Ernie Whitt has been playing and coaching Baseball north of the border since 1977, and over that time he's developed a strong admiration for Canadian players.
He appreciated their tenacity on the field as a catcher over 15 big-league seasons mostly with the Toronto Blue Jays , and gained an even deeper respect once he began managing the national team at the 1999 Pan American Games. The talent and depth in Canadian Baseball has grown by leaps and bounds since then, while the dogged approach has remained the same. That's why the 56-year-old American is thrilled to take the helm again as Canada's manager at next spring's World Baseball Classic, intent on going deeper than one round this time.
"I'm just so proud of managing a team of players that go out and play the game the right way. They play it with passion and pride and they put it all on the line," Whitt said yesterday.
The announcement of Whitt's appointment along with the introduction of Justin Morneau as the team's first player came as no surprise.
Whitt managed Canada to a bronze medal at the '99 Pan Ams that included upset wins over Cuba and the U.S., a fourth-place finish at the 2004 Olympics and a 2-1 record at the inaugural World Baseball Classic in '06 that featured a memorable 8-6 win over the U.S. The job has been his since the summer.
Morneau, the Minnesota Twins slugger from New Westminster, B.C., is perhaps the top Canadian in the game today, an American League MVP in 2006 and runner-up in '08 capable of carrying a team on his back.
