Elliott, on Western tour: Angels, McTavish, Platts, Pote, Vander Meer
Former Junior National Team coach Les McTavish (Lethbridge, Alta.) celebrated the 25th anniversary of his no hitter with the Lethbridge Bulls.
June 25, 2024
By Bob Elliott
Canadian Baseball Network
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. _ It was back-to-back no-hitters for the Lethbridge Bulls earlier this season.
We’re not talking about the likes of Cincinnati Reds’ Johnny Vander Meer, who pitched no-hitters in consecutive starts, but still impressive nonetheless.
Les McTavish (Lethbridge, Alta.) threw out the ceremonial first pitch when the Bulls faced Brooks Bombers on June 5 to commemorate his no-hitter in 1999. Then a Washington State Cougar, McTavish pitched his gem in the Bulls’ third game in franchise history against the Moose Jaw Miller Express
And the next night at Spitz Stadium, LHP Javier De Alejandro, who pitched for the St. Mary’s Rattlers in San Antonio, Tex., threw out the first pitch as a flashback to his no-no in 2023 against Brooks. In three seasons with the Bulls, De Alejandro is 7-8 with a 4.75 ERA. He struck out 99 and walked 34 in 119 1/3 innings in 28 games (making 18 starts).
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Day 1: Wrubleski goes deep as Dawgs win streak ends in Lethbridge
Day II: Grant put down fingers, doesn’t have enough fingers to list his awards
Day III: Zdunich returns to Dawgs, ball departs
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Now, INF Brennan McTavish (Lethbridge, Alta.) and RHP Shaye McTavish (Lethbridge, Alta.) are with the Bulls. Sister Teya McTavish attends Chinook high school and plays for Team Alberta volleyball.
Brothers Brennan, left, and Shaye McTavish share the field as teammates with the Lethbridge Bulls this season.
Brennan McTavish was with the Midland Chaparrals this spring while Shaye McTavish was with the Pikeville Bears.
Papa McTavish was inducted into the Prairie Baseball Academy Hall of Fame last year. McTavish was the first PBA Dawg to receive a scholarship to a United States school. McTavish competed for four years at Washington State as a reliever and has the second-most pitching appearances in school history.
Since 1995-96, well over 200 student-athletes have moved on from the PBA to four-year schools in North America. McTavish was the first coach of the Vauxhall Academy Jets and since the inception in 2006, over 130 players have moved on to play pro and/or collegiate ball. He has had 18 players picked in the major-league draft or sign pro contracts.
McTavish, of the Vauxhall Jets, works with LHP Adam Macko (Stony Plain, Alta.) in the bullpen in 2016.
McTavish scouts for the Philadelphia Phillies but his prime Vauxhall grads include INF Damiano Palmegiani (Surrey, BC) and LHP Adam Macko (Stony Plain, Alta.), both of the Blue Jays’ system.
But back to Vander Meer ... who was pitching for the Cincinnati Reds in 1939. The lefty pitched a no-hitter in a 3-0 win over the Boston Bees before 5,814 fans at Crosley Field. Vander Meer walked three and struck out four. Hall of Fame catcher Ernie Lombardi hit a two-run homer in the sixth, while Wally Berger and Lew Riggs each tripled.
Reds LHP Johnny Vander Meer pitched back-to-back no-nos.
Four days later, Vander Meer faced the Brooklyn Dodgers in the first night game ever at Ebbets Field. He threw another no-hitter in front of 38,748 fans, walking eight and striking out seven. Frank McCormick hit a homer and knocked in three runs, while Berger triple and doubled
So, Vander Meer is the only pitcher in major league history to throw two back-to-back no-hitters.
Brent Platts (Albany, PEI) is the strength and conditioning coach at double-A Frisco in the Texas Rangers organization and received a World Series ring.
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Flashing the bling: Former Okotoks Dawgs INF Brent Platts (Albany, PEI) was given a week off from his job as the strength and conditioning coach with the double-A Frisco RoughRiders, like other minor-league personnel working for the Texas Rangers.
