The Editor:
I would like to wish my son a "Happy Father’s Day" for providing me with numerous adventures.
I was fortunate enough to go to three baseball world cups; this was before the World Baseball Classic and major league players did not participate.
My son was a pretty good athlete, a student at Nelson Street School and Burnaby South (both the old one on Kingsway and the one on Rumble), played hockey in Burnaby Minor Hockey and baseball in the South Burnaby Mens Club. It was as a left-handed pitcher that he excelled and after winning gold at the provincials and the nationals, he was drafted and came to the attention of Baseball Canada.
But all that is his story. Mine is the serendipity of attending and watching him pitch in three World Cup tournaments.
In 2001, it was held in Taiwan. My brother lived there! He taught ESL and had been there for eight years. The main baseball stadium was within walking distance from his apartment where he taught. I had been there five years previously to visit.
One of Canada’s games was played on the far side of Taipei and the team’s business manager forgot an important document at the team hotel. My brother, who speaks Mandarin, accompanied him by taxi back to get it.
The only game my young nieces and my sister-in-law could attend was the one where Jordy was the starting pitcher against Russia. Canada won 6-0.
The only other attendee from Canada was the newly-married wife of one of the players and this was their honeymoon.
Also on the team was Justin Morneau and Jason Bay. We have a team signed baseball with their signatures.
In 2003, it was held in Cuba.
I joined the team on the plane in Toronto and flew to just outside of Havana. I had a casa particular, a bed and breakfast, in Havana for $25 a night and the team was staying at the Riviera, which was nearby. The hotel was built by the gangster, Meyer Lansky in the fifties for gambling. It was nationalized after the revolution.
Jordy pitched against Russia again and didn’t allow a run. He got the win and Canada prevailed 10-0.
Later, the team was invited to the Canadian ambassador’s house for a barbecue and I managed an invitation. She had a reception line leading into her residence. I was behind Jordy and when we were introduced we found we had the same name as her, and we had a bit of a chuckle.
There were several great Cuban baseball players there and they had a huge cake in the shape of a baseball decorated as such. Swimming pool, barbecue, etc.
The next day my son was the starting pitcher against Cuba, who had won most of the gold in the 70-year history of World Cup Baseball, including the last eight.
Their speed got them a run in the first inning, but Jordy buckled down and was finally pulled in the seventh, down 1-0, but leaving a couple of runners on base.
He got a standing ovation from 30,000 screaming Cubans and someone stuck a cigar in my mouth. I had been a serious anti-smoker for a number of years, but Canada lost 8-0.
The family I stayed with included the guy that picked me up at the airport and it turned out he was a TV cameraman at the game and he made a tape of the game for me. It was in Spanish, but what the heck. I’ve been back a number of times and love the people (and the cigars).
Once again not much family came. Three grandfathers stayed at a resort in Veradaro and came to the Canada Italy game but probably don’t remember much of the game.
To The Netherlands in 2005.
A friend from Victoria was playing in the Dutch League for The Hague. Gary Tongue had spent a number of nights on our living room couch, coming and going to baseball. He later pitched for Great Britain at the Olympic Games.
Their season had just ended in The Netherlands. He shared an apartment with two other imports who were just leaving and I moved in. He also had a vehicle and the two of us travelled around Holland to the Canadian games.
Just looked at the game sheets on Wikipedia and see a young Joey Votto was there. I remember Jordy saying at the time, he was full of confidence and knew he was going to the show. The team was coached by Ernie Whitt.
Have had some great adventures following my son’s playing, including going to Colombia, but that’s another story.
- Gord Alexander, Burnaby
