The CANNON Archives
1 Dempster on a Roll
2 Juniors Win 20
3 Grand Slam For Noble
4 Juniors Explode for Seventh in a Row
5 Cannons Split With Royals
6 Sixth Straight for Juniors
7 Juniors Sweep A's
8 Noble Prevails in 8
9 Dempster Out-Duels Lincecum
10 Ohman Steps Up
11 Cannons Ride the Kelowna Roller Coaster
12 JUNIORS Battle Back
13 Noble Firing Blanks
14 Krieger Douses the Blaze
15 Dempster Even Better
16 Cannons Raining Hits
17 Vaughn Drafted 11th Round
18 Times to First Base
19 Tough Loss in Portland
20 Dempster Cubs "Stopper"
21 Cannons Tackle Powerhouse
22 Juniors Win 4th in a Row
23 Cannons at The Nat
24 Jeff Francis and Royalty
25 Cannons in Arizona
26 Paxton signs for $942,500
27 CANNONS hot in Abby
28 Dempster notches first win
29 JUNIOR CANNONS blank Redlegs
30 Dempster opens for Cubs
31 Junior Cannons Start Big
32 Rowan Wick Homers in Solid Start at St. John's
33 Wick Drafted in 19th Round
34 Rimer and Tritons Open With a Pair of Wins
35 Dempster Rocked By Grand Slam
36 Parksville at the Nat
37 Corbin Named All-Conference
"HE WAS IN TOTAL COMMAND"
1 Dempster on a roll
Ryan Dempster got off a slow start this year, going 1-4 out of the gate. But he's won nine games since then, on a rock and roll journey with the Chicago Cubs.
Ryan threw eight shutout innings, struck out nine, walked absolutely no one and relinquished only four hits as the Cubs stopped the Florida Marlins 2-1 at Wrigley in July.
Dempster had solid command of all four pitches. His two-seamer had dive bomb sink, his four-seam had elevated hump and his slider had filthy late break. He threw his split only seldom but that made it even more effective and it contributed three of the K's.
This win followed a brilliant outing against Tim Lincecum and the Giants and an abbreviated five-inning stint against the Pirates that ended with Dempster and manager Mike Quade exchanging heated words in the dugout. Ryan always wants the ball and didn't understand why he was being hooked. But Quade, obviously aware that Ryan had missed a start when he was hospitalized for back and stomach problems, stuck to his guns. In the end they worked it out with mutual respect.
This time Quade came out to the hill in the eighth after a pair of Marlin hits. "Hey, you've got this guy, this is your guy," he told Ryan.
"I thought he'd kill me if I took him out," Quade joked, later. "He was in total command all day."
The Cubs scored a pair in the fourth when Marlon Byrd, who stays back on pitches like a husband waiting for his wife to get dressed, reached out and roped a line drive double down the right-field line on a slider six inches off the plate, a great piece of hitting. At which point Alfonso Soriano popped up and Florida second baseman Nomar Infante and right-fielder Mike Stanton gave their impression of a co-ed softball team and let the ball drop for a two-run error.
"Stanton should have caught that ball easily," said Marlins manager Jack McKeon, who tells it like it is. "He has to run him off or run him over."
Florida scored a run in the ninth when Carlos Marmol, who walked four and blew his seventh save the day before, came in to close and found the plate as hard to find as the Holy Grail. Maybe someone should tell Carlos that opening up eight to 12 inches with your stride foot makes it virtually impossible to ever throw consistent strikes.
Marmol offered his usual endless diet of erratic sliders, apparently lacking any confidence whatsoever in his fastball, which is not a good sign for a closer. Eventually he gave way to lefty Sean Marshall, who finished it with a K.
2 Juniors win 20
It's been a rewarding year for the Junior Cannons, who worked hard and battled to the end of their PBL season. Unfortunately, they fell one game short of the playoffs.
This is a true junior team with only one grade 11 in the lineup. What's more, we have three grade 10's playing senior, where they belong. And that has opened up opportunities for younger players.
The Juniors gave it a great run, winning 20 league games, including seven in a row at one point, but they needed a sweep against the Twins on Tuesday to finish in the top eight.
That looked like a strong possibility after the Cannons won the opener 10-7. Max Wood and Tenzin Ozaki both drove in a pair of runs and single RBI's went to Luc Hamel, Calvin Sandhu, Taylor Ginnetti and Geoffrey Legg.
Clarke Ohman started on the hill, giving up only three earned runs, and Leo Metcalf did a brilliant job as a lights out closer with two strikeouts.
But the juniors ran into a roadblock in the second game and were shutout 3-0, despite a solid effort by righthander Sandhu, who struckout five while allowing only two earned runs.
Ginnetti and Jordan Pettie collected two hits apiece and Hamel drew a walk but that was all the offence we could manage.
SENIOR C's 23-20 IN STRETCH RUN
3 Grand Slam for Noble
Home runs don't come easy at Queen's Park Stadium. King Kong on steroids couldn't reach the left field fence. The right field porch is more accessible but, still, only a few hitters clear that barrier. That includes Corbin Henderson, who has popped a pair this season.
And Connor Noble.
Connor has had an auspicious season on the mound for the Cannons but he's also done a job at the plate as a DH and occasional infielder. On Monday against the Victoria Eagles he made like Reggie Jackson.
Connor ripped a shot into the weeds in right field with the bases loaded, a grand slam that tied it at 6-6. The Eagles eventually posted a 13-6 victory but that did little to diminish Noble's blast.
Noble was on the hill in game two, scattering eight hits and striking out six, and Brandon Favaro's double in the fourth sparked the Cannons to a 2-1 lead.
But Connor's arm tightened a bit so we took him out and, eventually, the Eagles notched a 3-2 win in eight innings, a fitting way for the Cannons to end the season.
The Cannons finished with a 15-33 record in league play. But that's a remarkable turn around after starting 1-17 and dropping more one-run games than the Liberals lost seats in the Federal election. We were 14-16 in the PBL for the last two-thirds of the season and 23-20 overall during that time.