Platts returned to the Dawgs coaches office with a box. He opened it to show the coaches gathered his 2023 World Series ring. Everyone was reluctant to touch it.
I’ve seen a few World Series rings worn by general managers and scouts, as well as ring displays in Cooperstown at the Hall of Fame. I have not seen a Ranger ring, but as expected from looking up video they did it up Texas style: B. I. G.
One side showed a “T” logo with 49 rubies representing the 49 players on the roster against a white background. Spin to the other side and a starkly blue background can be seen featuring 103 sapphires to signify the season’s win total. The 23 red rubies around the “T” commemorate the year the team won their first title and the 11 stones in the letter itself represent the 11 wins on the road that Texas captured en route to the World Series title.
Platts played at the Dawgs Academy from 2019 to 2022 after being recruited by Tyler Hollick. Next, he played two seasons at Southeastern Community College in Iowa.
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Still Squatting: Matthew Benn is umpiring games in the WCBL and we saw him do a good job on the plate in Lethbridge.
C Benn (Teulon, Man.) participated in the 2010 Mizuno Cup, which brought together the best high schoolers from across Canada for a camp at the Rogers Centre.
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Senator Pote: Okotoks Dawgs college manager Lou Pote was with the 1995 Shreveport Captains in the San Francisco Giants system when his phone rang on July 25. He had been a 29th rounder by San Fran in 1990 and accomplished the most of anyone drafted that round as only two others made the majors.
It was Bill Geivett of the Montreal Expos who said:
“I’ve got good news and bad news,” Geivett said.
“Let me have it,” Pote replied.
“Well, you’ve been traded to the Expos, but we’re going to have to take you off our 40-man roster ... so another team may claim you,” Geivett said.
No one claimed Pote, dealt for ex-Jay Luis Aquino, so he moved from Shreveport to the double-A Harrisburg Senators to pitch for manager Pat Kelly, who later managed the triple-A Ottawa Lynx.
Pote was a teammate of future Expos and big leaguers like José Vidro, Israel Alcántara, Tony Barron, Rafael Bournigal and Jolbert Cabrera, plus pitchers Tavo Álvarez, Derek Aucoin (Lachine, Que.), Kirk Bullinger, Rick DeHart, Steve Falteisek, Rod Henderson, Jose Paniagua, Alex Pacheco, Neil Weber and Everett Stull.
And in 1996 ...
“Man that was a great team, the first of the Expos’ four consecutive Eastern League championships,” said Pote.
On the 1996 team was future Hall of Fame Vladimir Guerrero, whose son plays for the Blue Jays, plus Geoff Blum, Rondell White, Brad Fullmer, former Jay manager Charlie Montoyo, Bob Henley, JaRond Stovall, Jalal Leach, Dan Masteller, Rob Lukachyk, Cabrera, Vidro, Alcántara and Barron, plus arms like Shayne Bennett, Denis Boucher (Lachine, Que.), Alex Pacheco, Tommy Phelps, Scott Forster, Mike Thurman, Bullinger, DeHart, Falteisek, Paniagua, Weber, Stull and Pote.
The Expos released Pote in 1997, but he went on to pitch in the St. Louis Cardinals, Oakland A’s, San Diego Padres and Texas Rangers organizations, as well as pitching independent ball for the Edmonton Cracker-Cats, Camden Riversharks and Edmonton Capitals as well as in Taiwan and Mexico.
And we are not forgetting his parts of five seasons in the majors, when he pitched in 129 games, two with Cleveland, the rest with the Angels ... including a 2002 World Series title.
Pote threw his last pitch in anger in 2011. He had six saves in the majors. And I was his seventh on Feb. 2, 2019 at a Dawgs banquet.
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Still in debt: Each trip west we try and say thanks to Okotoks angels in Dawgs trainer Savannah Blakley, photographer Angela Burger and LSL (Life-Saving Lou) Pote. All three saved my life. Twice.
We dine. We laugh. We tell stories.
And I am still in debt to all three, plus fireman Geoff Brown.