January 9, 2020

By Melissa Verge

Canadian Baseball Network

A backyard baseball field in a small prairie city turns into a family’s sanctuary every summer.

Morris Mott and his two grandchildren spend hours outside practising the fundamentals of the sport on the makeshift diamond he created in Brandon, Manitoba.

It’s one of the ways the 73-year-old, who is also the president of the Manitoba Baseball Hall of Fame, stays involved with the game.

“I was always interested [in the sport],” Mott said. “All I can say is that I enjoy watching baseball, I enjoy still playing baseball.”

In June, Mott will be one of seven individuals recognized for their contributions to baseball in the province when he’s inducted into the hall of fame.

“It’s just a recognition of longevity,” Mott said, who was instrumental in setting up the first hall of fame banquet in Manitoba.

“Some of the directors started to say, ‘jeez before he dies we better put Morris Mott in,’” he added with a laugh.

Mott got involved with the project because of his passion for sports. He played baseball growing up, and was heavily involved in hockey, playing in the NHL for the California Golden Seals and in the WHA with the Winnipeg Jets. He also represented Canada at the 1968 Olympic games.

The hall of fame serves an important purpose to players, coaches, umpires and baseball fans, he said.

“We publicize - if you want to call it that - the history of baseball in this province. And I would say that as a combined spectator sport and participant sport, baseball is the most important sport in the history of Manitoba.”

The hall of fame was started up by Manitoba baseball volunteer Gladwyn Scott back in 1997. Scott called a few other well known sports volunteers in the province and asked if they would be on his board of directors, Mott said. In 1995 he helped with the organizational work for their first banquet, which was held two years later.

“I knew a lot of the people [involved] were very capable people, that together we would try and accomplish some good things,” he said. “And that’s exactly what happened.”

Throughout the years, one of his tasks was to prepare the program with the biographies of all the inductees. The programs were handed out to people attending the banquet. In 2014, he took on the role of president with the organization, a position he’s been in ever since - but will be stepping down from later this year.

“You’ve got people who come in behind you who are well qualified,” he said. “[Dan Giesbrecht, the incoming president] he’s very capable of taking over the position.”

Also among the 2020 inductees are Ron Arnst and Andrew Halpenny of Winnipeg, Man., Les Charles of Didsbury, Alta., John Kroeker of Stonewall, Man., Kalam Paull of La Salle, Man., and Blaine Fortin of Lundar, Man.

Former Blue Jays prospect Fortin also to be inducted

Tall, strong and dedicated. As a young baseball player with big league dreams, those qualities helped him stand out on the field, Fortin said. He was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays before he finished high school, and spent three years playing in the minors. It was an invaluable time in his life, he said.

“The challenge and the travel was a really good experience for me,” Fortin said. “Getting to see all parts of the States and Canada, as well and playing against players from all over North America and Mexico and the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Australia - you get to meet a lot of different people.”

In January of 1997 he had the opportunity to catch for Roger Clemens at what was then known as the Skydome in Toronto. They called him down after they signed Clemens, Fortin said, and he met him and his family. Nicknamed “Rocket” Clemens had 4,672 strikeouts over the course of his 24-season MLB career.

That same year he attended big league spring training, meeting players he had grown up watching on TV.

“You’re meeting guys like Joe Carter, Ed Sprague, Pat Hentgen...that was a pretty cool experience.”

Although Fortin is mostly finished with his playing days - save for a few old timer games, he said, he’s been sharing his knowledge of the game with adults and youth in Manitoba for many years.

“Everytime I can get out and help a kid out with catching, hitting, the time flies,” he said. ‘Working with the kids, talking baseball with coaches, you know, it keeps me happy.”

Fortin coached a 15U Manitoba prospects team a few years back at a weekend tournament against Team Saskatchewan and Team Alberta. More recently in 2018 he coached the 16U Manitoba provincial girls team at their tournament in Bedford, N.S.

“It was a really good experience for myself and the girls,” he said. “They seemed to react to my coaching very well and [I] kinda grew attached to them.”

Fortin also stays busy with the sport working as a Baseball Canada certified instructor and coach facilitator. During the past six years, he’s helped train many coaches in the province.

“I find that I have a lot of knowledge of the game and I can contribute in a few ways,” he said. “It’s something I love and it’s something that I look forward to every summer.”