The Junior Cannons made it seven straight wins when they exploded for three runs in the sixth to edge the Coquitlam Redlegs 4-3.
Luc Hamel started the rally by patiently drawing his third walk and Geoffrey Legg revved it up by driving a line drive single to right field. Jordan Pettie then delivered a key sac bunt to move both runners into scoring position.
At which point Mohamed Imdakem, who was 3-for-3 for the night, drilled another line drive up the middle to score Hamel. Nick Knowles then came in to pinch-hit and blistered a groundball down the third baseline to drive in Legg. Finally, Matt Lodovica grounded out sharply to first and Imdakem notched the third run of the inning.
Clarke Ohman gave up seven hits and five walks on the hill but pitched out of trouble until Leo Metcalf closed in the seventh to wrap it up. Defensively, outfielders Legg and Lodovica both made outstanding catches.
5 Cannons split with Royals
Sometimes it’s just a little thing that helps win a ball game. Tuesday was a good example.
The Cannons got solid pitching from Connor Noble, Justin Gadey and Trevor Anderson as they combined for a five-hitter and dropped the Parksville Royals 4-1 in the first game of their doubleheader at Queen’s.
The Cannons scored three times in the second frame and it was a hustling piece of baserunning that made the difference. After a single by Justin Krieger and a pair of walks, Matt Lodovica, up from the juniors, drilled a groundball that could well have been a tailor made double play. But Matt got out of the box in a hurry, hustled down the line, and beat it out for a fielder’s choice and an RBI. Extra effort wins ball games.
Another junior, Geoffrey Legg, then lined a single up the middle for the second run and Gray Griffiths chipped in with another RBI single.
__________________________________
As hard as it is to believe, neither
Connor Noble nor Trevor Anderson
made the B.C. Selects team. They
were both named alternates. Some
decisions are simply incomprehensible.
The Royals bounced back in game two and posted a 5-3 win. The Cannons managed only five hits in that one, including an RBI pinch-hit double by Noble in the sixth.
After a 1 and 17 start, marked by a horde of one-run losses, the Cannons are now 14-14 in their last 28 league games. During that stretch they're 23-18 overall.
SANDHU, METCALF, PETTIE, LODOVICA, HAMEL, PARRILL...
6 Six straight for juniors
One game took 11 innings. The other took five. But, either way, the Junior Cannons came out on top as they ran their winning streak to six games.
Calvin Sandhu threw nine outstanding frames, Luc Hamel closed it, and Jordan Pettie rose to the occasion with a game-winning single in the bottom of the 11th as the Cannons edged the White Rock Tritons 3-2 in the opener at Queen’s.
Sandhu gave up only six hits and one walk in his most efficient start of the season. He battled for nine innings, throwing 102 pitches, 70 for strikes, before handing the ball to Hamel. Luc closed the door, striking out a pair and not allowing a baserunner in two innings of blue chip relief.
In the bottom of the 11th Hamel walked, Geoffrey Legg singled and Pettie delivered in the clutch by ripping a shot into the gap in right centre to score Hamel.
The Cannons collected 12 hits in all. Wesley Parrill, who has been as consistent as
In the nightcap, righthander Leo Metcalf turned in another solid effort, throwing a lights out two-hitter as the Junior Cannons posted a 10-0 win in five innings.
Hamel and Tenzin Ozaki had two hits apiece in that one and they both also drove in a pair of runs. Lodovica, who has been igniting the offence in his leadoff spot, notched two more singles, added a walk, scored twice, ran the bases with aggressive intelligence, and topped it off by driving in a run. In all, the Cannons delivered 11 hits and played errorless baseball.
The Junior Cannons are now 18-23 in league play and sitting in the eighth and final playoff spot.
LODOVICA GOES 8-FOR-14
7 Juniors Sweep A's
The Junior Cannons got a leg up on a playoff spot over the weekend by taking four straight games from the Okanagan Athletics at Queen's Park.
The juniors exploded for nine runs in the first two innings in Saturday's opener and then coasted to an 11-4 win as Luc Hamel, who leads the Cannons staff with a 2.57 ERA, struckout six. Wesley Parrill and Matt Lodovica, who was as prolific as Stephen King, both collected a pair of hits.
Right-hander Clarke Ohman turned in another solid effort in game two as the Cannons stopped the A's 4-1. Clarke dominated, allowing only three hits and a pair of walks. Once more the top of order set the tone as lead-off man Lodovica picked up a single, two walks, and an RBI, and Parrill, hitting in the two hole, added two hits and also drove in a run.
On Sunday the mound belonged to Leo Metcalf, who stifled the A's with only two singles while striking out five in a 5-1 victory. Lodovica was the ignition again with two hits and a pair of RBI's and Parrill added another single. Calvin Sandhu ripped a pair of doubles and Max Wood and Geoffrey Legg chipped in with two hits apiece.
Lodovica was at it again in the finale, a 6-3 Cannons win. He popped three more hits, making him 8-for-14 with two walks, an abundant on-base percentage for a lead-off man. Nick Knowles added a pair of hits and also drove in a run. Sandhu survived on the mound in that one, giving up seven hits and five walks, but battling for the victory.
CANNONS WIN 14 OF LAST 218 Noble prevails in 8
This is a very young Cannons senior team. Three grade 10's. A platoon of grade 11's. We also have a true junior team of grade 10's. We're building.
And one of the key architects of that blueprint is a young right-hander named Connor Noble. He made like Arthur Erickson on Tuesday night. (For you hockey fans, look it up.)
Connor scattered six hits, struck out four, walked just one, and threw only 88 pitches over eight innings as Vancouver clipped the North Shore Twins 5-2 at Parkgate. The Cannons have now won 14 of their last 21 games.
It was 2-2 going into the eighth, mostly because we left more men on base than McDonald's has hamburgers and former Cannon Alex Graham pitched out of trouble for the Twins. Meanwhile, North Shore scored on a rare inside-the-park home run and a squeeze bunt.
