Blue Jays highlight upcoming banquets and fundraisers

It's the time of year for fundraisers for baseball clubs, and there are a handful coming up in Alberta. Several of these have a Blue Jays related theme.

First of all, there is the University of Calgary Dino's baseball and fastball annual fundraiser dinner.  Last year, they had Hall of Famer Goose Gossage,  and in previous year's they've had such great as Tim Raines, Fergie Jenkins, Bill Buckner and more.  This year's guest is Gregg Zaun, who might be better known to Canadians as an analyst on Sportsnet than he was when he was a catcher in Toronto. He has some unpopular opinions, is sometimes controversial, but never dull!  Listening to him will certainly make for an entertaining evening. The dinner is on Thursday Feb 6th, tickets are $200 and can be purchased by calling (403) 220-7749.

The Lethbridge Bulls also have a former Blue Jay as their Legends of Sports Gala will feature Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar. This event is being held on February 22nd and includes dinner, dance and silent auction.Tickets range from $100 to $200. To get your tickets or for more information, please contact  chelsea.mereska@bullsbaseball.com or call (403)320-2025 .

The Okotoks Dawgs annual awards banquet will feature another Blue Jay second baseman, Homer Bush. This event is on Saturday February 1st, tickets are $100 and can be purchased by calling (403) 262-3294.

Another fundraiser is an online silent auction by the Vauxhall Academy, where you can get to watch the Jays home opener, a hockey game, and another Jays/Yankees game during a 4 night stay in Toronto which includes airfare. You need to submit your bid by noon on January 30th, details are here.

The Badlands Baseball Academy will be holding their annual Gala Evening & Fundraiser on Thursday January 30th. This reception will include dinner, a silent and a live acution. Tickets are $75 and can be purchased by calling (403) 664-2200

As well, the Prairie Baseball Academy will be hosting their annual awards banquet on January 25th. Aaron Lavorato will be the guest speaker, and he will not only talk baseball but also share his experience with the Rickshaw run he was involved in to raise money for cancer. There will be a live and silent auction with items including jerseys of Mariano Rivera, Bo Jackson and Roberto Alomar as well as a fly fishing trip down the Missouri and lots more.  Tickets are $50 a plate or a table of 8 for $350.  Contact info@prairiebaseball.com for tickets or more information.

If you're a baseball fan all these events all promise to be a lot of fun, and are a great way to support local baseball.

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If you have a baseball team, league or organization in Alberta that is holding a fundraising event, send me the details (to BaseballinAlberta@gmail.com)and I'll add it to here, and promote it on twitter @baseball_in_ab

Blue Jays Super Camp coming to Alberta

For the second year in a row, the Toronto Blue Jays are partnering with Baseball Canada to give young players a chance to participate in camps with former MLB all star players.  This year they have expanded their tour from 7 cities to 13, adding Edmonton as a stop along with Calgary.  This camp is open to players aged 10 to 16.  The instructors in the Alberta camps are scheduled to be  Sandy Alomar, Homer Bush, Lloyd Moseby, Rance Mulliniks & Duane Ward.


The cross-country camps start off at Telus Field in Edmonton on July 2nd - 4th, and continue at Foothills Stadium in Calgary July 5th - 7th.  To register and for more information, click on this link to the Blue Jays site.

And parents... this is a great time to share some Canadian baseball history with your young ones.  With the Blue Jays looking like they are ready to challenge to be a playoff contender again, why not relive the glory of the first time the World Series flag flew in Canada, and the dramatic Joe Carter World Series clinching walk-off homerun by getting highlights of both World Series on the DVD below:

Blue Jays Super Camp coming to Calgary!

The Toronto Blue Jays have announced they will conduct  Super Camps across seven cities this summer, and Calgary is included in the schedule.  This is part of their commitment to amateur baseball across Canada and is geared towards players aged 8 to 14.  Their Alberta stop will be on August 8th to 10th at Foothills Stadium and the Absolute Sports Academy, and will feature Mark Eichhorn, Rance Mulliniks and Duane Ward.  Full details and registration at the the Blue Jays website.


Blue Jays - Authentic Alternate Light Blue On-Field Jersey. Buy Now!

I'm published!!

My article on PBF launching academy in the fall, has now been posted on the Canadian Baseball Network.

New Baseball Academy planned for Fall in Calgary

Until now Calgary high school aged players who wanted to attend a baseball academy had to go out of town and make arrangements to spend the school year in places such as Vauxhall or Edmonton.  But now there will be an option for Calgarians who want a quality baseball program during the school year without having to leave home. Pro Baseball Force (PBF) has announced an academy program which will start its inaugural season in September of 2011.   Unlike the other baseball academies in the Province, this one will not be tied to a high school, with all the training being after school and on weekends.