First Canadian Baseball History Conference to be held in St. Marys

Canadian baseball legend Tip O'Neill

By: Danny Gallagher

Canadian Baseball Network

Like a lot of us, Andrew North and Brian Marshall love baseball history.

They’ve been to Cooperstown a number of times, not just to visit the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, but largely to attend a number of conferences, especially The Fred, a 19th century committee conference organized by the Society for American Baseball Research.

Based on that template, North and Marshall have organized the first Canadian baseball history conference to be held Nov. 12-13 at the St. Marys Golf and Country Club in southwestern Ontario in the same town as the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.

“Our conference is the same idea and general structure as The Fred but restricted to Canada but not restricted to the 19th century,’’ North said.

“We were both struck by a couple of things: first, The Fred was very popular, to the extent that it has become oversubscribed, and the organizers are looking for a larger venue. Second, there was significant Canadian attendance. We thought, then, that there might be an appetite for something similar in Canada, and it appears that that’s the case.’’

North is a retired statistician and software developer living in St. Marys. Just think: he’s a SABR member of 34 years standing. He’s a volunteer at the hall of fame in St. Marys, and a member of the hall’s selection and museum committees.

Marshall hails from Barrie, Ont. and is a consultant in the field of Electrical Engineering. His hobby is writing about sports history. He has written a number of articles about pro football and MLB history and has received awards for two of his articles, including one for best article of the year.

Thirteen papers and a panel discussion will be on the docket at the November conference and if you are looking at quenching your thirst with more knowledge of our nation’s baseball history, then St.Marys is the place to be. Head back to the classroom and listen to stuff you have never heard before.

Beachville in 1838: Separating Fact From Fiction forms a discussion involving panelists Bob Barney, Bill Humber and Chip Martin with moderator duties being handled by Dave Langford, former sports editor at both the Globe and Mail and London Free Press.

On June 4, 1838, a match of baseball was played at Beachville near Woodstock, Ont. by a group of men from Beachville and Zorra and North Oxford Townships. The match was likely an early form of baseball known as “the old-fashioned game”, a key feature of which was the retiring of a runner by hitting him with a thrown ball.

The game was played as part of celebrations to mark the birthday of King George III. The panelists will examine the game’s historical significance in the context of baseball’s evolution in North America in the 19th century.

Humber, one of Canada’s astute baseball historians, also pitches in with So Close! Why Baseball Didn’t Become Canada’s National Game. Martin talks about the London Tecumsehs, Canada’s first major-league champions.

North and Marshall also come to home plate armed with fascinating presentations.

North’s platform is the Harry Simmons Collection at the hall of fame. Simmons was a baseball historian, writer, schedule maker, administrator and authority on the rules of the game.

Employed by the International League and then the Commissioner’s Office for more than 40 years, Simmons moved from his native New York to Montreal in 1953. As North will explain, Simmons advised John McHale and Gerry Snyder in their efforts to gain an expansion franchise for Montreal in 1969.

Marshall’s paper brings to light a remarkable man by the name of Arthur Irwin, a Toronto native, who was associated with some of the greatest teams in baseball history as either a player, a manager or a scout.

Irwin also was an umpire and was given the title of business manager at one point, and was also an innovator of sorts when he appeared on the field with a glove he had put together to protect his broken fingers.  

John Cairney will talk about the rare history of perfect innings: retiring the side on nine consecutive strikes. This feat has been achieved only 80 times in major-league play since 1889 and Cairney will note the Canadian connections.

Heidi Jacobs, Miriam Wright and Cal Murgu will bring you up to speed on the barnstorming Chatham Coloured All-Stars and race and baseball in Southwestern Ontario from 1932-39. Another item to add to your collection of memories.

David Matchett talks about Canadian participation on the largely unknown 1884 Indianapolis Hoosiers, an interesting trivia item for sure.

David McDonald’s paper will deal with left-handed catcher Jack Humphries of North Gower near Ottawa. He formed the majors’ first all-Canadian battery when he teamed up with Tip O’Neill of the New York Giants.

Speaking of O’Neill, Dennis Thiessen centers on the life of this great Canadian, whose batting statistics in 1887 were beyond impressive.

To test your trivia knowledge, Michael Murray brings you A Canadian baseball history quiz.

“The entire session will be dedicated to the bizarre, colourful and entertaining universe of Canadian MLB players and their oddities,’’ Murray said about his abstract.

Fred Toulch’s take on the 1912 Imperial Tobacco Baseball Card Set will be fascinating. It’s the only baseball tobacco card set ever issued in Canada: 74 of the 90 subjects in the set played in the majors.

Tackling the life of Manny McIntyre are Bill Young and John Lutz. As the first Canadian-born black ball player, McIntyre was among the five who followed Jackie Robinson in 1946, demolishing Organized Baseball’s racial barriers and changing the face of baseball forever.

McIntyre went on to play independent ball for many years as the only player of colour on his team and often in the league.

Then there’s this corner talking about how scouting in this country as evolved to the point where many of our players are getting recognized and playing in the minors and majors.

So is this conference lasting one and a half days something you want to miss? No. Step right up. Each presentation will last about 20 minutes followed by 10 minutes or so of questions and discussion.

Admission to the event is $50 and that includes two continental breakfasts and one lunch along with a tour of the hall of fame. You can send your cheque in to care of North at 398 Queen St. E., P.O. Box 3305, St. Marys, N4X 0A6.