Bob Elliott, Editor in Chief

Bob Elliott founded the Canadian Baseball Network in 1999. Born in Kingston, Ont., he covered both the Montreal Expos (1978-1986) and the Toronto Blue Jays (1987-2016). He won the J.G. Taylor Spink award presented in Cooperstown at the Hall of Fame ceremonies in 2012. The award was re-named the BBWAA Career Excellence Award in 2021. Since 2009, he has been induced into five Halls of Fame: Ottawa-Nepean Canadians inaugural class, Okotoks Dawgs inaugural class, Kingston and District Sports, Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in St. Marys and Baseball Ontario HOF. He also has been honored with a career achievement award by Sports Media Canada in 2008, the Jack Graney award, presented to a media member making contributions to the game by Canadian Hall of Fame in 2011, the OBA President’s Award in 2012, a lifetime achievement by the Premier League of Ontario in 2015 and the Brian Williams Award by Ontario Sports Hall of Fame, 2016. Elliott did not win for his mumbling. He has written four books, the last from the “If These Walls Could Talk” series on the Toronto Blue Jays.


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Ryan Isaac, Managing Partner

Ryan Isaac has been with the Canadian Baseball Network for the past 9 years working diligently behind the scenes. From the initial re-design of the website to its current form, Ryan plays an instrumental role in day to day operations. Ryan grew up in Toronto, playing AAA hockey but has always been a dedicated home team fan, which includes the Toronto Blue Jays and of course the Toronto Maple Leafs. After McMaster University, he pursued his dream to become a commercial pilot. These days, he splits his time between flying a Boeing 737NG/MAX and working with the legend Bob Elliott here at CBN.


Kevin GLEW, Editor/ Writer

Regaled with stories about Mickey Mantle by his father, Ralph, when he was growing up, Kevin Glew developed a keen interest in baseball at a young age in Dorchester, Ont. playing against teams from Vienna, Straffordville, St. Thomas, Stratford, Harrietsville, Belmont, London and Sarnia. His interest blossomed into a full-blown fascination after enduring a bone-chilling wind on the bench seats down the right-field line at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto on Oct. 5, 1985 to witness the Blue Jays secure their first division title. Though Dale Murphy was his favourite player, the teenage Glew played more like a poor man's Spike Owen - another of his childhood heroes whom he later had the opportunity to interview. When he realized he had no shot at a big league career, Glew focussed his efforts on becoming a sportswriter. During his tenure in the journalism program at Carleton University in Ottawa from 1992 to 1996, he watched the Triple-A Ottawa Lynx in their glory years and vividly recalls a young Matt Stairs suiting up for the Lynx.With few jobs in sports journalism available upon graduation, Glew entered the financial services industry. But after eight years of writing about RRSPs, Glew decided it was time to write about RBIs again. Since leaving his position in the financial sector, he has had articles published in Baseball Digest, Baseball America and the London Free Press. He has also contributed to CBC Sports, SLAM! Sports, Rogers Sportsnet and MLB.com. In June 2010, he started a Canadian baseball history blog called Cooperstowners in Canada. You can read his blog here. He is available for paid writing gigs and can be reached atkevin.glew@sympatico.ca


Matt Betts, Lead Writer

Matt Betts was born in Brantford, Ontario in 1992. From a very young age, he loved all things baseball ... but even more, all things Canadian. His baseball career began with the Brantford Junior Red Sox, followed by three years (2008 thru 2010) with the Ontario Terriers program of the PBLO - twice winning the Most Proficient Pitcher award. The past four years he pitched at the University of West Alabama of the Gulf South Conference – twice earning Most Dedicated Player honours. Summer baseball experience includes pitching for the Hamilton Cardinals, and the Licking County Settlers (2013 Great Lakes League champs) and again this summer the Hamilton Cardinals. As an Integrated Marketing Major at UWA, he wrote extensively for the university newspaper, with a focus on baseball. His lifelong dedication and love for the game is indisputable, but his passion for sports writing and broadcasting/analysis has grown with each passing year. There is something very satisfying about “digging a little deeper” to reveal the “story within the story.” After four years of life in the United States, he is thrilled to be back home in Canada, ready to cover and promote Canadian sports and players.

 

Tyson Shushkewich

Growing up in Alberta, Tyson’s love of baseball dates back to when he was ten years old and his father took him to his first Blue Jays game at the Rogers Centre.

After graduating from Dalhousie in 2017 with a degree in Environmental Sciences, Tyson found his passion for writing about baseball in 2019 and started contributing to numerous websites and outlets including NSR Media, Call to the Pen, Jays Journal (Co-Editor), Just Baseball, and The Jays Nation.

During the regular season, Tyson can be found on various radio outlets including Sportsnet 590 the Fan and TSN 1050 and has been a featured guest on numerous podcasts including The Dynes Sports Podcast, The Smitty and Middy Show, Jay Bird Watching, and the Respect and Praise Show.

When he is not writing articles, he is usually hiking in the forests of Ontario, watching Blue Jays games in the 500 level, or going on adventures with his wife and beagle-mix Archie.

Tyson is excited to contribute to the Canadian Baseball Network and continue covering Canadian baseball topics.



J.P. Antonacci, Lead Writer

Once his Little League opponents learned to hit his decidedly un-Halladay-like sinker, J.P. Antonacci's dream of becoming a big league starter took a back seat to his love of journalism. J.P. started writing for The Varsity at the University of Toronto and stayed in newspapers after graduation, taking a job as a cub reporter in Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland, before postings in Kemptville, Brantford, and the GTA. For four years he was the editor of Norfolk News on the north shore of Lake Erie, winning back-to-back Ontario Community Newspaper Association awards for best editorial in the province, among other writing and photography accolades. He is the published author of two non-fiction books, including a history of his childhood church in Etobicoke, and every autumn writes inductee biographies for the Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame. A profile of fellow Etobian Jerry Howarth in 2015 prompted an introduction to Bob Elliott and the start of a happy association with CBN, which has given J.P. a wonderful new perspective on the game he’s always loved. When not performing in amateur theatre productions or with his pop-rock band The Shrubberies, J.P. can be found listening to the Blue Jays or hiking through the sprawling rural county he calls home. Story ideas and freelance writing proposals are welcome at jp.antonacci@gmail.com or on Twitter @jpantonacci.

Henry Wright, Instagram Manager

Henry is a lifelong sports fan, who despite growing up in a time where there wasn’t much to cheer for, has always loved the Blue Jays and the game of baseball. A 2024 graduate of the Sport Media program at Toronto Metropolitan University, he’s been writing about sports for a number of years now, with his work featured on different sites, including Jays Journal, Bare Knuckle Nation, and The Morning Skate. As the Instagram Manager for Canadian Baseball Network, Henry posts daily content on the Canadian baseball scene, from the Blue Jays to amateur ball and everything in between. His grandparents Dorothy and George Morton were pillars of the Kingston community: Dorothy was a respected player on the card-playing circle (especially bunco) while George ran the Coca-Cola plant. They had three daughters: Patsy Nekus, Nancy Lawrence and Linda Wright, Henry’s mother ... which makes him the right man for the job.


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