Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast

Episode 110: The Best of Times on the Worst of Teams

You know things are bad when the veteran of your team says “hey boss, this team sucks balls.” You also know things are bad when the general manager literally camps out on the field until his team snaps a dreadful losing streak. And you know things are bad when that story specifically not only garners local headlines and news coverage, but goes national and even makes it to the Los Angeles Times and almost to the popular Late Night with David Letterman. But that’s exactly the situation the Medicine Hat Blue Jays found themselves in 1988. We chat with rookie GM Dean Linden about the publicity stunt, but also about how he ended up "getting the keys" to the team and more. And read more on this story on our website.

Episode 109: Jackson Clemett

We first met Vauxhall Academy’s Jackson Clemett in a web story we did following his appearance at the T-12 at Rogers Centre in Toronto just over a year ago. Things haven’t slowed down for the grade 12 student, as in the spring he announced his commitment to the University of Utah. And over the last couple of weeks, he joined fellow Jet Anson McGorman for the Future Stars Series. The Program-15 event has happened each year since 2017, showcasing some of the best high school talent from the US against the World squad. The outfielder soaked in the experience and tried to make his presence felt despite being a late addition to the World team. He made an outstanding grab in centre field, just past the shadow of the Green Monster and got in a few at-bats as well. He’s back home now, in the two-week quarantine, still beaming about the experience.

Episode 108: Joltin' Joe & Marilyn Visit + A Western League Scandal

As the baseball season winds down, we've taken the opportunity to spend more time working on stories from baseball's past in Alberta. We tend to go down rabbit holes and sometimes find interesting stories that go beyond the game. Over the last couple of weeks, we highlighted a trip to Alberta for Hollywood superstar Marilyn Monroe and Yankees legend Joe Dimaggio. We also dove into the controversial end to the 1920 Western Canada League championship series between the Calgary Bronchos and Regina Senators. Ian and Joe talk about the stories and offer some insight into the work that goes into bringing these older stories to life.

Episode 107: Lethbridge Dodgers Manager Gail Henley

September is a big month on our calendar for "On This Date" events. As the summer winds down, regular seasons come to an end, leaving behind playoffs and championship runs. We have highlighted a number of those on social media, but wanted to bring one of the stories to life for the podcast. The Lethbridge Dodgers were a powerhouse in the late-70's and early-80's, capturing Pioneer League titles in 1977, 1979 and 1980. It's no small feat when you consider the high turnover of players the rookie leagues see. The one common denominator during those three seasons in Lethbridge was manager Gail Henley. The Los Angeles Dodgers' director of minor league development led Lethbridge to a 173-105 record in his four seasons (1977, 1979, 1980 and 1983). We chatted with Henley, who is approaching 92 years of age, about his memories of the province and what he's most proud of when he looks back on his life in baseball.

Episode 106: Plans Unveiled For RE/MAX Field

It was back on Episode #93 when we tried to get to the bottom of the situation around RE/MAX Field in Edmonton. We had both Edmonton Prospects owner Pat Cassidy and Baseball Edmonton Inc managing director Dr. Randy Gregg on after the latter signed a ten-year lease with the city. It left the Prospects homeless, but not for long as they released plans to move to Spruce Grove for 2022. But there was a cloud of uncertainty around what Gregg’s group had in mind. Then came Tuesday, with the announcement that the West Coast League was coming to the province for the first time with the new Edmonton Riverhawks. We thought we’d do things a little differently on the podcast this week and do a deep dive on what this all means for the capital region with our own Ian Wilson.

Episode 105: Bennett Freiter & Ty Wevers

There have been a number of Alberta baseball products who have announced commitments to post-secondary schools over the last few months. In an effort to catch up on some of their news, we thought we'd chat with a couple of the newly-announced recruits. We first talk to Dawgs Academy product Bennett Freiter about his decision to head to North Dakota State University. Then we discuss the decision by Vauxhall Academy of Baseball catcher Ty Wevers to head to Cloud County Community College.

Episode 104: Okotoks To Host 2021 WCBL All Star Game

You can circle July 24, 2021 on your calendars. That is when the Western Canadian Baseball League will be hosting its annual All Star Game. The event will also see a change of venue, as the league announced on Wednesday that it will move the game from Edmonton to Okotoks. Ian Wilson sat down with league president Kevin Kvame as well as Dawgs Academy pitching coaches Lou Pote and Jeff Duda to talk about the announcement and what it means for the game in this province and Western Canada.

Episode 103: Prep Baseball Report Alberta

Some of the province's best young baseball talent converged on Spitz Stadium in Lethbridge last week to take part in an open ID camp put on by Prep Baseball Report. The organization has bureaus all over North America, providing coverage of athletes through online profiles, scouting reports, metrics and video. It provides an opportunity for the players to get some exposure, while also giving schools a chance to scout talent from a distance. The Alberta contingent was recently transformed and is now headed up by new scouting director and current Prairie Baseball Academy head coach Todd Hubka. We talked about the team he's put together, the dynamics involved in an event like the one they put on, and we also checked in on what's new at PBA.

Episode 102: Sylvan Lake Gulls Coach Jason Chatwood

Jason Chatwood is involved in almost every aspect of baseball in Central Alberta. So it's fitting that he recently added a new title to his business card: head coach of the expansion Sylvan Lake Gulls of the Western Canadian Baseball League. Chatwood was introduced in a news conference held in late-July and our own Ian Wilson had a chat with him shortly thereafter to talk about being named coach, how the opportunity came to be and what he has in mind as he gets ready for the first season of Gulls baseball.

Episode 101: Foothills Major Baseball Association

We're back! After a couple of weeks off to spend some much-needed time with family and loved ones, we are ramping things back up again on our website and here on the podcast. During the break, Ian and his family went to Glen Hansen Field in Calgary to check out some Foothills Major Baseball Association action. After doing so, we hooked up with FMBA board member and Wolfpack utilityman Curtis Smith to talk about his journey in baseball, the league and what's to come as the season is already winding down.

Episode 100: MLB is Back

Who would have thought we'd amass 100 episodes of the #ADSPodcast? Well here we are. To mark the occasion, Alberta Dugout Stories co-founder and co-contributor Ian Wilson joins us to talk about some of the stories he has been working on, specifically the Western Canadian Baseball League connections to Major League Baseball like Marco Gonzales, Andrelton Simmons and Andrew Kittredge. We also talk about MLB's return and Mike Soroka. That segues into a conversation with Medicine Hat Mavericks' owner and GM Greg Morrison, who almost had the young Calgary phenom in his lineup before he was drafted by the Atlanta Braves. We finish off the podcast with Ian talking about what's to come, including a bit of a break for the podcast as Joe has some pretty big news coming for his family's dugout.

Episode 99: Nolan Rattai

The COVID-19 pandemic not only wiped out the 2020 Western Canadian Baseball League season, but it also delayed the debut of new Medicine Hat Mavericks coach Nolan Rattai. Coming off a stellar playing career including a few years with his hometown squad, the Mavericks' bench boss was also named the assistant general manager during the off-season. And just like he did on the field, Rattai has taken the changing dynamics in stride. We thought we’d catch up with the 23-year-old to talk about his progression from player to front office and now to coach, and what it’s like to keep his baseball career going in his hometown.