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 on a conference call yesterday. "Most of the players have played in these tournaments before, they know it's a short sprint so we have to stay very aggressive, play under control, play with some emotion and passion -- just put it all out there."

The announcement of Whitt's appointment along with the introduction of slugger Justin Morneau as the team's first player came as no surprise, as both were obvious picks.

Whitt managed Canada to a bronze medal at the '99 Pan Ams that included upset wins over Cuba and the United States, a fourth-place finish at the 2004 Olympics and a 2-1 record at the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006 that featured a memorable 8-6 win over the U.S.

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 2008 capable of carrying a team on his back.

He's been waiting for this tournament since the last one ended abruptly for Canada, which finished in a three-way tie with the United States and Mexico at the top of Pool B but was eliminated due to tiebreaker rules based on run differential.

The Canadians will have home-field advantage playing out of Pool C in Toronto, along with the United States, Venezuela and Italy.