Author: Ben Fraser

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Sports

Preseason baseball reminds Montreal of past love

baseball
The Blue Jays take part in training prior to their game at the Olympic Stadium. Photo by Ben Fraser.

Mayor Plante supports a project to bring a team back, but with no public money

As the Toronto Blue Jays concluded their preseason at the Olympic Stadium on March 26, Montreal once again showed why the MLB has a future in Quebec.

The crowd of 22,502 fans witnessed the Blue Jays defeat the Milwaukee Brewers 2-0. The game was a great defensive and pitching battle, and in the bottom of the seventh inning with the bases loaded, second baseman Eric Sogard’s single scored Toronto’s only two runs.

Mayor Valérie Plante poses with a signed Expos cap following a press conference. Photo by Ben Fraser.

In the grand scheme of the game, the score served only as the backdrop to the ever-increasing interest in professional baseball’s return to the city. While the attendance was relatively low compared to past games, the game was on a Tuesday night, with the Canadiens playing at the Bell Centre at the same time.

Both games in the Olympic Stadium demonstrated Montreal’s love for baseball. During a spectacular opening ceremony that showcased the past, appearances were made by former Expos Javier Vasquez, Quebec-born pitcher Dennis Boucher, all-time Expos wins leader Steve Rogers, and former manager Felipe Alou.

“It’s always great to be back here with former players and teammates and people that I haven’t seen for years,” said Steve Rogers, who pitched for the Expos from 1973 to 1985. “This is the real deal. You can start to translate the interest in Montreal [to] the ability to support a team. It’s really remarkable.”

The ceremony also featured appearances from local amateur baseball organizations. Since the Blue Jays began their annual series at the Olympic stadium in 2014, the MLB has noticed this passion. A group of investors led by businessman Stephen Bronfman has expressed interest in building a new stadium for the team at the Peel Basin.

Mayor Valérie Plante was thrilled to see the games were a success. “People know I’m not the most knowledgeable person about baseball with its scoring and historic players, but I’m passionate about sports, and I understand sports’ role in people’s lives,” said Plante in a press conference during Tuesday’s game.

Plante and the city will support the ongoing project to get a team back to Montreal, so long as it is privately funded. “Now the groups aren’t asking for a cent, so we’re going to support them, as long as Montrealers don’t give money directly,” she added.    

With another successful trip, the Blue Jays now move on to the regular season, and baseball fans in Montreal are left wondering; are serious strides going to be made to bringing baseball back to Montreal? Until then, many Montrealers will be cheering for the Blue Jays, and waiting to cheer for their Expos once again.

Main photo by Ben Fraser

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Sports

Roy Halladay was a role model for Canadian pitchers

Graphic by @spooky_soda

Former Blue Jay goes into Hall of Fame as one of the greatest in franchise history

The 2019 Baseball Hall of Fame class was announced on Jan. 22. Among the legendary names that will be inducted in Cooperstown, New York in July, one name stands out to Canadian baseball fans.

The late Roy “Doc” Halladay (1977-2017) spent 11 of his 15 full seasons as a Toronto Blue Jay, winning 148 games. He also won a Cy Young Award as the American League’s best pitcher in 2003. He made an impact whether he was playing or not.

Jackson Morgan, a pitcher for the Concordia Stingers baseball team, looked up to Halladay. “He was a huge role model for me growing up,” Morgan said. “What made him a role model wasn’t necessarily his performance, but his [behaviour] on and off the field.”

On the field, Halladay was known for an assortment of pitches, and his command of the strike zone was one of his most notable skills. Growing up playing baseball, Morgan learned how to create more movement on his pitches by watching Halladay play. “I can remember watching him dominate and thinking to myself: ‘If I was a batter, I’d be helpless as well,’” Morgan said.

Halladay’s impact on Canadian baseball fans is in the same scope as former Blue Jays Joe Carter, Jimmy Key and fellow Hall of Fame member Roberto Alomar, who were the Blue Jays’s first stars. Danny Gallagher, a former reporter who covered the Montreal Expos, believes Halladay is one of the most successful Blue Jays of all-time. Like Morgan, Gallagher also believes Halladay had an impact on youth players in the country.
The Blue Jays weren’t a good team from 1998 to 2009, when Halladay was pitching for them. The Jays never made the playoffs, despite masterful performances from Halladay. Morgan wished that Halladay would have seen some better chances to win.

