Barwell to rescue, Johnson pops
Greg Hamilton has been putting Team Canada teams together since 1999.When he gets beyond the Canadian National Junior Team -- World Cup qualifier, Olympic qualifier, Olympics and World Baseball Classic -- one position remains a problem. It's two words or word depending upon your style: Short stop. Or shortstop. When the second WBC takes place Saturday, March 7 with Team Canada facing Team USA at the Rogers Centre shortstop should not be a worry. All the paperwork has been finalized so Chris Barnwell (Shelburne, N.S.) will be able to play. Barnwell was WBC-eligible three years ago, but didn't have his passport. WBC eligibility goes back one generation and Barnwell's father Tim was born in Shelburne before moving to Jacksonville, Fla. Barnwell was drafted in the 25th round of the 2001 draft by the Milwaukee Brewers out of Flagler College. He make all the stops on the way up -- at Rookie-Class Ogden, Single-A Beloit, Single-A High Desert, Double-A Huntsville, Triple-A Nashville -- and played 27 games for the 2006 Brewers. Barnwell signed as a six-year, minor-league free agent with Triple-A Albuqurque for 2008 in the Florida Marlins system, hitting .276 with six homers and 42 RBIs in 94 games. The rest of the Toronto pool will be made up of Italy and Venezuela, thereby ruining the fierce Canada-South Africa rivalry born in the inaugural at Scottsdale when -- as Tip O'Neill rolled over in his grave -- Canada needed three runs in the ninth to score an opening-round win. South Africa will compete in Mexico City, along with Cuba, Australia and Mexico. All the details are here. Back to Barnwell, he's not just a paper Canadian. Mary Ellen Barnwell was with child when she went to stay with her mother, Gertrude McKay, in 1945. The Second World War was on the front pages and Mary Ellen's husband, Thomas, of the U.S. army, was about to be deployed overseas. Mary Ellen gave birth to a son Tim in August of 1945 in Shelburne. When the war ended, Thomas came home took his family to a training centre in North Carolina. They took the train from Nova Scotia to the Carolinas, with stuff sleeping in an apple crate. There wasn't any air conditioning so the windows open with smoke from the engine blowing into the cars. Tim's wife, Veronica , had a son -- Christopher Edward Barnwell March 1, 1979 in Jacksonville. Tim says went home to Nova Scotia every summer until I was 16, then every other summer. His older brother Tom, a former professor of electrical engineering at the University of Georgia, goes each summer to play blue grass music. Chris Barnwell made his major-league debut June 20, 2006, in a 10-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers. He entered the game in the sixth and the next inning hit a fly ball to centre. The next day, he stroked a pinch-hit, two-out single off Tigers lefty Nate Robertson and scored the tying run on a Rickie Weeks homer off Joel Zumaya in a 4-3 Milwaukee win. Barnwell is like Mark Teahen, the Kansas City infielder with the smooth stroke, who will also be with Team Canada, either at third base or in the outfielder. Born in Redlands, Calif., Teahen's roots trace back to St. Marys, Ont., also giving him dual citizenship. For a country weak on middle infielders, this may be an important discovery. Danny Klassen (Leamington, Ont.) played short in the 2004 Olympics, while Emmanuel Garcia (Montreal, Que.) played short in 2008. Good looking: Terrell Ailman (Waterloo, Ont.) a former Inter County Terrier, was named player of the year with the Rookie-Class Arizona League Angels after hitting .339, with 17 doubles, five triples, a homer and 39 RBIs. Ailman was named to the AZL Top 20 Prospects list by Baseball America. Popping: Lefty Jay Johnson (Sussex Corner, N.B.) is the latest arm to pop heading into the 2009 Major League June draft. Johnson is throwing in the high 80s at the Prairie Baseball Academy under coach Blair Kubicek. Johnson's brother Aaron Johnson is walking in the Canadian catching footsteps -- Chris Robinson (Dorechester, Ont.), Lars Davis (Calgary, Alta.) and Johnson -- at the main catcher for the University of Illinois Fighting Illini. Farewell: To Dave Shury, a beloved man with a baseball shaped heart who ran the Saskatchewan Hall of Fame, along with his loving wife Jane. Rather than flowers, Born Sept. 2, 1930 in Wilkie, Sask., Shury was known as Mr. Baseball