In the top of the eighth Mike Van Hombeeck and Byron Prasad worked the count for a pair of walks and an error loaded the bases with one out. At which point Keno Magano, Mike Orosz and Corbin Henderson all singled and the Cannons were on top 5-2.
In all, we left 13 on base but Noble, throwing a solid fastball, a sharp slider and a snakey change-up, never faltered.
"BEST STUFF HE'S HAD ALL YEAR"
9 Dempster out-duels Lincecum
Ryan Dempster hooked horns with Tim “Cy Young” Lincecum in a showdown at Wrigley. It wouldn’t be fair to say he out-pitched Lincecum but, when the rodeo was over, the Chicago Cubs edged the San Francisco Giants 2-1.
Dempster took a 1-0 lead into the ninth inning after retiring 20 Giants in a row. But, when pinch-hitter Pat Burrell looped a double into left-center, Cubs manager Mike Quade went to the bull pen and closer Carlos Marmol, despite Dempster’s pleading to stay in the game. Unfortunately, Marmol couldn’t close the deal and the Giants tied it on a single by Emmanuel Burriss.
In the bottom half Tony Campana, who can fly, beat out an infield single and eventually scored when Aramis Ramirez reached out and poked a high slider into left field.
Dempster gave up only three hits, while striking out six and walking none. “Without a doubt this is the best stuff we’ve seen from Ryan all year,” said Cubs TV analyst Bob Brenly. “He had great command, keeping everything down unless he wanted to change the hitter’s eye level by elevating his fastball. He had a great two-seamer, a sharp slider and a solid splitter.”
But the win went to Marmol, who didn’t want it. “Dempster deserves the win,” he said, later. “I don’t want that win. I want to give it to him.”
Still, Dempster was satisfied with his performance. “It’s probably the best job I’ve done of executing pitches all year,” he said. “I just kept attacking and was able to keep the ball down and out of the fat part of the plate. Sometimes I make it hard on myself trying to be too perfect, trying to make a better pitch than I have to. Just attack and make good pitches.”
10 Ohman steps up
The Junior Cannons blew their opener at Queen's but Clarke Ohman turned in a blue chip performance on the hill to salvage a split with the Victoria Eagles.
Ohman scattered five hits, walked only two, and collected three K's as the Cannons blanked the Eagles 3-0. Clarke battled out of trouble early, leaving seven Eagles on base in the first four innings, but after that he was lights out. He faced the minimum of 11 hitters in the last three and two-thirds, thanks to a pair of double plays.
The Juniors picked up two runs in the third on singles by Tenzin Ozaki and Matt Lodovica and a Victoria error. Then, in the sixth, Taylor Ginnetti singled, stole second, and scored when Max Wood clutched up and lined a two-out single to center.
In the opener the Juniors made a pair of costly errors in a Frankenstein third inning and handed the Eagles three runs and a 5-3 win. Shortstop Ginnetti and second baseman Wesley Parrill each had a pair of hits and an RBI and Nick Knowles drove in a run with a productive sacrifice fly.
Ginnetti and Parrill were solid all day defensively and center-fielder Geoffrey Legg made a great diving catch.
"IT WAS A GONG SHOW"
11 Cannons ride the
Kelowna roller coaster
The Cannons took a roller coaster ride at the Elks Stadium amusement park in Kelowna, a rocky whirlwind trip with more ups and downs than a manic depressive. And even the RCMP got involved.
"It was a gong show," summed up Cannons coach Grant Rimer.
And that it was. For the record the Cannons split four games with the host Okanagan Athletics. For the record that's eight wins for Vancouver in their last 13 games. For the record it makes them 11-26 for the season, a vast improvement after a 1 and 17 start with more one-run losses than Charlie Sheen has neuroses.
But the record says very little about the helter skelter four-game set.
For openers, the Cannons posted a 9-5 win in the first game Saturday. It was the law firm of Justin and Justin on the hill with Krieger and Gadey combining for a nine-hitter. The Cannons scored eight times in the third inning, benefitting from eight walks and an error, plus singles by Brandon Favaro and Matthew Yee. That more or less set the tone for the entire weekend. In all, the A's gave up 14 walks. Yes, 14.
Righthander Connor Noble came through with another blue chip effort in the second half of the twinbill, scattering seven hits while striking out three, but the A's nipped the Cannons 2-1, scoring both runs in the bottom of the sixth. That one contained its own drama when Trevor Anderson was thrown out at the plate trying to score the tying run with two out in the seventh. The catcher dropped the ball but the umpire called him out, claiming Trevor failed to touch the plate.
Sunday was more of the same with the Cannon pitchers giving up 10 walks in game one, a rather curious total when you consider our staff has given up far less freebies this year, at least until the Kelowna Chaos. This time the A's posted an 11-4 victory even though they were out-hit by the Cannons 11-6. As usual, bases on balls are lethal.
Noble DH'd for three hits in that one and Gray Griffiths, Mike Orosz and Kirk Sorensen added a pair each. But the Cannons left 11 men on base, including twice on K's with the bases loaded. As usual, not hitting in the clutch is also lethal.
Game two ended, as only the Kelowna Chaos could, with 30 hits, yes, count 'em, 30 hits, while Vancouver edged the A's 11-10. The Cannons got 13 of them, including four singles by Byron Prasad, two each from Justin Krieger and Corbin Henderson, and a triple by Gray Griffiths. Adding to the drama, Favaro scored the winning run in the seventh on a single by Krieger.
In all, there were 52 walks and 13 errors in four games, turning Elk Stadium into the San Diego Zoo.
What's more, apparently the police were called in after an incident when one of our parents was allegedly threatened with a bat. That more or less summed up the weekend.
12 JUNIORS battle back
The first two innings were ugly but the Junior Cannons battled back to stop the Fraser Valley Chiefs 7-5 at Queen's.
All we ask of our players are summed up in two words.
Work. Compete.
And the juniors did both. They worked hard preparing for the game and then, when they made four costly errors and fell behind 5-1, they showed some competitive courage and refused to roll over.