“I only wish they had a better supporting cast for Doc during his tenure with the Jays,” Morgan said. Halladay only played playoff baseball twice, in 2010 and in 2011, as a player for the Philadelphia Phillies. There, he continued to dominate, and in 2010 against the Cincinnati Reds, he became only the second pitcher after Don Larsen in 1956 to throw a no-hitter in the playoffs.   
Players inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame choose which of their former team’s logos is inscribed on the cap of their plaque. Halladay’s family requested to not have a logo on his plaque. Despite this, Gallagher said he will be forever linked with Toronto baseball.

“The Blue Jays will always consider Doc one of the greats in franchise history,” Gallagher said. Even without the Blue Jays logo on Halladay’s plaque, his legacy as a Blue Jay will remain on the minds of all Canadian baseball fans.

The same was echoed by Morgan, as what he saw from Halladay’s play as a young baseball player will be forever remembered. “His legacy will live on forever. I’m thankful he played for a Canadian team and young Canadian pitchers like myself had exposure to such an influential and important baseball figure,” Morgan said.

Main graphic by @spooky_soda.

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Sports

Colour commentary: Baseball Hall of Fame should be reserved for only the elite

Sports Editor Nicholas Di Giovanni gives his take on his latest in sports with his weekly Colour Commentary

Why the Hockey Hall of Fame should replicate its baseball counterpart

To make the hall of fame in any given sport, an athlete needs to have a greatness and elite talent not many others have. In many cases, the hall of fame has abandoned the vision of the very best, and has become the hall of the very good.

This is evident with the Hockey Hall of Fame (HHOF). Since 1959, the HHOF has inducted new members every year, including some controversial figures like Eric Lindros in 2016 and Paul Kariya in 2017. While both were fantastic hockey players throughout their respective careers, some argue they didn’t produce Hall-of-Fame-worthy numbers. Granted, both were plagued by many injuries. Despite their setbacks, Lindros and Kariya are two of the few forwards, not known for their defensive play, who did not reach 1,000 points in their careers.

In contrast, the National Baseball Hall of Fame (BBHOF) has been much more selective when inducting players. The Baseball Writers’ Association of America submits their votes every year, and a player is only inducted if he receives 75 per cent of votes. Since the first class of members in 1936, which included Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb, the BBHOF has generally been reserved for the best. Cooperstown, New York, the home of the Hall of Fame, has over 300 inductees added throughout its nearly 83 year existence, and as the game has changed, so have the standards for induction.

Granted, the BBHOF has been mired in controversy surrounding the absence of several noticed stars of the game, like all-time home run leader Barry Bonds, as well as Sammy Sosa and Roger Clemens for their alleged use of performance enhancing drugs. This proves the BBHOF will typically only induct players who’ve truly earned their spots as legends. With the most recent class featuring Harold Baines and Lee Smith, the standards remain the same.

The HHOF usually has a class of two to five NHL players each year, with the 2018 class featuring Willie O’Ree, Martin Brodeur, and Martin St-Louis. The BBHOF has had year-long stretches when no members have been inducted, specifically because there have been no worthy players up for induction.

The 2019 BBHOF class has several worthy members up for induction, such as all-time saves leader Mariano Rivera, and the late former Blue Jay and two time Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay. The BBHOF must maintain its standards, and the HHOF would be wise to alter their standards of admission. The hall of fame in any sport is reserved for the best of the best, and it must be kept that way.

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Music

No Holiday for Green Day

Green Day’s pop-punk transition was iconic.

Why Green Day powers through a 30-year career

In terms of 1990s and 2000s punk rock, several names emerge as the giants of the decade. One of those bands was Green Day. The trio of Billie Joe Armstrong, Tré Cool, and Mike Dirnt dominated the 90s and parts of the 2000s, and remain to this day one of the most influential punk bands in existence. Despite this, many in music found that as time wore on, Green Day abandoned their traditional punk style and transitioned into an alt/pop-punk sound. Even with their massive success, Green Day’s change of style comes with the idea that they’ve lost their place, often seen as overrated. This could not be more wrong. Green Day, along with their transition into other genres, remain one of the best groups of the era.

Green Day debuted in 1990 with 39/Smooth, but became known for their second studio album Kerplunk. They rose to prominence with Dookie in 1994, one of the greatest albums of the last 25 years. With the release of 1995’s Insomniac, and 1997’s Nimrod, the band experienced rapid success. However, with 2000’s Warning, the doubts about Green Day’s change of tone started to emerge. In his review of the album, Greg Kot wrote in Rolling Stone that “The problem is, (Armstrong) can’t muster the same excitement for his more mature themes.” When Green Day came into the spotlight after a four year hiatus, and American Idiot was released in 2004, they hit gold with the most successful album in the band’s history.