Saskatchewan. He graduated from University of Saskatchewan with a law degree in 1954, receiving his QC in 1985. He practiced in the Battlefords until 1993, with a priority to politics and baseball. In the mid 1950s, Shury became involved in the administrative side of his sport by organizing and managing several youth teams in the Wilkie, Saskatoon and Battlefords areas. He began his long service with the Saskatchewan Baseball Association serving in various roles in that organization from 1955 to 1982. In 1974, he chaired the boxing venue for the Saskatchewan Winter Games and in 1984 was the chair of protocol and baseball for the Saskatchewan Summer Games. Shury was a longtime historian, researcher and author having edited the 'Annual Saskatchewan Historical Review', published the annual 'Review of Saskatchewan Baseball' and co-authored the Saskatchewan Baseball Association history book 'Wheat Province Diamonds' in 1997. He served as secretary for the Western Canada Baseball Association, was president of Baseball Canada from 1966 to 1970 and a member of the selection committee to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and was the Canadian representative to the World Federation of Amateur Baseball from 1966 to 1970. His long list of accomplishments include: Sportsman of the Year, North Battleford (1966), Man of the Year, Multiple Sclerosis Society (1966), Life member, Saskatchewan Baseball Association (1968) and the Western Canada Baseball Association (1968), Executive of the Year, Baseball Canada (1983), Canada 125 Medal (1984) and Saskatchewan Volunteer Medal (1999). Shury was inducted June 21, 2002 into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in St. Marys, Ont. and he was installed in the Saskatchewan Sports Hall of Fame on June 14, 2003. Donations gratefully accepted to the Saskatchewan Baseball Hall of Fame, Museum, which Shury founded. The address is P.O. Box 1388, Battleford, Sask. S0M 0E0. Farewell II: Doug Sutton, who has has served on the York-Simcoe, board of directors. He was regarded by many as the most respected registrar in Ontario, who passed on his knowledge freely. Sutton passed away peacefully at Hill House Hospice at the age of 66. He's the loving husband of Marlyn (Bobbee) and father of Michele (Steven Poyner) and Paul (Mary). Sutton was a doting and loving papa of Aidan Poyner and Owen Sutton. He is survived by Gregory (Liz), Lynda and Christopher and is brother-in-law of Jean and Desiree (Steve Wingfield). Summer honours: Three Canucks with the Canisius Golden Griffins earned summer league all-star teams in three different leagues.
Shane Davis (Belmont, Ont.) was named an all-star in the New York Collegiate Baseball League, Davis started for the Eastern Division and pitched a scoreless inning, allowing one hit and striking out a batter as the West won 9-5. Playing for Glens Falls, he entered the all-star Break with a 2-0 record in five starts that have covered 32 innings. His 0.28 ERA leads all starting pitchers in the NYCBL and Davis has allowed just one earned run and one walk. Davis threw a nine-inning no-hitter June 11, the first nine-inning no-hitter in team history.
Mike Goemans (Guelph, Ont.) and Josh Marshall (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) were named all-stars in the Western Major Baseball League. Marshall was the second pitcher for the West in the all-star game, won 7-3 by the West. A member of the Saskatoon Jackets, Marshall pitched a scoreless inning, walking one and striking out one. Entering the All-Star Break, the lefty was 1-0 with a 1.11 ERA in 20 innings pitched. Goemans who plays for the Yorkton Cardinals and didn?t pitch in the game, entered the break with a 2-0 record in six appearances. The lefty had a 1.50 earned run average in 18 innings pitched, allowing just three earned runs.
2B Kevin Mailloux (Windsor, Ont.) was named a starter in the Coastal Plain League All-Star Game representing the Forest City Owls. Mailloux, a starter for the National Team of the Coastal Plain League, was hitless in his two at-bats in the all-star game and won 5-3 by the Nationals. Mailloux, who participated in the league's Home Run Derby, entered the break leading the Forest City Owls in average at .340. Mailloux is second in the league in slugging percentage (.547), fourth in hits (54) and RBI (31), first in doubles (15) and fifth in home runs (six).