The comeback started in the third inning when Jordan Pettie lined a single off the third baseman's glove and Matt Lodovica drilled a triple into deep right field. Lodovica then scored when Erik Brownell put the ball in play and made a productive out on a groundball to short.
Solid base hits by Max Wood, Clarke Ohman and Taylor Ginnetti, plus a bunt single by Tenzin Ozaki, sparked a four-run sixth that won it.
Calvin Sandhu, who started for the Cannons, was not sharp but he stayed on track and competed despite a lack of outstanding stuff. Brownell took over on the hill in the sixth and shut the door, striking out three, to post the victory.
CANNONS WIN 6 OF LAST 913 Noble firing blanks
Connor Noble's win-loss record has not been too royal this season, mostly because the Cannons have failed to score many runs when he's pitching. But Connor only needed one run as he came up truly noble, blanking the Victoria Eagles 1-0 on the Island.
Connor fired a brilliant two-hitter at the Eagles as the Cannons took the first game of their doubleheader. He struck out five and his only real trouble came from five walks.
It was Connor's second straight solid performance in Victoria. Three weeks ago he threw what is probably the best inning a Cannon has pitched all season. It didn't start that way. Connor hit two Victoria Mariners in the first inning and also gave up a pair of singles. One run already, the bases loaded, still nobody out, a disaster in the making.
And that's when Connor showed the courage that all pitchers need to compete. Refusing to quit, he put up a roadblock and struck out the side with outstanding stuff.
This time around the Cannons scored the winning run in the sixth against the Eagles when Justin Krieger doubled, Tyler Ang singled and Kirk Sorensen drilled a double. Ang finished with three hits, Krieger had a pair and Keno Magano added a single.
The Cannons started with a bang in the second game, scoring three times in the first inning. Mike Orosz and Corbin Henderson both ripped doubles to pace the attack. Henderson finished with 2-for-4 and three RBI's.
But the Cannons made three costly errors in the third inning when the Eagles scored all their runs and posted a 7-4 win.
14 Krieger douses the Blaze
Justin Krieger was brilliant as the Cannons edged the Langley Blaze 2-1 at Queen's Park.
Justin scattered seven hits, walked only one, and struck out five to lead the Cannons to their third straight win and fourth victory in their last five games.
Krieger threw strikes, spotted his fastball well, and added a tight slider, a pitch he's been developing over the past few weeks. "His curveball was a bit soft," says Cannons coach Dave Empey. "So we decided to work on the slider instead. Each time out it's gotten nastier and dirtier. It's not there with Dempster yet--but it's a beginning."
The Cannons scored twice in the second inning, courtesy of three walks and a bases loaded single by Gray Griffiths. That one was a deep drive into right center that Ricky Bertrand almost caught, making a valiant effort that forced the runners on second and third to tag up.
Griffiths, playing with a jammed thumb, had a pair of hits and drew a walk in the lead-off slot. He's now nine for 16 in his last five games. And Kirk Sorensen added another pair of singles, giving him six hits in his last 10 trips to the plate.
What's more, the Cannons played well defensively with Corbin Henderson running down a blistering line drive in center field and Byron Prasad, Griffiths, Matt Yee and Trevor Anderson solid in the infield.
It brought the Cannons to 8-23 in league play (20-38 overall) in a season marked by a plethora of one-run and two-run losses, including 20 games they'd have won with a base hit at the right time.
"Man, he was just fantastic"
15 Dempster even better
After putting a stop to the Cubs losing streak (see story below) Ryan Dempster was even better, firing blanks as Chicago clipped the Milwaukee Brewers 1-0 at Wrigley.
"Man, he was just fantastic," Cubs manager Mike Quade said, later.
Ryan struck out seven and gave up only four hits and one walk through seven blue chip innings. But the Cubs also failed to score until they won it in the bottom of the eighth when Darwin Barney singled, reached third on a double by pinch-hitter Carlos Pena and then slid in safely under the tag when Aramis Ramirez chopped a groundball to second with the infield in.
“There wasn’t really a big hole there,” Barney said. “I had to go over the catcher’s leg and under his hand.” Quade called it an unbelievable slide.
16 Cannons raining hits
The weather was beautiful but it was raining hits for the Cannons on the weekend. In a difficult year marked by 15 one-run losses the
It started with a bang Saturday when Corbin Henderson drilled his third jack of the season, a two-run shot over the right field fence against the Victoria Mariners. Mike Orosz and Brandon Favaro both had a pair of hits in that one and Trevor Anderson threw another gem, scattering seven hits as the Cannons posted a 3-2 victory.
The Mariners bounced back to win the second game 6-2 but Gray Griffiths had a pair of singles to kick-off a tremendous weekend where he went seven for 14 with a crescendo of line drives.
But the games against Victoria were only a warm-up. On Sunday the Cannons ripped a cascade of 27 hits against the North Shore Twins to take both ends of their doubleheader.
In the opener,
In the nightcap the Cannons got two more hits each from Griffiths, Sorensen, Anderson and Byron Prasad as they edged the Twins 6-3. Taran Kingsbury got stronger each inning, throwing a solid five-hitter after a shakey start. Matthew Yee and Prasad both doubled.
The Cannons were clipped 1-0 by the Coquitlam Reds at Nat Bailey Stadium last week despite a great effort by Kingsbury on the mound. It was just another tough game in a season marked by one-run losses but
17 Vaughn drafted 11th round
Vaughn Mabone Covington was selected in the 11th round of the MLB draft by the Cincinnati Reds.
Vaughn did not pitch this season for the Cannons. He's currently rehabbing from Tommy John surgery but, despite that, the Reds still drafted him in a high round. If Vaughn decides not to sign and goes back into the draft next season, after actually pitching in 2012, he could well be selected in the first or second round.
Covington is the second Cannon to be drafted in two years. Last season Rowan Wick went to the Milwaukee Brewers in the 19th round but elected to play at St. John's University.
Former Cannon Tom Robson was drafted in the fourth round by the Toronto Blue Jays.