The problems began to arise after American Idiot and 2009’s 21st Century Breakdown, which again, was both a critical and commercial success. “If it’s a continual surprise that Green Day are the ones to pick up the torch and run with it, that’s part of what makes 21st Century Breakdown so fresh and vital,” wrote Rob Sheffield in Rolling Stone. The band’s release of the critical and commercial failure of the Uno… Dos… Tré! compilation album in 2012, and Armstrong’s drinking sent Green Day into a downward spiral that still plagues the band, to a certain extent. After the fallout of the albums, in an article for Billboard magazine, Jason Lipshutz wrote, “With all three members now in their 40s, however, is this really the version of Green Day we want to return?” For many, this was the resounding thought, as Green Day mostly disappeared until October of 2016. The politically charged, “Revolution Radio,” brought Green Day back into the spotlight.

Despite Green Day’s slip ups, they are still producing good music, and should be revered as one of punk rock/pop music’s greats. Revolution Radio marked a key return to form for the band, and one that signals good things for the group. Green Day has certainly stepped away from their peak content in the early to late 90s, but the band is far from overrated. They are still a voice of the generation that grew up with them and will continue to be a presence in their genre for as long as they continue to make music.

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Sports

Blue Monday preserves rich Expos history

Danny Gallagher holds his new book, Blue Monday, which will be published Oct. 13. Photo courtesy of Danny Gallagher.

Author Danny Gallagher explores how 1981 team came close to history

The history of the Montreal Expos is filled with hope, triumph and heartbreak. In the 35 years that the Expos called Montreal home, they only made the playoffs once, in 1981. In Blue Monday: The Expos, the Dodgers, and the Home Run That Changed Everything, author Danny Gallagher tells the story of one of the most infamous days in Canadian baseball history, a moment that set the course of the Expos franchise for years to come.

On Monday, Oct. 19, 1981, in the final game of the National League Championship Series (NLCS), Expos pitcher Steve Rogers gave up a ninth-inning home-run to Los Angeles Dodgers centre fielder Rick Monday, effectively winning the game and the NLCS. For Expos fans, this game, and that home run, is known as “Blue Monday.” The Expos franchise didn’t return to the playoffs until 2012, when they were the Washington Nationals.
For someone who wasn’t around to see that game in 1981, the term “Blue Monday” means almost nothing. But in his book, Gallagher portrays the emotion fans felt that day, seeing a heartbreak for the Expos and Canadian baseball.

The book starts during the 1977 off-season, when the Expos came very close to signing future baseball Hall of Famers Reggie Jackson and Jim “Catfish” Hunter. Gallagher traces the path of the Expos from that off-season, and explains how the 1978-80 Expos teams came up short making the playoffs. Reading how close the Expos came to qualifying every year only amplifies the heartbreak that unfolded on that October day.

Gallagher interviewed Expos players such as Rogers and third baseman Larry Parrish, as well as former owner Charles Bronfman. He tells the story through their voices, and thus provides an in-depth look that peaks the interest of any baseball fan, not just of the Expos. Blue Monday showcases how a baseball team builds itself, through the drafting and development of young stars such as future Hall of Famers Gary Carter and Tim Raines. You see how management impacts a team, and the decisions that can make or break them.

Blue Monday is a triumph in preserving the history of the Expos, and tells the story of how a team muddled in mediocrity for the vast majority of its history came inches away from baseball glory. Gallagher maintains that, if Montreal beat Los Angeles, the eventual 1981 World Series champions, they would have beaten the New York Yankees in the World Series. Any baseball fan should add this to their book collection.

Main photo courtesy of Danny Gallagher.

Categories
Sports

Stingers men’s rugby finish second consecutive undefeated regular season

The Stingers men’s rugby team hasn’t lost a game since 2016. Photo by Hannah Ewen.

Hosts beat Gee-Gees 52-3 in snowy game at Concordia

The Concordian Stingers men’s rugby team beat the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees 52-3 at Concordia Stadium, Saturday night. This is the second consecutive year the Stingers finish the regular season with an undefeated record.

Heavy snowfall and a temperature of just two degrees made conditions tough for the Stingers, but third-year fly half Moritz Wittmann knew the weather would be more of a mental battle than a physical one.

