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 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 '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.
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 '09 edition features a double-knockout formula, a welcome change that means the standings won't be determined by officials and a calculator.
"Now it doesn't matter if you win by one run or 10 runs, where before it did,'' said Whitt. "It's whoever wins the ball game is going to go forward.''
The new format won't be the only thing going for the Canadians this time around.
They'll have home-field advantage playing out of Pool C in Toronto, along with the United States, Venezuela and Italy, and several new faces who weren't able to play in the first edition.
While Morneau was the only player named yesterday, several other prominent names have already been granted approval to suit up, including Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Russ Martin and Kansas City Royals third baseman Mark Teahen.
Others also approved include first baseman/outfielder Joey Votto, infielders Stubby Clapp, Pete Orr and Chris Barnwell, outfielders Jason Bay, Matt Stairs and Adam Stern, and pitchers Jeff Francis, Jesse Crain and Scott Richmond.