When Tommy and Vaughn pitched for us two years ago they both made the national junior team (along with Rowan) and we thought they had a double shot of being drafted in the first or second round. But Vaughn was injured and Tommy left the Cannons and slipped to the fourth round.
18 Times to First Base
Orosz 3.97 (bunt) 4.09 (bunt)
Orosz 4.25 4.41 4.47 4.63
Orallo 4.29
Prasad 4.35 4.40 4.47 4.62 4.63 4.72
Sandhu 4.50 4.63
T. Anderson 4.50 4.69
Sorensen 4.53 4.57 4.60 4.72 4.94
Magano 4.53 4.63 5.13
Parrill 4.56
Noble 4.59 4.62 4.75
Krieger 4.72
Favaro 4.75 4.62 4.87 4.97
Jensen 4.78 5.22
Van Hombeeck 4.81
Yee 5.04 5.16 5.19
19 Tough loss in Portland
Trevor Anderson threw a two-hitter but a sacrifice fly was all The Barbers needed to edge the Cannons 1-0 in Portland. That wrapped it up for Vancouver in the double knockout John Nero tournament.
In all, the Cannons were 5-2 down south and got a lot of useful AB's. They blasted off like a NASA rocket in their opener when Tyler Ang threw five shutout innings and Matt Yee closed it to blank Hillsboro 10-0 on three hits. Justin Krieger led the 12-hit Cannon assault with a pair of doubles and Keno Magano, Mike Orosz, Kirk Sorensen and Byron Prasad all added two hits apiece.
Not to be out-done, Taran Kingsbury and Trevor Anderson combined for a one-hitter in game two as Vancouver blanked the Cubs 12-0. Corbin Henderson and Orsoz paced this attack with three hits apiece, scoring seven times between them. Once again Sorensen had two hits and Prasad chipped in with a pair of stolen bases.
It was more of the same the next day when Yee and Orosz were on the hill to blank Showtime 10-0 in a five-inning mercy.
Justin Gadey and Magano were strong on the hill in an 11-2 win to make it four straight but the Cannons were edged 7-6 by the NW Stars for their first loss. Bouncing back, Krieger and Ang combined to sculpt a gem and a 3-1 victory before The Barbers brought out their clippers.
20 Dempster, Cubs "stopper"
In baseball a "stopper" is a pitcher who commands the hill when his team has just lost a bundle of games. He puts a stop to the losing streak with a blue chip performance. Ryan Dempster was the Chicago Cubs stopper on Wednesday.
Ryan struck out eight and gave up only three hits as the Cubs dropped the Reds 4-1 in
After a slow start this season Dempster is now 5-5 with 75 strikeouts for the season.
When the game started Cubs manager Mike Quade wasn't sure if Ryan would be pitching at all. "I got tight in my upper right leg during warm-up," Dempster said, later, "and I was having trouble pushing off. So I took a little breather and then got back on the bull pen mound. I wasn't able to push off a whole lot today but I just tried to keep the ball down and execute pitches and not worry about it."
Cincinnati skipper Dusty Baker was the Cubs manager when Dempster first came to
21 CANNONS TACKLE POWERHOUSE
We play a Washington state powerhouse on July 19 when the Cannons tackle the Bankers Baseball Club from Seattle.
The Bankers are an American legend with one of the finest records of any team in the U.S. They've had five first round draft picks, including Adam Eaton, who pitched for 10 seasons in the major leagues. Eaton, the eleventh pick overall in 1996, is a gifted athlete, who pitched and played third base for the Bankers.
"Eaton was something else," remembers Cannons coach Dave Empey. "He drilled a 400-foot shot off the centerfield fence when we played them with the Twins."
The Bankers, under head coach Howard Hagen, were known as U.S. Bank in those days and they were rated as one of the top 10 high school age teams in the country.
"I was warned to never schedule them," says Empey, "because they were just too good. So, of course, they were the first team I called. We played them three or four years in a row and we never beat them. But their coaches said they usually mercied everyone they played, except us."
The Bankers enjoyed the competition. "Their guys got up for the Twins," remembers Empey. "One year we were ahead of them in the fifth inning and they were absolutely pumped, not willing to get beat by a Canadian team. I think we lost 5-4 and scared them. The Bankers were essentially a Washington State all-star team, something like the B.C. Selects."
The game on July 19 will be at Warren Magnuson Field in North Seattle. "It will be a lot of fun," says Empey. "The Bankers are a great organization and playing them can only make us better."
LINE DRIVES--Ryan Dempster worked out with Adam Eaton in the off-season one year. "He's an incredible athlete," says Dempster. Ryan was an outstanding high school basketball player but he said Eaton, who is about 6-2, could slam dunk as easily as a guy 6-10...When Empey and Paul Gemino coached the Twins they travelled across the border every second weekend. "Our guys found out they were as good or better than American players," says Empey. "When they went south to play pro or college they knew they were ready. In fact, when Ryan went to rookie camp in Florida in 1995 he was used as an example of perfect mechanics."...Rather than playing in a league The Bankers saddle up for more than a dozen tournaments each summer. Virtually every grad signs a pro contract or advances into college baseball. Just like the Cannons, they're interested
22 JUNIORS WIN 4th IN A ROW
The Junior Cannons stopped the Fraser Valley Chiefs 9-4 Wednesday night at Whalley Stadium for their fourth straight win.
Clarke Ohman posted the victory with a solid six innings on the mound. Showing lots of fortitude Clarke scattered 10 hits and walked only one, pitching his way out of jams in four different innings.
Matt Lodovica and Calvin Sandhu led the attack with three hits apiece. Tenzin Ozaki delivered a clutch three-run double that sparked a seven-run fourth inning for the Cannons and Geoffrey Legg added a single.
What's more, the Cannons were solid defensively, including a pair of double plays from middle infielders Taylor Ginnetti and Wesley Parrill.
The juniors all played Thursday night at Nat Bailey in the senior exhibition game against White Rock that finished in a 3-3 tie. Calvin Sandhu and Dalton Anderson both threw an inning in that one and the juniors played solid defence.