“You’ve got to keep it tight,” Wittmann said. “You don’t try and make any big passes or fancy plays. You have to keep moving, bounce up and down, run everywhere,” he added. “It’s an incentive to work harder.”

The Stingers will now play the Vert et Or in the semi-final. Photo by Hannah Ewen.

The Stingers started off strong, as they forced the Gee-Gee’s into a turnover off the beginning kick, and began to show Ottawa why they haven’t lost in conference play since 2016.

After the Gee-Gees stopped them from scoring for a few minutes, the Stingers eventually broke through for a try in the 11th minute, and quickly followed it up in the 15th, to make it 14-0. The Gee-Gees made a push towards the Stingers’s goal, but after a lengthy stand on the goal line, Concordia held Ottawa to a kick conversion, their only points of the night.

The Stingers’s physical play was on display, just as head coach Craig Beemer hoped. “It’s part of the game plan; we needed to make a physical statement,” Beemer said. As the weather conditions became a factor, Beemer knew that his players would be able to control it. “When it comes to rising to challenges, there’s good on-field leadership that really steps up.”

After another try late in the first half, the Stingers ended the half with a 19-3 lead. As the night went on, the weather began to worsen, and that’s when the hosts began to take advantage of a very cold environment. Several large carries by Concordia began to break down Ottawa’s defensive effort, and broke through for five tries in the second half.

Despite the undefeated regular season, Beemer still maintained there is work to be done in order to win another championship. “We’ve got a lot of returning guys from last year’s squad,” Beemer said. “They know the size of the challenge that is coming, and that the quality of the league has improved significantly from last year. [There will be] no complacency from these guys,” he added. “They were asked to take a step forward and dominate some collisions, and make a statement going into the playoffs.”

Wittman mentioned that, in order to see that same success in the upcoming playoffs, they need to take it one step at a time. Last season, the Stingers lost both games at nationals, which aren’t part of U Sports. Wittman said they use their loss as motivation: “We’re definitely more hungry. Other teams are coming for us.”
The Stingers will try to defend their championship title when they play the Université de Sherbrooke Vert et Or on Nov. 3 at 2 p.m, in the semi-final.

Main photo by Hannah Ewen. 

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Sports

Danny Gallagher: sports journalism hasn’t changed

Danny Gallagher holds his new book, Blue Monday, which will be published Oct. 13. Photo courtesy of Danny Gallagher.

Former Expos reporter talks new book set to be released Oct. 13

The Montreal Expos remain a prominent team in the rich history of Canadian baseball. They were was once regarded as Canada’s team—from their first season in 1969 until the Toronto Blue Jays joined the MLB in 1977. The Expos left Montreal in 2004 for Washington, D.C. and significantly changed the way Montrealers viewed baseball for years to come.

While the Expos still called Olympic Stadium home, Danny Gallagher was one of the people behind the team’s media coverage as a beat writer for the Montreal Daily News. Once the Expos became the Washington Nationals, he remained an active figure in the preservation of the team’s history. Gallagher has written five books about the Expos, including his most recent project Blue Monday: The Expos, The Dodgers and the Home Run That Changed Everything.
Gallagher grew up in Douglas, Ont., and played adult baseball for the team, appropriately named the “Douglas Expos.” He began to see what having a competitive MLB team in Canada in the late 1970s did for the sport.

“In 1979, that’s when baseball fever in Montreal really started to [pick up steam],” Gallagher said. “Fans started to realize they had a good team to cheer for.”

When it was all but confirmed that the Expos would leave, Gallagher said Montreal entered a period of serious disinterest in the sport from 2004 to 2012. When Expos Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter died in 2012, it brought attention to the team again. Gallagher credits Warren Cromartie, an Expos outfielder from 1974-83, for reigniting interest after Carter’s death.

“[Cromartie] grabbed the bull by the horns,” Gallagher said. In 2012, Cromartie created the Montreal Baseball Project, a group aiming to bring a team back to Montreal, and held alumni events for the 1981 and 1994 Expos teams. The 1981 Expos were the only team in franchise history to make the playoffs, finishing in second place in the division, while the 1994 team had a league-best 74-40 record before the MLB shut down the rest of the season for a strike.

