the London Badgers (3): C Cam Firth (London), LHP Baird Kelly (Stratford) and LHP Ryan Zimmer (London).
From the Brockville Bunnies (1): RHP Brent Daviault (Ottawa).
From the Mississauga North Tigers (1): RHP Graham Tebbit (Mississauga).
From the Sudbury Hitmen (1): RHP Curtis Johnson (Sudbury).
From the Woodslee Orioles (1): RHP Skylar Janisse (Maidstone).

Never too early to shop for Christmas: The 2010 Justin Morneau calendar is now on sale for $15. Nine dollars of each program go to support Baseball Canada amateur and BC baseball progams.
You can order of the BC baseball website: playballbc.com with all of the key dates for 2010 marked.
We've seen most of the months and the photography is excellent.

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Send us your story ideas and suggestions and we’ll consider them all.
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IN YER FACE: The Canadian Baseball Network facebook group is up and running ... and running fast:
Mike Nitsos (Whitby, Ont.) of the Iowa Western Reivers, is the 400th to join.
Grant Kveder (Lethbridge, Alta.) of the Gonzaga Stags is No. 500.
Dan Chappel (Edmonton, Alta.) formerly of the Longview Lakers, the Mayville State Comets, the Southwest Mustangs, the Schaumburg Flyers and the Edmonton Cracker Cats is No. 600.
Drew Parker (Surrey, BC), who has signed a letter of intent to pitch for the Brewton-Parker Barons this fall and former ace of the JUCO World Series champion Chipola Indians, is No. 700.
Andrew Brock (Burnaby, BC) of the Idaho Coyotes is No. 800.
Derek Papp (Windsor, Ont.), who used to pitch for Judson, is No. 900.
Jonathan Lussier (Montreal, Que.), former C-DH with the Les Ailes du Quebec alongside Phillipe Alexandre Valiquette, Alexandre Periard and Mathieu Poirier is No. 1,000.
Ben TInklin (Kitchener, Ont.) of the Canadian Thunderbirds, who is headed to Kaskaskia College, is No. 1,100.
Catcher Curtis Davis (Surrey, BC), who played with the Fraser Valley Chiefs in 2008 and this year will play for the White Rock Tritons and Team BC is the 1,200th to join the group.
Kevin Bowes (Chatham, N.B.) who plays outfield for the Chatham Ironmen and coached the New Brusnwick Selects at the Canada Cup is No. 1,300.
Stephen Holland (Summerside, PEI), who in 2008 played for the Summerside Chevies and was picked up by Kings County for bantam nationals is No. 1,400. He pitched, played first base, and outfield.
Ian Robillard (Montreal, Que.), who coached the Montreal Orioles in junior (LBEQ) play and this year will coach Les Ailes du Quebec (U-17) is No. 1,500.
OF Mark Sleeman (Vancouver, BC), formerly with John Harr's North Shore Twins and who played for the Vancouver Cave Ducks in 2008, is our No. 1,600.
RHP Shawn Hetherington (Tsawwassen, BC), the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds closer, is No. 1,700.
RHP Craig Hucul (Saskatoon, Sask.) of Williston State College, is No. 1,800.
TJ Code (Vancouver, BC), a coach with the Langley Blaze is No. 1,900. Code played with the likes of Kyle Paul, Jordan Lennerton, Jon Hesketh, Matt Lesek, Justin Dyck, Jeff Thompson, Tyson Gillies, Shane Wilson and Jon Syrnk with the Blaze from 2003-05. He began coaching in the fall of 2007.
Our No. 2,000 is Cam Newitt (Barrie, Ont.). Cam's father, Gary Newitt played in Oshawa before joining the Pittsburgh Pirates minor-league system. Cam played for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the Intercounty League until he retired and now coaches bantam baseball in Barrie.
And our No. 2,100 is RHP Ryan Oxford (Sussex, N.B.), who pitched for Vancouver Island University (VIBI) and plans on playing for New Brunswick at the Canada Summer games this year.
Our group has representation from all 10 provinces led by Ontario, which has 757 members. B.C. has 340, Quebec has 175, Alberta has 127, Saskatchewan 67, Manitoba 47, New Brunswick 52, Nova Scotia 23, Newfoundland 20 and Prince Edward Island 15, plus 35 states led by Michigan, plus nine other countires.

Don't forget Delaware: So says Blair Hains. The former Intercounty umpire (1991-2006) worked the memorable semi-final playoff game between the Brantford Red Sox and the Toronto Maple Leafs, after the great power outage in 2003, when the CIty of Toronto couldn't turn the lights on at Christie Pitts. The game was resumed in Brantford, The defining moment came late in the game when three Leafs went down swinging.
Now Hains works NCAA DIvision II and Division III games where the best teams are John Hopkins and West Cheste.

UPPER DECK I -- Rene Tosoni, Futures Games MVP, Best of the four Canucks in St. Louis, plus MLB Scouting Bureau reports ... Looking for Chatham Diamonds ... Final roster for Ontario camp ... R.I.P. Ron Steele.
UPPER DECK II -- Year I, 50 EXTRA BASES blogs ... from Brett Lawrie signing to James Paxton being drafted ... from the Nationals in 2008 to the Mizuno Camp to the World Baseball Classic ... to Canadian promotions to the 40-man (Alexandre Periard) to Canadian promotions to the big league (Chris Leroux). It's all here and more for you to check on ... and links to what has been going on in the Majors, the Minors, in College, with Team Canada and on the Sandlots. Plus in out first year of the site we've had excellent contributions by Kevin Glew, Jonathan Hodgson, Allan Simpson, Bob Broughton, Shi Davidi, Adam Morrissette.
KEVIN GLEW -- David Corrente, eight-year Blue Jays minor leaguer attends HOF ceremonies at St. Marys ... William Bargel helps keep Mississauga North unbeaten at eliminations ... Anthony Ricciardi heads south.