The juniors are now 10-14 in league play.
23 CANNONS at the NAT
We were back at Nat Bailey Stadium this season for a pair of games versus Coquitlam and White Rock.
Last season the Cannons played half a dozen games at Nat Bailey Stadium, a great experience for our guys. And, thanks to president Andy Dunn, GM Jason Takefman and director of ticket operations Allan Bailey of the Vancouver Canadians, we had a double encore this year.
24 Jeff Francis and Royalty
"A tribute to determination and work ethic"
Watching Jeff Francis pitch for the Kansas City Royals on April 27 brought back a lot of memories when we faced him in the PBL.
Jeff has never been a true power pitcher. When he threw for the North Delta Blue Jays in the late 1990’s under the direction of Ari Mellios and Mike Kelly, he was a finesse lefty with surgical control and a solid breaking ball. Francis sat on 81-83 mph and the scouts said he was a college pitcher with little chance of signing.
But Jeff proved them all wrong.
The 6-5, 220-pound lefthander brought his high IQ (physics major) to UBC for four years under head coach Terry McKaig. But he also brought a strong work ethic and he spent many hours with Anthony Findlay at Level 10 Fitness developing his legs and core and just getting stronger. Gradually his fastball edged into the high 80’s and even the 90’s and Jeff became a bona fide prospect.
Eventually he was drafted in the first round in 2002 by the Colorado Rockies (ninth pick overall) and was named minor league player of the year in 2004. His high water mark so far in the big leagues came in 2007 when he posted a 17-9 record with the Rockies and pitched in the World Series.
But Francis needed arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder two years ago, missed the entire 2009 season, and eventually signed for $2 million with the Royals this January as a 30-year-old.
Jeff is off to a strong start with the Royals, although he got bounced around a bit that night by the Indians, giving up six runs in three innings. As usual the TV commentators couldn’t tell the difference between his curveball and a change-up (what else is new) but the tough start is just a small bump in the road for a guy who has proven his courage.
Jeff Francis is simply a tribute to determination and work ethic and deserves every success he’s achieved.
25 Cannons in Arizona
For the record the Cannons won five out of seven, including a 4-1 victory over the Arizona DiamondJAXX, a powerful group of ex-pros in their 20’s and 30’s. But that’s not important. Spring training is about at-bats and innings pitched and the Cannons loaded up with both. We put 11 pitchers on the mound and 20 players saw action at the plate. That included six junior Cannons who all played well.
26 PAXTON SIGNS FOR $942,500
James Paxton finally signed with the Seattle Mariners on March 4 for $942,500 after nine months of negotiations. That's the largest bonus the Mariners paid for any of their 2010 draftees and more than four times MLB's recommended $209,700 payout for a fourth-rounder. Paxton was the 132nd pick overall.
In 2009 the Blue Jays drafted Paxton 37th overall out of the University of Kentucky, but he turned down Toronto's final offer of $1 million. Blue Jays president Paul Beeston openly admitted he'd negotiated directly with Paxton's adviser, Scott Boras, a violation of NCAA rules. (This happens all the time, of course, but it's usually kept under the table.)
"After he was drafted by Toronto I was over at his house for the party," says Dave Empey, who was Paxton's pitching coach in 2006. "We talked about pro baseball for a long time. I thought he'd sign with the Blue Jays for sure but it didn't happen."
James said the university wanted him to face questioning by the NCAA without consulting his parents or a lawyer. Eventually he sued the school but left when it became apparent the court battle would last longer than the baseball season.
Eventually, Paxton signed with the independent Grand Prairie AirHogs of the American Association.
At Kentucky Paxton sat on 93-94 mph and touched 97 with good movement on his sinking fastball. His curveball graded as a true plus pitch at times and he also showed solid command and a feel for his changeup, though he didn't throw it very often. James had a remarkable strikeout to walk ratio of 115-20 but only posted a 5.86 ERA in his final year with the Wildcats.
With Grand Prairie, Paxton's fastball ranged from 88-93 mph and his curveball and command also reportedly went backwards. He went 1-2, 4.08 in four starts, striking out 18 in as many innings. The combination of his stuff regressing and a history of nagging injuries caused him to slide to the fourth round.
James had limited leverage in these negotiations which makes this huge bonus a tribute to just how much Seattle general manager Jack Zduriencik (easy for you to say) wanted to sign the 6-4, 215-pound lefthander. It's virtually the same money the Blue Jays offered 18 months earlier, when his stock was at its highest.
James threw for Ari Mellios and Mike Kelly with the North
Delta Blue Jays in the PBL and Empey was his pitching coach
in his last season here.
"James is a fine young man," says Empey. "We spent a whole
season talking about pitching and he's one of the brightest
players I've ever coached. He definitely should have
been drafted out of high school but I heard there were
scouts who thought he wasn't athletic enough or some nonsense
like that. The kid had a solid fastball with outstanding
movement, a dirty slider and a great feel for pitching. He
competes hard and he's very smart."
After his freshman season at Kentucky James came home with
some questions about his mechanics. "They had him throwing
against his body," says Empey, "so his velocity had dropped. And
they shortened his knee raise because he was pitching middle
relief and the coaches were too concerned about him holding
runners. James has a good move and didn't need to restrict his
delivery. Once we got him back on line with his stride and
resurrected his old knee raise, his rhythm returned and he was
just fine."
Paxton wasn't subject to the August 15 signing deadline because he was drafted as a college junior and gave up his final year of eligibility by joining the AirHogs. That meant he was essentially a Draft and Follow and could sign with Seattle until a week before the 2011 draft this June.
Paxton's manager in Grand Prairie was 12-year major league veteran Pete Incaviglia, who pounded a slew of home runs for the Texas Rangers. "James can't worry about what's happened," Incaviglia said last summer. "Now it's about where he wants to go. Playing with a bunch of guys who've been in double A and triple A and rubbing shoulders with myself and my staff, it can only help him."