“Without Cromartie, I don’t think that [a possible return of Montreal baseball] would be that significant,” Gallagher added.
Gallagher covered the Expos when newspapers were still prominent. When asked if he thought that the way sports writers cover games has changed since his time, he had a simple answer. “I don’t think so.” However, he said the digital age has impacted sports journalism in some way.

“Sports writers and broadcasters use social media a lot to break their stories,” Gallagher said. “In 1988, there was no such thing as social media, and no internet […] I can’t honestly say [the way writers cover the game] has changed.”

Having covered the Expos from 1988 until they left in 2004, Gallagher witnessed everything the Expos went through. He saw their best season in 1994, and their downfall just 10 years later. Gallagher said there were a number of factors that led to the Expos leaving, from trading most of their stars in 1995 following the lock-out, to the incredibly poor ownership group in the late 1990s, and the refusal to build a new ballpark when one was desperately needed in 1998. Even though the Expos’s attendance fell below 15,000 fans per game in its final years, Gallagher said the team didn’t leave because of a lack of fans: “[Major League Baseball] gave up on Montreal, rather than the opposite.”
Despite an uncertainty of baseball returning to Montreal, Gallagher still maintains that Canadian baseball is going strong, and that is because of the Blue Jays remaining in Toronto.

Danny Gallagher’s latest book, Blue Monday: The Expos, the Dodgers, and the Home Run That Changed Everything, hits stores on Oct. 13. Gallagher will be signing copies that day at McLean’s Pub, and at Indigo on St-Catherine St. the following day.

Main photo courtesy of Danny Gallagher.

Categories
Opinions

When you keep your voice quiet, don’t shout about results

Graphic by Ana Bilokin

We shouldn’t be required by law to vote, but we should practice our duty as citizens

Whether or not voting should be made mandatory has often been debated. While some believe that those who don’t vote should be fined, I disagree. A key tenet of western democracy is the right to vote. A right is something that is granted to those who live in any given society. According to the CIA World Factbook, 22 countries currently have it as law that you must vote. In Australia, one of the 22, the government implements a $20 fine for those who don’t vote in federal elections. However, just because you are afforded a right, does not mean you have to use it.

In my opinion, the government forcing you to participate in a vote goes against what freedom means. Voting isn’t a job—we vote because it is a right that was fought for, and to voice our opinion on how society works. In the last Canadian federal election in October 2015, about 68 per cent of eligible Canadians participated in the vote, a notable increase from 2011, where just over 61 per cent participated, according to Global News. In comparison, voter turnout in the Australian 2016 election was at 91 per cent, the lowest since mandatory voting was introduced in 1925, according to sources from the Australian government’s website. Obviously, the forced voting produces a bigger turnout, and that is, in theory, better for a democratic society.

The problem with mandatory voting is that it becomes less of a right and more of a demand. Do I want every single eligible Canadian to vote? Absolutely—voting is, in my opinion, the most important aspect to maintaining a free society. However, when voting is no longer in our control, it defeats the purpose entirely.

I consider voting a democratic duty rather than a decision a government makes for you. In order to be a functioning member of society, you must participate in voting. If you are eligible to vote, and you choose not to, I believe you have no right to complain about who’s in charge of our government.

Since our confederation in 1867, according to several sources including Veteran Affairs, over 115,000 Canadians have died to not only defend our freedom to vote, but to ensure that millions around the globe can as well.

If your preferred candidate doesn’t win, at the end of the day, that is still democracy. If you fulfilled your duty as a citizen, your opinion matters just as much as those who voted for the winning candidate. Become politically active and peacefully protest if you don’t like the actions of a politician. As soon as you stop participating, you give the politician more power over you. I urge everyone to vote, even if their political views differ from mine. I would much rather have my political ideas challenged in a democratic society than have those ideas go unopposed.

I say this because that is what democracy is all about; groups of people with different opinions coming together, to make a country better. Is our system perfect? Of course not––politics is a messy business, but when you don’t participate, it encourages corruption.

When people don’t vote, I believe they shouldn’t be upset that their opinion isn’t taken seriously. When you choose to not vote, you are just as responsible for passing that law, as the hand that signs the bill.

Graphic by Ana Bilokin

 

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Sports

Baseball team to get varsity status

The baseball team will be upgraded from a club status to a varsity team. Archive photo by Ben Fraser.

Manager Howie Schwartz says extra money will help scouting

The Concordia Stingers baseball team is inching closer to receiving varsity status. Baseball head coach Howie Schwartz said the team, currently listed as a club on their website, will be upgraded to a lower-tier varsity status, similar to McGill’s baseball team.

