Gillick Elected to Hall of Fame

Former Blue Jays General Manager Pat Gillick was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Monday by the 16-member Expansion Era Committee. Gillick, who won 3 World Series as an executive with the Blue Jays (1992-1993) and the Phillies (2008), declared that the announcement was an honor.

"It's really on behalf of all the people I worked with over the years. That's who I feel this honor is for," Gillick stated.

Gillick received 13 votes, one more than required to be elected. Marvin Miller, a longtime executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, fell one vote short of election this year. Candidates must receive 75% of the vote to be elected, thus needing 12 of the 16 votes.

By definition, the Expansion Era covered umpires, managers and executives who made their greatest contributions to the game from 1973 to the present. As for players to be considered, that period was 1973-89.

Currently employed as a senior advisor to current Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr., Gillick also led the Baltimore Orioles and the Seattle Mariners to the postseason in the 1990's and the 2000's.

The committee is comprised of seven Hall of Fame players and one manager: Johnny Bench, Whitey Herzog, Eddie Murray, Jim Palmer, Tony Perez, Frank Robinson, Ozzie Smith and newly named manager of the Phillies' Triple A affiliate Ryne Sandberg, four current Major League executives: Bill Giles of the Phillies, David Glass of the Royals, Andy MacPhail of the Orioles and Jerry Reinsdorf of the White Sox, and four veteran media members: Bob Elliott (Toronto Sun), Tim Kurkjian, Ross Newhan and Tom Verducci. Surely, having individuals on the committee that are quite familiar with, or close to, Gillick could not have hurt his chances of being elected.

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Team Canada Workout Slated For Ball Hall On Monday

11 draft picks en route to World Juniors

St. Marys - The Canadian National Junior team, the baseball equivalent of those hockey players we love watching at Holiday time, are stopping to practice at the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in St. Marys, Ontario on Monday, July 5th, at 11:15am on the St. Marys Cement Company Field.

Following the workout, the Nats will spend some time instructing the participants in the Hall of Fame's KIDS ON DECK summer camp program, followed by lunch and a swim in The Quarry with the kids. After playing a round of golf being provided by the St. Marys Golf & Country Club, the Nats will continue on their training journey across the northern USA, and ultimately landing them in Thunder Bay for the 2010 World Junior Championship that Canada is hosting beginning July 23.

Team Canada's roster includes 11 recent draft picks.

For those wishing to observe the practice, there is no charge. Players will be accessible afterwards briefly for autographs, etc.

Greg Hamilton, field manager for Team Canada, asked that the players be given a special tour of the Hall's museum upon their arrival prior to practice.

"As good as these guys are and as immersed as they are in baseball, most of them are unaware of the magnitude of amazing history Canada has in the baseball industry, and we're hoping that the visit will inspire them to want to create some of their own history," Hamilton said from his office in Ottawa.

The only Canadian Junior team to ever win a World Championship did so in 1991 in Brandon, Manitoba, and that team, and their field manager, John Haar, are enshrined in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.