ST.MARY’S, ON – In only his second full season in the Major Leagues, Russell Martin of East York, Ontario was named the 2007 Tip O’Neill Award winner, presented annually to the Canadian player judged to have excelled in individual achievement and team contribution while adhering to baseball's highest ideals. The 24-year-old had a stellar season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He hit .293 with 19 home runs, 87 RBI, 32 doubles and 21 stolen bases in 151 games. The catcher was also selected as a starter for the National League in the All-Star Game in San Francisco and was also awarded his first Gold Glove Award, as well as his first Silver Slugger Award. Larry Walker is the only other Canadian to win a Gold Glove Award, receiving the award seven times. Walker (three) and Justin Morneau (one) are the only other Canadians to receive Silver Slugger Awards. “I’m simply overwhelmed,” says Martin in an interview. “I’d trade this and my other individual awards for a few more wins and a trip to the post-season, but I do play hard and I play with passion, and obviously people appreciate that.” Martin joins an exclusive group of Canadians to receive the award, including Larry Walker who has won the award nine times, Justin Morneau, Jason Bay, Ryan Dempster, Corey Koskie and Terry Puhl. Past winners of the James "Tip" O'Neill Award: 1984 - Terry Puhl1985 - Dave Shipanoff1986 - Rob Ducey1987 - Larry Walker1988 - Kevin Reimer1989 - Steve Wilson1990 - Larry Walker1991 - Daniel Brabant1992 - Larry Walker1993 - Rob Butler1994 - Larry Walker1995 - Larry Walker1996 - Jason Dickson1997 - Larry Walker1998 - Larry Walker1999 - Jeff Zimmerman2000 - Ryan Dempster2001 - Corey Koskie & Larry Walker2002 - Eric Gagné & Larry Walker2003 - Eric Gagné2004 - Jason Bay2005 - Jason Bay2006 - Justin Morneau
OTTAWA, ON – Ever since the inception of the Rally Cap program in 2006, there are more and more kids participating in baseball. The towns of Vaughan in Ontario and Beloeil and la Mauricie in Québec have adopted the grass roots program in their community and it has helped them tap in to a new resource. “The way we can implement a player development program into our grass roots level and the fact that there is a bit of a reward for achieving the different levels. The incentive to play well and to get better is magnified and it gives them something to strive for,” says John Milton, Coordinator for the Rally Cap program in Vaughan. The Rally Cap program is a nation-wide initiative meant to introduce better tools for players and coaches in order to enhance their first experience with the game of baseball. “The reactions we get about the program have been positive,” says Milton. “The benefits have been shown just by the increase of participation. The kids really want those caps.” The impact that the program has had, especially in Québec has been significant. Baseball often finds itself in direct competition with soccer. In Beloeil, there have even been discussions by city officials to take down the baseball diamonds and replace them with soccer fields. But the Rally Cap program has helped renew interest in baseball. “It has resurrected the game in our region,” says Sylvain Joubert, President of the Baseball Association of Beloeil. The Baseball Association of Beloeil has documented eight factors as to why the Rally Cap program has been so popular in the region. Those include learning by playing and having fun, Development of the player abilities and confidence at their own rhythm and linking the parents with the child’s baseball development. “Rather than fighting against soccer, which is very popular in our region, I presented it as something that was complimentary,” says Joubert of his methods of implementing the program. “When I started in baseball at the novice level, there were 12 kids registered in the region. Once we started with Rally Cap, in three years we went from 12 to 76,” says Marc Hallée, Coordinator of the Rally Cap program in Beloeil. One of the advantages of Rally Cap says Hallée is the way an exercise can be modified without hindering the objective. “We would place targets on pylons and the kids would more or less pass the level, but they were starting to lose interest. I consulted one of the parents on how we could change that and she came up with posters of cartoon characters that the kids loved and recognized. The kids loved it and the best part was to see how they would improve in their mechanics with less effort.” The region of la Mauricie will implement the program this coming season and the President of the Baseball Association of la Mauricie, Philippe Tomlinson hopes to see similar results in his region as there have been in others. “The bottom line is this can save baseball in our community,” says Tomlinson. “The game’s infrastructure in the region was dying and these programs (Rally Cap and Winterball) can revive it.” The growth of baseball in Vaughan, Beloeil and la Mauricie are examples how the Rally Cap program can make a difference. In any region anywhere across the country can take advantage of the program. To find out more about Rally Cap, click on the Development link on our website and click on Rally Cap Initiation Program to see what Rally Cap has to offer.
OTTAWA, ON – Baseball Canada announced today, it will hold its Annual National Teams Awards Banquet and Fundraiser January 12th, 2008 at the Renaissance Toronto Hotel at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ont. Click to see the 2008 Banquet Program and Registration form. The Banquet, which will take place in the Northern Lights Ballroom, was first held in 2003 and serves as the associations primary fundraiser for national team programs. Various Baseball Canada alumni and current national team players attend the banquet each year, along with several professional and amateur baseball executives and dignitaries. “This event is special in that it brings together so many of our highly valued alumni, corporate partners and friends,” says Baseball Canada Coach & Director of National Teams Greg Hamilton. “It’s a great opportunity for everyone to get together and celebrate Canadian baseball excellence in an environment which helps promote future success on the world baseball stage.” Throughout the evening, Baseball Canada will honour its national teams and players both past and present, including those who represented Canada at the World Junior Qualifier and the IBAF World Cup. Baseball Canada will award the following honours at this year's event to: Phillippe Aumont, Junior National MVP Award Matt Rogelstad, Stubby Clapp Award Ryan Dempster, Alumni Award Paul Spoljaric, Alumni Award Russell Martin, Special Achievement Award Jeff Francis, Special Recognition Award Paul Godfrey, Special Recognition Award Larry Walker, Wall of Excellence In addition to the awards portion of the gala, a silent auction featuring several popular items will take place. Tickets to the event, which will be emceed by Toronto Blue Jays radio broadcaster Jerry Howarth for the sixth straight year, will be available for $300 per person, $2,400 for tables of 8 or $3,000 for tables of 10. Baseball Canada has registered charitable status. For more information, please contact Baseball Canada Coach & Director of National Teams Greg Hamilton at (613) 748-5606, ext. 225 or via e-mail at ghamilton@baseball.ca. Those who are interested are also encouraged to consult the registration form found on the link provided above and submit by fax at 613-748-5767.For media interested in attending, please contact André Cormier, Manager of Media & Public Relations at (613) 748-5606, ext. 221 or via e-mail at media@baseball.ca.
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