“We’re in the process of getting things organized right now, a lot of things are getting revamped,” Schwartz said. “It’s on the queue to be done.” It may take time for the team to be officially deemed varsity, but Schwartz assures it is on the way.

“We will achieve varsity status at some point in the near future,” Schwartz added. “D’Arcy [Ryan] (Concordia’s director of Recreation and Athletics) is 100 per cent behind my project and is very much supportive.”

Schwartz, who spent the summer heavily recruiting in both the United States and in western Canada, said that varsity is a huge factor in the team’s ability to recruit. “We need to be considered varsity in order to recruit the way I want to recruit,” the head coach said.

With varsity status, the baseball team can receive up to $10,000 in funding. Archive photo by Ben Fraser.

Schwartz had his eyes on four players in particular, however all four decided to go to other schools with better offers, including a National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) junior college in Kansas.

In addition to gaining interest from recruits, varsity status, regardless of the tier, brings more money into the program, and that is something Schwartz welcomes.

“I’m looking at the program and building it to the level I think it can go,” Schwartz said. “We’re a stronger program because the money’s there.”

In addition to the varsity status, the Stingers baseball program, through various fundraisers, can take in anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000 every year.

The team will use the money for various academic financial awards, and to cover travel expenses. Schwartz also said the money will be put to use in order to schedule a series of exhibition games against NCAA opponents in the United States.

In the meantime, Schwartz is focused on the current season and the ultimate goal, as they want to “go deep into [the Canadian University World Series] and win.” The Stingers’s cross-town rivals from McGill, who are striving for their fifth-straight Canadian University World Series title, don’t concern Schwartz. “I think we have a team that can win it,” he said.

The Stingers finished fifth at nationals last year, and have a chance to build on that result this year.

Main photo by Ben Fraser. 

Categories
Sports

Blue Jays set sights for playoffs

By Zeze Le Lin.

90-win season is realistic for Toronto after a losing 2017 season

As the Toronto Blue Jays prepare for the 2018 Major League Baseball (MLB) season, The Concordian takes a look at how “Canada’s team” will line up in the field, on the mound and behind the plate.

After a disappointing 2017 season where the Blue Jays finished with a record of 76-86 and missed the playoffs, the 2018 team is looking to improve. It was a very busy off-season for general manager Ross Atkins. Long-time Blue Jay and fan-favourite outfielder Jose Bautista will not return after nine seasons in Toronto, prompting Atkins to revamp his outfield.

The Jays acquired outfielder Randal Grichuk from the St-Louis Cardinals in a trade, and signed Curtis Granderson for $5 million in free agency. The Blue Jays outfield, centred by defensive dynamo Kevin Pillar, combined for 64 home runs (HR) and 165 runs batted in (RBI) last season. The problem with the Jays outfield is their lack of on-base percentage (OBP). Grichuk, despite his power numbers, had a OBP of .285 last year, and Pillar’s OBP was .300. Granderson’s OBP was decent at .323, but not good enough for a player of his calibre. If Granderson is leading Toronto’s hitting line-up at the beginning of the season, he will need to up his OBP in order for the Blue Jays to compete.

In the infield, other new faces will add depth to a very injury-prone group. The Jays acquired the versatile infielder Yangervis Solarte from the San Diego Padres and 2016 All-Star shortstop Aledmys Diaz from the Cardinals. Both of these acquisitions are meant to be back-up options for injury-prone infielders such as Troy Tulowitzki (who will miss the start of the season) and Devon Travis. Don’t be surprised if Solarte or Diaz take their place in the line-up at some point in the season.

Despite being insurance policies, both Solarte and Diaz have the potential to become very serviceable infielders for Toronto. Both are capable of hitting 15-plus HRs in a very hitter-friendly ballpark at the Rogers Centre. Diaz in particular has the chance to return to his 2016 form, when he finished fifth in votes for the National League Rookie of the Year Award.

The pitching line-up remains largely unchanged, with the exception of a new starter and setup man. The Jays signed Jaime Garcia in free agency to a one-year contract worth $8 million. Garcia has never been able to replicate the success he had with the Cardinals in 2010 and 2011, and will be the team’s fifth starter. While looking good in spring training, don’t expect Garcia to be a dominant force in the Jays rotation.

The American League (AL) East division produces some of the most potent offences in baseball. In Garcia’s first taste of AL East play last season with the Yankees, he had a 0-3 record, with an earned runs average (ERA) of 4.82 in eight starts.