Incaviglia knows the drill. "The business of baseball," he says, "it can be the greatest game and the worst game, all in the same day. James is a huge prospect and dealing with these problems will make him a better person and help him get to the major leagues."
27 CANNONS HOT IN ABBY
The Senior Cannons have had tough luck this year in league play (four losses by one run, six losses by two runs) but they sizzled in the Abbotsford tournament.
The Cannons got some great pitching and timely hitting to win four games while losing a pair.
Justin Gadey and Tyler Ang were both brilliant in the opener, throwing eight shutout innings in a 4-0 win against the Victoria Mariners. Gadey scattered four hits and walked only one over five innings. Justin Krieger drove in two runs in the eighth with a clutch hit.
Taran Kingsbury threw well and Byron Prasad had three singles in game two but the Nanaimo Pirates edged the Cannons 3-2.
Due to weather the Cannons had to play three games on the wrap-up Sunday when they clipped Abbotsford 2-0 to earn a berth in the semi-final. Krieger and Anderson were outstanding on the hill in that one. Krieger allowed only four hits in five innings of work and
In the semi-final Tyler Ang came back to the mound and threw a gutty eight innings to edge Parksville 5-4. He struck out six and walked only two, the key stat for the Cannons pitching staff over the whole tournament. Last year we led the PBL in bases on balls. This season our pitchers are throwing more bull pens and their control is very much improved, which has been keeping us competitive and in virtually every game. With a few key hits the Cannons could have won seven or eight league games.
We got those key hits against Parksville.
The Cannons ran out of pitching in the final, losing 12-2 to
Hombeeck were our only two hits.
28 Dempster notches first win
Cubs ace Ryan Dempster picked up his first win of the National League season when he posted a 5-4 win over the Astros in Houston.
Ryan breezed into the seventh inning with a 5-1 lead and struck out the leadoff man, Humberto Quintero. He then fooled Bill Hall with a slider off the plate but Hall managed an off-balance swing and poked the ball into the foul pole down the right field line, a pretty good indication of his strength.
That one was a bit of a fluke but Angel Sanchez followed by hammering a two-run shot over the left field fence to send Ryan to the showers.
All in all, Dempster posted 9 strikeouts, walking three, and scattered six hits. He's now 1-2 with a 6.30 ERA and leads the Cubs with 22 K's.
"Ryan was very economical early in the game," said Chicago manager Mike Quade. "He said he felt great and I believed in him."
"I was able to keep the ball down for the most part," said Dempster, who relies on two-seam movement, one of the best sliders in baseball, and a dive-bombing splitter.
29 JUNIOR CANNONS BLANK REDLEGS
Matt Lodovica threw a gem when the Junior Cannons shutout the Coquitlam Redlegs 3-0 at Queen's.
Matt struck out five, gave up only two hits and one walk and finished with a low pitch count (64) over six innings, an extemely proficient performance to say the least. Tenzin Ozaki closed in the seventh.
The Cannons scored all their runs in the fourth on three walks and singles by Max Wood and Lodovica.
30 Dempster opens for Cubs
MESA, Ariz. -- Ryan Dempster will be the Chicago Cubs' Opening Day starter on April 1 -- bumping Carlos Zambrano, who has been on the mound for the club's past six openers.
And the best part of the decision, Dempster said, is how Zambrano handled it.
"Carlos said he was happy for me and said I deserved it," Dempster said. "That's somebody I look up to, who goes out and competes as hard as anybody I've been around. It meant a lot to hear something like that from him. It's a pretty respectful thing to say. It takes somebody big to say that, too, especially after you've started so many Opening Days in a row."
Manager Mike Quade made the announcement Monday after meeting with Dempster, Zambrano and Matt Garza in his office at Fitch Park. This will be Dempster's third career Opening Day assignment. His previous two were with the Marlins in 2001 and 2002.
Dempster, 33, went 15-12 in 34 starts last season, throwing 215 innings and striking out 208 with a 3.85 ERA. "You think about Z's finish and Demp battling all year long and doing a good job," Quade said. "If there was something I lost sleep over, it was this decision, who gets the shot."
Quade considered talking to each pitcher individually, but instead called the three into his office at the same time.
"It would've been so easy to talk to each of us as individuals, but isn't that what we're trying to get away from?" Dempster said. "I think we're trying to be a team and unite as much as possible. I know Z was really happy for me. He told me so himself. That probably meant just as much as Quade telling me."
Garza, acquired from the Rays this offseason, was just happy to be included. "I really don't care," he said. "I told Mike that. As long as he doesn't say, 'You're No. 6 or 7,' it doesn't bother me. At the end of the year, it won't matter. As long as we're playing in October. I honestly felt I didn't even deserve to be up there with those two guys. They both have 10-plus years and I'm still trying to get my fourth one. Out of total respect, I think it's the way it should be set."
Dempster joked that Quade could've put the three names in a hat and pulled one out for the assignment, but there was more to the decision than that. Quade needed to give pitching coach Mark Riggins his pick to get the Cactus League rotation in line, so Quade slept on the decision Sunday night.
Zambrano is 1-2 with an 8.26 ERA in his six Opening Day starts with the Cubs, but the team has won three of those games. Picking Dempster gives Quade a fresh start.
"There's some instinct here for me," Quade said. "I do pay attention to numbers, but you weigh it out and keep looking and it's him, him, him, and finally I said, 'This is the way we're going.'"
31 JUNIOR CANNONS START BIG
The Junior Cannons started with a bang by posting a 16-5 win over the Victoria Eagles in their PBL opener.
Righthander Leo Metcalf threw four strong innings to pick up the win, scattering four hits. Tenzin Ozaki was solid in middle relief and Luc Hamel had two strikeouts to close it off.
Second baseman Max Wood, first baseman Calvin Sandhu and centerfielder Mohamed Imdakem paced the Cannon offence. Wood delivered a pair of hits, including a double, scored three runs and drove in a pair. Sandhu went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI and lead-off man Imdakem added another pair of hits, plus an RBI and two stolen bases.
