Olympic Team Shoots for Gold in Athens

Sunday, August 15, 2004

When Baseball Canada's national senior team qualified for the Olympic Games in Athens last fall, many observers were taken by surprise.

Cuba, a two-time Olympic champion and perennial favorite at international baseball competitions, secured a berth in the Olympics as one of two participants from the Americas region with a first-place finish in a qualification tournament in Panama last November. But also advancing to the 2004 Summer Games by virtue of finishing second was Canada and not the United States, the gold medalist at the last Olympics in Sydney four years ago.

Upon qualifying for the Olympics - the only such appearance for Baseball Canada's national team since baseball was declared a medal sport in 1992 and its first Olympic participation since 1988 in Seoul when baseball was a demonstration event - Baseball Canada personnel moved swiftly to evaluate all talent available in order to field its strongest team ever this summer.

While scrutinizing as many as 100 players from the amateur, collegiate, independent, minor- and major-league ranks, Baseball Canada director of national teams Greg Hamilton and his colleagues recognized the talent already assembled on last fall's qualifying team. When the Olympic team's preliminary roster was announced at a news conference July 15 in Toronto, many of those players from last fall's roster were nominated for a repeat performance this summer.

As Canada prepares for its first game tonight against Chinese Taipei, 18 of the 24 players on the Canadian roster along with the entire coaching and support staffs come from last fall's club, ensuring a chemistry critical to success.

"I've never played on a team with so much chemistry," says first baseman Todd Betts, one of five players on the club playing a team-high fifth year with the national team program. "Everyone gets along. That's the biggest, most important thing a team should have.

"I think this is probably the best team Baseball Canada has put together," he adds. "I'm just happy to be a part of it."

Having strong cohesion has done wonders for this summer's Olympic team. "It's unbelievable how 24 guys can come together for one common goal," says coach Tim Leiper.

"Everyone's always laughing and nobody cares about who's getting more playing time," says Mike Kusiewicz, a left-handed relief pitcher who stresses the refreshing attitude of the Olympic team compared to professional baseball clubs.

"In the pros, everyone's worried about their own deal and it's not really about winning - it's about making it to the big leagues."

Kusiewicz, in particular, is thrilled to be a part of this Olympic team, especially after how his 2004 campaign began.

Released by the Milwaukee Brewers during spring training after he believed he would start the season pitching at the Triple-A level, the 27-year-old was later offered a spot with A-High Desert in the California League, a level where he first played at the age of 18.

"The way the season went was just miserable," he says. "Coming here (to this team) is such an uplifting deal, it's just changed my whole mindset.

"Just coming in and seeing the guys on the first day (of training camp Aug. 1), it was great seeing the guys again."

Regardless of the outcome of the Olympic Games, players say they will remember these moments forever.

"I'd be disappointed because I believe we are capable of winning gold, but it wouldn't tarnish our experience," says Kusiewicz.

"Baseball Canada has put together a fine group of players," adds designated hitter Rob Ducey, a 13-year major-league veteran who played for both the Toronto Blue Jays and Montreal Expos. "I've made some friends I wouldn't have met if not for this."

Despite the appeal of team chemistry, players and staff alike have stayed focused on the team's primary goal of contending for the gold medal in the Olympics.

"Going to a contest expecting to win, I think the team we've put together is capable of winning," says manager Ernie Whitt, who returns for a third tour of duty at the helm of Team Canada, having led Baseball Canada's club to a bronze medal at the 1999 Pan-American Games in Winnipeg - just missing a berth in the 2000 Sydney Games - as well as last fall's dramatic second-place finish in Panama.

"In a short series like (the Olympics), pitching and defence mean a lot and I'm very happy with what we've got," he says, adding that, while the team's hitting has been solid so far in preparation for the Olympics, he does hope for stronger production from the offence while receiving the same impressive pitching and defence displayed in exhibition games in Baltimore, Md., and Nettuno, Italy.

"We're definitely in the top three or four (of eight participating countries), which means the medal round," says Mike Johnson, a starting pitcher who helped bring Canada to the Olympics with two victories in last fall's qualifier, including a complete-game win in the semi-finals against Mexico to clinch one of two spots from the Americas region. "This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get some sort of medal.

"We've got a really strong team. As long as we play to the level we're capable of, I think we're going to do really well," the right-hander says, adding this summer's Olympic experience will forever rank as one of the top highlights in his career regardless of the end result.

Canada will face seven teams in round-robin play at the Olympics, including Italy, the Netherlands, Greece, Japan, Cuba and Australia. The top four teams will advance to the semi-finals to determine the medal game match-ups.

In order for Team Canada to be successful in Athens, players know they must have constant concentration and not get swept away by outside distractions or public predictions. For this reason, while a 4-0 record and first-place finish at a pre-Olympic tournament against four other Olympic teams in Nettuno provided a glimpse of the opposition, it has received little attention from the club.

"You can't let that take you away from your game," says Ducey, who joined Baseball Canada at last year's qualification tournament and returns this season, taking a hiatus from his coaching duties at AA-Harrisburg in the Eastern League.

"Our adrenaline levels will be much higher during the Olympics," he warns. "If you let the emotions get the better of you, you won't stay successful."

"The character we show produces a lot of wins," says Leiper. "Our guys carry themselves with class and dignity."

The manager of the AAA-Ottawa Lynx in the International League, Leiper has enjoyed his time with the national team program since first joining Baseball Canada last fall. Born in the United States, he has completely taken to life as a quasi-Canadian, making Ottawa his home since first joining the Lynx as a coach in 1999.

While his wife Randa and their two children - four-year-old daughter Eleni-Anna and son Jackson, who will turn two in November - are Canadian, Leiper says he plans on applying for his Canadian citizenship later this fall.

"I'm representing the country that's on the front of my uniform," he says. "I'm very proud and honoured to be with this team and to serve Canada - that's where I make my home."

In assessing the caliber of Olympic competition, Leiper stresses one cannot compare international play to the professional levels.

"I think the one mistake you can make is judge against the pros. It's a much different tournament," he says. "You're going to get the top performances from all teams on this stage."

While using the Biblical story of David slaying Goliath to illustrate how anything can happen in international play on any given day, Leiper is quick to point out this Olympic tournament may not feature such characters.

"I don't think this tournament has those roles," he says. "The days of Cuba being a powerhouse may be a thing of the past based on the increased parity in international baseball."

While wanting to stand out from the rest of the countries in competition by winning the gold medal, players also raise other goals for the Olympic team.

"I think it's good to demonstrate to Canada and other countries that we can play the game," says Betts. "I don't think we get as much respect as Canadian players."

"Nobody expected us to qualify," adds Kusiewicz. "This is a huge opportunity for Canada."

Of course, all members of the Canadian Olympic baseball team remain steadfast in their quest for gold in Athens.

"That's why I'm here," says Stubby Clapp, a veteran second baseman on the team relied on for his tenacity and sparkplug-style of play. "That's been my dream for a long time. Things don't happen if you don't have dreams."

As Canada begins its quest for ultimate success at the Athens Games tonight against Chinese Taipei, the team senses victory is within its grasp. All it has to do is seize it.

"I can taste the metallic in the medal when I bite it to make sure it's real," Clapp says. "Right now, that's all I live, eat, sleep and drink - a medal in the Olympics."

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