Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast

Episode 95: Retro Swag

It’s been tough not being able to talk about live baseball over the last couple of months  and watching the MLB situation unfold has been frustrating to say the least. However, it has provided an opportunity for us to go back into the history books and talk about the days of affiliated baseball in this province. For some fans, they have taken it a step further by seeking out caps and shirts of their favourite teams of yesteryear. In this episode of the podcast, we chat with the founders of C of Dead and Ross Flats Apparel to hear their origin stories and to reminisce about the days of the Calgary Cannons and Edmonton Trappers.

Episode 94: Black Lives Matter

It’s hard to put into words what we are experiencing in the world right now. The death of George Floyd and the subsequent rallies and protests have sparked a movement many in our generation have never seen. While some might think we don’t need to go down this path, we feel silence isn’t the way to go either. It’s a conversation that is happening in every facet of our lives and this sport is no exception, especially as you watch many athletes coming forward with their own stories. Dawgs Academy products LaRon Smith (Spruce Grove) and Jose Nunez (Chestermere) share their own experiences with racism and what the current world's events mean to them.

Episode 93: The Future of RE/MAX Field

Over the last few weeks and, frankly, the last couple of years, a lot of questions have been raised about RE/MAX Field in Edmonton. From rumours of affiliated baseball returning to the provincial capital, to stories being told through different media outlets, many are trying to wrap their heads around what is happening. In hopes of answering those questions, we chat with Edmonton Prospects owner Pat Cassidy about the plan to move to Spruce Grove for the 2022 season after failed attempts to get a new lease signed with the City of Edmonton. One of the people behind the group that did sign a long-term lease, Dr. Randy Gregg, also joins us to talk about his vision and when he plans to approach the Western Canadian Baseball League to get not only a franchise, but to also have the Prospects lift their regional rights to the capital area.

Episode 92: WCBL Season Swiped

"So you're saying there's a chance" was a saying muttered a few times over the last few weeks as the Western Canadian Baseball League pondered what to do this summer in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. After agreeing to postpone the start of the season a few weeks ago, the league's teams gathered again on May 27th to discuss what should happen to the season. Unfortunately, like many other summer events, the WCBL agreed unanimously to cancel the 2020 campaign. “This difficult decision was based on our number one concern, the health and safety needs of all involved,” said league president Kevin Kvame. He joined us after the meeting to discuss the decision, where to go from here, the ongoing situation in Edmonton and we also got a brief update on the Canadian College Baseball Conference.

Episode 91: Baseball Alberta's Tam Rosnau

Earlier this year, Baseball Alberta announced Darren Dekinder was retiring after a ten-year run as executive director. The long-time coach and umpire was applauded widely for his contributions to the game, including overseeing a massive growth in the sport in this province over the last few years. However, it left a major hole at the top of the organization.
Enter: Tam Rosnau. She has an impressive resume, working in sport on a variety of levels. She’s also very familiar with Baseball Alberta, having served as a program coordinator over the couple of years. And talk about getting thrown right into the fire. With the COVID-19 pandemic hanging over everyone’s head, it’s been a game of wait-and-see from a health and safety perspective, which is tough when you’re hoping to plan ahead for a summer on the baseball diamond. We talked about that and much more in this conversation from last week.

Episode 90: Fort Mac Attack

Some exciting news for our province, courtesy of Baseball Canada, late last week. With the cancellation of the 2020 national championships at all levels, attention has now been turned to planning events for future years. And the national body announced the border city, Lloydminster, will host the 13U National Westerns in 2021, while Red Deer will get the men’s nationals and Fort McMurray gets the 18U national championships. Fort Mac will get that same tournament again in 2022 and then the Baseball Canada Cup in 2023. One of the people behind the efforts has been Fort McMurray Minor Baseball Association president Kevin Breen, who joins us as our first guest this week to talk about what went into it, but also the growth of the game in the northern Alberta city. We also check in with one of the Fort McMurray products who has taken his talents stateside. Max Poole has spent the past couple of years pitching for the Mars Hill University Lions. 

Episode 89: Letters of Intent

Despite the wait we’ve all endured to get back onto the ball field, there has been some wonderful news in the baseball world in Alberta over the last few weeks. Several young ballplayers have signed letters of intent to head south of the border to continue playing the game they love at the college level. We sit down to chat with Tyrese Johnson (Dawgs Academy), Maddux Mateychuk (Vauxhall Academy) and Tylor Jans (Prospects Academy) about signing their respective journeys in baseball and where they are heading to next.

Episode 88: WCBL Season Update

There have been a lot of questions surrounding the upcoming summer baseball season in Alberta, across this country and around the world. Will it happen? Can we have a shortened campaign? How willing are players and fans to take part? The Western Canadian Baseball League's board of governors met on Wednesday night to discuss the next steps as we get closer to the originally-scheduled start of the season. We chatted with WCBL president Kevin Kvame about what was decided, as well as what might be in the cards for the Canadian College Baseball Conference and Little League in southern Alberta.

Episode 87: Cannons Retrospective Part 2

Do you remember where you were 35 years ago? Many baseball fans in Calgary will remember their first exposure to the Pacific Coast League Cannons. The Triple-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners had many future Major League Baseball players on the roster when they hit the field. We chatted with Harold Reynolds, Pat Casey and Darnell Coles about their time in our province and what it was like to arrive here for the home opener, only to be welcomed by snow and cold, delaying the contest for a few days. You can also read more about the Cannons' arrival in our new retrospective story here.

Episode 86: Cannons Retrospective Part 1

Believe it or not, it was 35 years ago that the Calgary Cannons made their Pacific Coast League debut. The Pacific Coast League squad would spend the next 18 years at Foothills/Burns Stadium, serving as the triple-A affiliate for the Seattle Mariners, Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago White Sox and Florida Marlins during its tenure. In that first season, there was a lot of excitement across the province, especially in providing another chapter in the Battle of Alberta with the Edmonton Trappers having joined the PCL four years earlier. After a lengthy roadtrip to start the season, the Cannons were ready for their home opener on April 19, 1985. Unfortunately, Old Man Winter had other plans. We talk about that and much more with broadcaster and former Cannons PR guru Mark Stephen.

Episode 85: Jamie Campbell

It’s not just sports fans trying to grapple in this world without games to watch. The broadcasters who bring us those games also have some unexpected time on their hands, as they’re not spending hours at the ballpark or arena for the games, practices or media scrums. They also don’t get to have that guaranteed, daily connection with the fans. Sportsnet’s Jamie Campbell has found a way to bridge that gap, making a simple request on Twitter to get in touch with older fans looking to chat about baseball and just life in general. He took some time this week to talk about the initiative, as well as baseball collectibles and autographs, his memories of broadcasting in Edmonton and a fascinating tale about his first encounter with a young Mike Soroka.

Episode 84: Kelsey Lalor & Nicole Luchanski

Some very cool news over the last few days from Baseball Canada has led to this bonus episode of the #ADSPodcast. The Women's National Team award winners were unveiled late last week and we'd like to congratulate MVP Kelsey Lalor, Ashley Stephenson Award winner Amanda Asay, Futures Award winner Ellie Jespersen and Special Recognition Award winner Nicole Luchanski. You read that right: three of the four award winners are from Alberta. We caught up with Lalor and Luchanski about the honours and to catch up on what they have been up to since the last time we had them on the podcast.