Hamel, Wesley Parrill, Jordan Pettie and Nick Knowles all chipped in with hits. Pettie scored twice and Hamel and Knowles both drove in runs. Defensively, Wood had five assists and the Cannons played errorless baseball.
In the second game Victoria bounced back with a 4-1 win but the Cannons left nine runners on base, including second and third with no one out in the seventh. Sandhu pitched well in that one, giving up five hits over four innings, with a pair of strikeouts. And Clarke Ohman threw two strong innings in relief, allowing only one hit.
Matt Lodovica led the attack with a pair of singles and drove in the lone Vancouver run. Imdakem, who had an outstanding day at the top of the order, ripped another pair of hits, including his second double, plus another stolen base. Pettie and Dalton Anderson added singles.
32 ROWAN WICK HOMERS IN SOLID
START AT ST. JOHN'S
The Cannons' first draft pick, ROWAN WICK, is off to a solid debut at St. John's University in New York. Rowan has been a starting outfielder in all three of the Red Storm's early season games in Florida, going two for eight, including a home run.
Rowan was drafted in the 19th round by the Milwaukee Brewers but decided to sign with Big East powerhouse St. John's instead of turning pro. Baseball America has St. John's ranked 23rd in NCAA Division One baseball, which means Rowan will be in the national spotlight.
33 WICK DRAFTED IN 19th ROUND
ROWAN WICK became the first Cannons draft pick when the Milwaukee Brewers selected him in the 19th round. After a series of negotiations Rowan decided to accept a scholarship from St. John's University in New York.
Let's put the draft in perspective. There are more than 200,000 players eligible to be drafted each June. Only 1,500 are actually selected. But many in the later rounds aren't offered enough money so only about 750 sign pro contracts.
The success of Ryan Dempster, Justin Morneau, Jeff Francis and Rich Harden, all ex-PBL standouts from the 1990's, is remarkable. As Walt Burrows, the head of the Canadian Major League Scouting Bureau, says, "They're not only major leaguers, they're stars."
This is only our second season in the PBL and the Cannons expect to have many more players drafted in the years to come.
Rowan was the 579th player chosen in the draft, which wrapped up with the 50th and final round. The last pick (number 1,525) went to the Yankees, who chose James Rice, a 6-3 190-pound 21-year-old catcher from Western Kentucky.
34 RIMER AND TRITONS OPEN WITH A PAIR OF WINS
Allen Rimer and the Iowa Central Tritons opened their 2011 season with a pair of wins in Millington, Tennessee. Rimer, who was the Cannons ace two years ago, leads the Tritons pitching staff on a roster that includes 53 players. Central is ranked 15th nationally.
Rimer was a key starter for the Tritons last season in the JC Division Two World Series. But he ran into some unearned runs and got bowled over by powerhouse Western Oklahoma State, the most explosive offensive team in the nation. Five errors by Iowa Central infielders helped Western to a 12-1 win in the key semi-final game in Enid, Oklahoma.
Allen was game as usual, pitching against the top-ranked Pioneers, who led all JC's in batting average and home runs, averaging more than 10 runs in metal bat games. In fact, Allen, who was Central's main man in his rookie year, held Western off the scoreboard until the third inning. Even then a tailor-made double play would have eliminated a bases-loaded jam but his shortstop booted the groundball and the Tritons made two more errors in the inning.
In all, Allen gave up only three earned runs on eight hits, walking three and striking out five. To say the least, Central head coach Rick Pederson was not happy with his defence.
Central was eliminated from the tournament the next day but they did post a 9-1 win over UCONN-Avery Point and a 5-4 victory against Vincennes University in earlier World Series games. The fifth-ranked Tritons finished at 50-16 for the year.
And here's a familiar deja vu scenario for you. Allen Rimer arguing with the coach because he wants to stay in the game. That's the way it was when Allen posted the victory as the Tritons stopped Miles City 10-3 in the District JC championship in Montana, the tournament that led to the World Series.
Allen threw 120 pitches in seven innings and argued in vain when coach Pederson took him off the hill. Rimer gave up six hits, walked four and had two strikeouts along the way.
"We set very lofty goals," says coach Pederson. "We wanted a national championship. We knew we were a strong team but you never know how things will turn out. But we've really molded together."
Rimer finished 6-2 overall for Central despite a set-back in April when he was clipped by a line drive in batting practice and suffered a concussion. But Allen was back in the saddle ASAP and, as usual, his competitive nature has impressed coach Pederson.
Allen was the Cannons go-to guy and PBL pitcher of the year in 2009. No one could ever question his courage--he always wanted the ball and never wanted to leave a game.
By the way, Allen has stuck to his guns and uses the same throwing routine he learned with the Cannons. Initially, the coaches wanted him to throw every day but Allen convinced them he was stronger when he threw regular bull pens, alternating with days off.
35
Ryan gave up only two hits in the first four innings but a single and two walks set-up Walker's blast with two out. Andrew McCutchen added an exclamation point with a two-run homer in the seventh before 41,258 soggy Cubs fans.
As usual, Dempster, who led the Cubs with 15 wins last season, took full responsiblity. "The grand slam hurt," he said, "but I'm actually more angry about McCutchen's homer. When you're behind 4-2 you're still in it but those add on runs usually put you away. They scored all six runs with two out. I have to do a better job."
McCutchen's homer came on Dempster's 114th pitch. Chicago manager Mike Quade checked after the sixth and Ryan said he was still good to go. "He's earned the right for me to ask him," Quade said.
36 PARKSVILLE at THE NAT
37 Corbin named all-conference
Cannons center-fielder Corbin Henderson has been selected to the PBL all-conference second team.
Corbin led the Cannons in hitting with a .311 average and three home runs, which tied him for the lead in the PBL. Even more importantly, he drove in 30 runs, second in the league.
Corbin had 41 hits in 132 league at-bats, including seven doubles and two triples. He drew 25 walks and struck out only 19 times.
What's more, Corbin stole five bases and solidified our outfield with outstanding defence.
Corbin now heads to Portland, where he'll play for Concordia University.