By Bob Elliott
Canadian Baseball Network

Baseball memories are not always made in the dust of home plate.

Or a ball clearing the left-field fence.

Noah Or (Richmond, BC, North Delta Blue Jays) was seated at the St. Louis Bar and Grill -- vying for official Tournament 12 lunch headquarters with Fat Bastard Burrito’s near the Rogers Centre -- this week when a man in uniform approached.

“Hey you know you are missing an R?” said the Ontario Black coach to Noah Or.

“I told him that he had one too many?” said Or re-telling meeting Peter Orr.

The BC catcher was asked if he knew who Peter Orr was, how big a deal he was and what he had accomplished?

Orr played in the big leagues for eight seasons and 13 months ago streaked home from first base on two wild throws sliding head first into home plate knocking the ball loose to give Canada the gold medal win in extra innings over Team USA.

“Oh yeah, I know who he is, what he has accomplished,” Or said of Orr.

Orr knew who Or was -- not because he saw his name on the back of his Orange jersey -- but because he read it on the lineup card.

And Saturday Orr was at third base coaching and showing that he still had the good hands.

Lucas Parente bounced a foul ball down the third base line. Orr calmly moved his hand behind his back and caught the ball on a hop.

“Like reaching back to get one of those Goldfish crackers stuck down the side of the car seat,” said Orr, who has been playing Mr. Mom, after a career which began in 2000 at class-A Jamestown, aside from a trip to the National Baseball Congress World Series in Wichita, Kan.

Orr did have an outing with a few of his friends like Roger Clemens, Tim Hudson, J.D. Drew, Dan Uggla, Roy Oswalt, Adam LaRoche, Rick Ankiel, Brad Penny, Ben Sheets, Josh Beckett, Brandon Inge, Jack Wilson, Nate Robertson, Brett Tomko, Jayson Nix, Laynce Nix, Jason Isringhausen, Carl Everett, Ryan Langerhans and Koby Clemens. 

Either Or or Orr, they both made their memories on a Saturday under the concrete calm. 

Or doubled to left facing LHP Adam Tulloch (Collingwood, Ont., MVP Banditos) in the sixth inning. One of the best blasts of the day.

Playing for coach Gerry White, Or wears the same uniform Justin Morneau (New Westminister, BC) and Jeff Francis (Surrey, BC) wore as high schoolers playing for Ari Mellios and Mike Kelly. Are there signs up honoring Morneau and Francis at Layritz Park.

“The city won’t let us put it up,” Or said, “so we would have to bring out the numbers after each game, then put them up again. We don’t do that.”

His favorite role models are Yadier Molina of the St. Louis Cardinals and Buster Posey of the  San Francisco Giants because he loves watching them catch, show their good hands. Or does not have a school for next fall as of yet. He has made one visit to Washington State home of the Cougars and the John Olerud plaques ... and where Clayton Keyes (Calgary, Alta. Okotoks Dawgs) was scheduled to go last year, and will head again next fall.  

A year ago Or helped Team B.C. win gold at the Western Canada Games at Wood Buffalo, Alta. with a 7-3 win over Saskatchewan in the gold medal game. B.C. won five of six games and avenged its only defeat with a 7-4 triumph over Alberta in the semi-finals. 

Or came through Richmond City up until the U15 bantam where he skipped his second-year of eligibility and aged up to help the North Delta Junior team capture the provincial championship in 2014, moved on to the Premier team where he batted .286 and helped the Jays reach the post-season for the first time since 2010.

As a bantam he was picked up from the Richmond Chuckers to play for the Cloverdale Spurs to compete at the Baseball Canada nationals in Vaughan where he brought a 50-12 record. There he displayed a spiffy mask which was a tribute to both Morneau and Jimmy Van Ostrand (Richmond, BC). Now, he wears the Delta Blue Jays mask. 

Our conversation with Or near the third base dugout was almost over when who came across the diamond but Orr.

My friend in Detroit is always talking about baseball’s symmetry.

Orr: “Hey you know you are missing an R?” 

Or: “You know you have one too many?” 

Commish makes quick trip to New York: Tournament 12 commissioner Robbie Alomar missed a couple of games Friday when he and his executive assistant Rob Jack made a quick trip to New York on a private plane.  

Commissioner Alomar visited with commissioner Rob Manfred on Park Ave. and then visited the Players Association office boss Tony Clark and Dave Winfield on 49th Street.  

“When the commissioner calls, you go,” Alomar said. “I’m trying to get some help for my camps in Puerto Rico. There is a decline in schools, so we’d like to meet with mayors and combine both schooling and baseball at an academy for 13-to-15 year-olds. I’d like to give some more exposure for kids from Puerto Rico.

“I can’t copy Greg Hamilton’s Canadian National Junior Team program, Greg’s program is in its own world. I wish we could borrow from Greg. My priority is to help kids with low income.”

There have been 75 games played in the four-year history of the Tournament 12 and Alomar is now 71-for-75 (94.7%) missing two games in Year I and two more this year.

Black wears navy: INF Tyler Black (Stouffville, Ont.), son of acclaimed TSN broadcaster Hot Rod Black, is with the Futures Navy team. 

“My father used to catch and always liked baseball,” the son said of the father, who often is the MC at the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in St. Marys. Rod coached his son Tyler as an eight-year old. “He got me into the game, he was really vocal, always talking when he coached our team,” Tyler said.

From there he moved on to the Markham Mariners for three years playing for coach Joe Bowen, the Toronto Maple Leafs broadcaster.

So, Tyler knows broadcasting and he knows broadcasters who coach.

Who was the better broadcaster?

“My dad,” said Tyler.

Who was the better coach?

“My dad,” said Tyler. “Joe’s son, David, is my good friend.” 

Then the Winnipeg native began to play for the Ontario Prospects and last year former Ontario top-level player for Rob Butler and the Stouffville Yankees this season he has moved on to play for the Toronto Mets.  He’s part of the Mets infield with Daniel Carinci and Dondrae Bremner, with Nick De-Ra. The first baseman are Ben Teplin and Michael Rourke.

Black played for Ontario at the Canada Cup which went 3-5 in Fort McMurray, Alta. He shared the lead as he batted .333 (8-for-24) along with Chatham’s Justin Doran (7-for-21). Black had a double, two triples and three RBIs.

Perfect Game rankings: A total of six Canucks are in the top 500 Perfect Game USA ranked high schoolers.

INF Adam Hall (Lodon, Ont. Great Lake Canadians) is listed 22nd, followed by OF Cooper Davis (Mississauga, Ont. Ontario Blue Jays) is listed 121st. Next comes INF Jason Willow (Victoria, BC, Victoria Mariners) who is No. 146.

After that are the top pitcher in RHP Landon Leach (Pickering, Ont. Toronto Mets) 266th, OF Rashad Collymore (Mississauga, Ont.  Ontario Blue Jays) 295th and RHP Noah Skirrow (Stoney Creek, Ont. Ontario Blue Jays) 387th. 

Faces in the crowd: Hank Lemoine (Winnipeg, Man.) who umpires Winnipeg Goldeyes games was in the house ... Keiran Martini-Wong (Etobicoke, Ont.) brought his father Gary to the game, as did Hugh Pinkney, who brought his pop Colin ... Harry The Ball Hawk Lamont and his brother Jack brought their father Jeff from Oakville.