The Blue Jays didn’t make significant moves with their relief pitchers in the bullpen. They signed Seung-hwan Oh, who will act as a setup pitcher ahead of All-Star closer Roberto Osuna. Like many of this season’s acquisitions, Oh will try to return to his previous form, when he dominated with the Cardinals in the 2016 season.

The Jays do have several players returning, including 2015 AL MVP Josh Donaldson and All-Star first baseman Justin Smoak, who hit career-highs last season with 38 HRs, 90 RBIs and a .355 OBP. Many of the Jays pitchers will be returning, such as starters Marcus Stroman, Aaron Sanchez, J.A. Happ and Marco Estrada. Injuries have hurt the Jays in the past, and if the team intends to compete for a playoff spot, they will need to stay healthy.

There are several ways this season could go. If Donaldson plays like he did during the 2015 season, and the starting rotation is effective enough to win games, the Blue Jays will be able to compete for the second wild-card position. However, if injuries become a problem again, and Smoak regresses to his pre-2017 level of play, the Jays will become a basement-dweller in the American League under the thumb of the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.

All in all, should the cards fall in their favour, the Blue Jays could expect to win 90 games and fight for a playoff spot this season.

Main graphic by Zeze Le Lin.

Categories
Sports

Feeling at home on the mound

Despite never playing pro baseball, Jackson Morgan is happy with the way his career has turned out. Photo by Alex Hutchins.

Jackson Morgan returned from the U.S. to pitch for the Stingers

When a pitcher’s job is to keep the opposition off-balance with a variety of pitches, it seems fitting that the athlete has a balancing act in his own life. That is the case for Concordia Stingers starting pitcher Jackson Morgan.

The 24-year-old Westmount native began playing competitive baseball as a child and knew he wanted to pursue it from there.

“It was one of the few sports that I actually found myself passionate about,” Morgan said. “Around the age of eight or nine, I knew I wanted to play baseball competitively.” Even from this young age, Morgan knew he would be a pitcher. He throws left, which is an attractive quality in baseball because most pitchers throw right-handed.

“[Coaches] tend to see if you can pitch [as a lefty],” Morgan added. “At a young age, if you’re a lefty and can hit the strike zone, [coaches] encourage you to keep pitching.”

Morgan’s baseball career brought him to Concordia, after playing four years for Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, Vt., in the second division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

Prior to playing in the NCAA, while at Dawson College, Morgan uploaded a video online of himself, hoping to get recruited. “I didn’t think anything would come of it, but sure enough, I was contacted, and the next year I was playing [at Saint Michael’s College].”

Morgan injured his shoulder and missed his third college season, which was his draft year for Major League Baseball (MLB). Although he was never drafted, Morgan remains thankful for the years he spent in the United States.

Jackson Morgan pitches left-handed, which isn’t traditional for pitchers. Photo by Ben Fraser.

“I’m happy with the way my baseball career turned out,” he said.

After graduating with a degree in political science from Saint Michael’s College in 2016, Morgan returned to Montreal for his master’s degree, unsure about his baseball future.

“I spoke to [Stingers baseball coach] Howie Schwartz, and he couldn’t have been more encouraging for me to come out and try and see if I fit well with the team,” Morgan said.

It was a decision Morgan wouldn’t regret. “From day one, I knew that I loved [the team] and fit well with [my teammates].” Morgan took the lessons he learned from the NCAA and applied them to the Stingers.

“In the U.S, I played against bigger, faster and stronger players, and it forces you to […] play smarter […] and outthink hitters and apply the more mental aspect of the game,” the second-year player said. The experience that Morgan gained has made him a leader on the current Stingers roster, speaking to younger players and sharing advice—something he loves to do. Yet, when Morgan chose to return to Montreal, athletics weren’t his priority.

“I tried to make baseball not a priority for the first time in my life,” Morgan said. “Throughout the first year of my master’s, I didn’t even play. I didn’t contact any of the coaches; I didn’t want [baseball] to interfere with my academics.” However, by his second year, Morgan was on the team. “Ultimately, I’m so happy with my decision to play at Concordia.”

Morgan, who is completing a master’s degree in public policy and public administration while playing baseball for the Stingers, calls it a balancing act.

“It’s tough […] at the end of the day it’s about managing your time,” Morgan said. “In the States, I would play 30 to 40 hours a week […] The skills [of time management] that I learned during my undergraduate degree really helped me.”

This past season, Morgan started four games for the Stingers while maintaining a 3.71 earned run average (ERA). The Stingers offence didn’t score many runs for Morgan when he was on the hill, something Morgan takes in stride. “Sometimes, I find it easier to get your job done when hitters aren’t getting their jobs done,” he said. “It means there’s a pitcher’s duel taking place. It’s easier to keep a good tempo. You’re in the dugout for five to 10 minutes and then you’re right back on the field.”

Most athletes have players they look up to, and Morgan is no different. When he was a child, former Montreal Expos pitcher and baseball Hall of Fame member Pedro Martinez was dominating Major League Baseball (MLB). Morgan said Martinez was a major influence on how he developed his game.

“As a short but powerful man, he had an explosive delivery,” Morgan said. “I really loved the violent, aggressive nature of his [pitching] motion.” Morgan throws a handful of pitches, including a curveball—a pitch Martinez used to dominate baseball with.

The Stingers baseball season only runs in the fall, so right now, it’s their off-season. The off-season, while important for training and developing new skills, presents a unique opportunity to rest.

“In my experience, [the off-season is] a great time to relax and stop throwing,” Morgan added. “That’s a great opportunity to get into the gym and work on [weak points] and give yourself better stats going into next year.”

Morgan and the rest of the Stingers baseball team are currently training at the Stingers Dome, and will be primed to challenge the McGill Redmen, who have won four-straight national championships, next season.

Main photo by Alex Hutchins.

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“In all of us command” excludes some Canadians

Graphic by Alexa Hawksworth

A change to the national anthem should have been decided by the people—not the government

After almost two years of debate in the House of Commons, a line in the national anthem was officially changed from “in all thy sons command” to “in all of us command” on Feb. 7 for the sake of gender-neutrality. The change was originally put forward in 2016 by the late Liberal member of Parliament Mauril Bélanger.

According to Historica Canada, the original French version of “O Canada” was written in 1880 by Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier. It did not feature the “sons command” line, nor did the original English version reportedly first sung in 1901. The “O Canada” we are all familiar with emerged around the time of the First World War. In 1908, Montreal lawyer Robert Stanley Weir wrote an English version of the anthem to celebrate Quebec City’s 300th anniversary, according to Historica Canada. It was in 1916 that Weir’s line “thou dost in us command” was changed to “in all thy sons command.”

Although the latest change to the national anthem is more inclusive, I find it difficult to celebrate. My biggest issue with the change is not the line itself, but the fact that the decision was left to the government rather than voted on in a referendum.

I believe the Canadian people, not politicians, should have voted on a change that affects how their country is represented across the world. If the anthem change had been put to a referendum and decided by the people, I would not have objected. I understand that, in this country, majority rules. I still would not have been happy with the change, but at least I would have felt my voice had been heard, and I would respect the choice of my fellow Canadians.

Not only was the decision left to politicians, but according to CBC News, a motion was put forward by Independent Ontario senator Frances Lankin to bypass debate and move to a vote. As such, Conservative senator Don Plett from Manitoba, who was vocally against the bill, never got to speak in front of Parliament. Is this how our government is supposed to work? Although the Conservative Party boycotted Lankin’s motion and missed the vote, I still can’t help but feel any opposition to this decision went unheard.

The third issue I have with this situation is the Liberal Party’s obsession with political correctness. I believe the party has developed a sort of crusade to gender-neutralize everything in Canada, whether it’s the anthem or Prime Minister Justin Trudeau interrupting a woman’s question at a town hall to correct her use of “mankind” to “peoplekind.” He is now being mocked for it by some commentators, including Good Morning Britain’s Piers Morgan. Although Trudeau responded to the criticism by calling his comment a “dumb joke,” his action seemed sincere, and the point remains.

In my opinion, the change to the anthem was completely unnecessary. Growing up and listening to the anthem in school, we knew “sons” wasn’t gendered to disavow women from being included as Canadians. I fear this change will create a domino effect through Parliament as the Liberal Party carves out parts of the anthem and our society that don’t fit their agenda.

Finally, it’s impossible to ignore that this was a complete waste of time. The change was up for debate for 18 months. Do our politicians not have anything better to discuss? There are issues within Indigenous communities that must be addressed. There’s the Alberta-B.C. trade war and relations with the United States. Yet, Parliament feels their time is best spent arguing over a song that is more than 100 years old.

Graphic by Alexa Hawksworth

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